For anyone drawn to pared-back aesthetics, the flamboyantly British interior scheme can feel over the top — though few can pull it off quite like Martin Brudnizki.
Private club Annabel's current proprietor, Richard Caring, has long favoured Brudnizki — commissioning him for the 2018 relocation of Annabel's and, this year, once more for a fresh eatery inside the club's mews building. Named Matteo's, the venue is slated to welcome its first guests later this month.
The Matteo's concept nods respectfully to Annabel's storied past. Brudnizki anchored the palette around yellows, greens, and reds, while reviving signature touches from the original club — among them the purple floral carpet, an oversized gilded Buddha, tasselled seating, and a striking art collection.
He then layered in a mirrored ceiling and a transparent bar, both of which dissolve any sense of orientation — leaving the minimalist crowd even more disoriented. Just how much more can a single room absorb? Still, there's an undeniably smug, self-assured swagger running through the entire spectacle. Brudnizki clearly understands the assignment.
Annabel's, London's celebrated members-only institution, was launched in 1963 by the late hospitality figure Mark Birley, who borrowed his wife's name — Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart — for the club. The couple divorced in 1975.
It swiftly drew Britain's aristocracy, creative circles, and bohemian set. In 2007, British entrepreneur and Caprice Holdings chairman Richard Caring — a multimillionaire — acquired the Birley Group, which encompassed Annabel's at Berkeley Square in Mayfair, Harry's Bar, Mark's Club, and Birley's extensive art holdings.
In 2018, Caring relocated Annabel's just two doors away to a 26,000-square-foot (2,415-square-metre) Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse at 46 Berkeley Square. — Tuija Seipell
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