Diespeker’s signature touch elevates Hilton Park Lane refurbishment.
Terrazzo and natural stone specialist Diespeker & Co was pleased to contribute to the 2023 refurbishment of London Hilton on Park Lane in Mayfair, with eye-catching bespoke flooring and elegant table tops.
Park Lane was the first Hilton to open in the UK, in 1963. Since then it has become a draw for visitors to the capital, well known for its elegance, comfort and luxurious ambiance. But all hotels need a refresh from time to time, and Park Lane’s 60th anniversary was deemed the perfect opportunity for a multi-million pound refurbishment. This included a makeover for all of the hotel’s 453 rooms as well as the public spaces and dining areas.
Diespeker was brought in to create a new floor for the Park Corner Brasserie, using a stunning Palladiana style design. In recent years Diespeker has become something of an expert with this style of terrazzo which it has installed in offices, restaurants and private residences across the UK.
Palladiana takes its name from sixteenth century Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio who was responsible for many stunning villas, palaces and churches. The style uses larger-sized chunks of marble compared to regular terrazzo. Normally chunks are up to 25mm, but with Palladiana there is almost no limitation to the size. The pieces of marble are often irregular in shape, but they can also be geometric. For the Hilton, the shapes included not just rectangles and squares, but hexagons, circles, quadrangles and triangles to form a striking design.
The dramatic marble used for the flooring is Noir St Laurent, which is quarried in South West France; this is dark brown to black with plenty of gold-white veins. It has a truly opulent look, fitting for a floor in this luxury hotel.
Diespeker’s factory team carefully prepared the marble, cutting the shapes using state-of-the-art machinery. Back on site, the shapes were set into position in the floor ready for the terrazzo to be poured over. To produce a dramatic contrast to the dark marble and enhance the veining, Diespeker’s popular white terrazzo TE001 was used. Then, once the surface had set it was ground and finally polished to reveal the unique design.
Diespeker also worked on a second project at the Hilton for JK Interiors, who were responsible for the design management and procurement of the hotel’s refurbishment. For this, Diespeker supplied and fitted classy table tops for the hospitality spaces.
The table tops for the Park Corner Brasserie were manufactured in white quartz, luxuriously finished with brass edging to effortlessly complement the delightful contemporary feel of the overall design, which combines green tones including vibrant leather seating. The brasserie benefits from buckets of natural light, superbly reflected by the super-glossy Palladiana floor.
Diespeker created marble table tops in Calacatta Viola for the ground floor Revery Bar, harmonising with the terracotta and lime wash hues of the bar and the deep reds of the lavish seating. These ‘double top’ tables have softly rounded edges that complement the curves in the seats. In total between the brasserie and bar, Diespeker supplied around 50 table tops for the project.
The overall refurbishment of the Hilton on Park Lane has rejuvenated the hotel without compromising the charm and heritage of its 60-year history. It was documented by Channel 5 whose four-part documentary Inside the Park Lane Hilton aired in April 2024. This gave viewers behind-the-scenes insights including progress on the floor – with brief glimpses of the Diespeker team hard at work.
