Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with dreamy interiors.
BIRCH (SELSDON)
Location: Selsdon Park, London.
Designer: A-nrd
On Offer: Nestled among 200 rolling, verdant acres of fields and forests 30 minutes south of London, a 19th-century manor has been transformed into the latest Birch property thanks to an extensive restoration by Alessio Nardi and Lukas Persakovas of A-nrd studio. The pair mixed thoughtful renovations of existing details, from the lobby’s decorative stone walls to the paned glass windows and doors leading to the sunny orangerie, with signature custom furnishings like oak-and-steel wardrobes and sage-veneer headboards for the 181 bedrooms and suites.
Michelin-starred chef Lee Westcott similarly refreshes Victorian sensibilities at Vervain, serving shepherd’s pie and rhubarb trifle at rattan booths covered in corduroy velvet. The all-day Meadow bar is an apricot-bright spot for an aperitif, while the Snug bar offers cozier nightcaps at a vintage travertine cocktail table near the original timber-and-stone fireplace.
