A Garden Breeze was a one-off hand-crafted installation for The House of Walpole at No. 1 Palace Street, a collaboration between Northacre Properties and Walpole to showcase and highlight British luxury within a one-off residence designed entirely by Oliver Burns. Steeped in history, No. 1 Palace Street, The St. Regis Residences is one of London’s most coveted addresses, adjacent to His Majesty’s official London residence, boasting unique views of the Palace and its private gardens. Taking inspiration from the gardens, Oliver Burns has created a unique design concept for House of Walpole entitled ‘A Celebration of the Palace Gardens’ and the apartment features a curated mix of bespoke pieces from the best British luxury brands.
Situated in the hallway of the elegant apartment, Nulty Bespoke’s luminaire was designed to bring depth, movement, and visual interest to the high-end interior scheme. The playful centrepiece is an abstract depiction of the flora and fauna in the palace gardens and comprises hand-pulled glass butterflies, dragonflies, and mulberry leaves in a delicate tapered arrangement.
The commission saw the team play around with clear, coloured, and opaque effects to reference the vibrancy of nature and punctuate the wider scheme with subtle injections of colour and texture. Some of the sculptured glass elements feature speckled brown and champagne pigment, while others are simply clear. A juxtaposition of crackled and non-crackled finishes adds further visual complexity to the piece. Each of the delicate hand-pulled components was crafted by highly skilled artisans in Stourbridge, the glass-making centre of England.
The free-flowing composition of the installation was achieved using ultra-minimalist stainless-steel cables, which create the illusion that each butterfly, dragonfly, and leaf is floating in the air. The glass designs have been suspended at varying lengths to form an oscillating effect and draw the gaze along the hallway towards the bedroom at the end. Low glare downlights were then positioned on the ceiling to provide a layer of ambient illumination from above, which radiates shimmering light throughout the installation and animates the decorative detail of the glass.
