Chance to own a piece of Dorchester elegance
THE iconic five-star Dorchester Hotel in London is having a clear-out and auctioning off 2,000 fixtures and fittings to make room for a major makeover.
Named after the first Earl of Dorchester, Dorset landowner Joseph Damer, the Mayfair hotel has become linked to the rich and famous.
Prince Philip hosted his bachelor party on the eve of his wedding to Queen Elizabeth II in the hotel’s Park Suite while more recent guests have included Kate Moss, the Kardashians, Mariah Carey and Tom Cruise.
Film icon Elizabeth Taylor had the Harlequin Suite overlooking Hyde Park, and was there so much they even did the bathroom out in pink marble for her.
Items range from the Dorchester Lion Mask bins from around £20 each, up to a Georgian camel back sofa with a solid wood frame, padded and upholstered in Lelievre Paris Olive Green, with rolled arms and a carved wood bracket base that’s expected to make in excess of £5,000.
In between are room safes for £30 and 46-inch Bang and Olufsen TVs, which retail for just over £1,000, starting at £360.
And there is a whole host of furniture up for grabs as the hotel plans to revamp two floors of the hotel’s 250 guest rooms and suites, as well as the renowned Promenade lounge.
Items for sale from the lounge include the entire bar, as well as the round glass tables and mahogany bar stools upholstered in green for £80.
Luxury Italian lighting and chandeliers from Laudarte and Barovier & Toso will also be auctioned, and there will be fine furniture by Restall Brown.
For those looking for more hidden luxury items, mattresses start at £400 but you will be disappointed if you wanted a bathrobe and slippers as sets of them were withdrawn from the sale.
Simon Rose, auction director leading the sale, said it contained many exciting items and some beautiful reproduction furniture designed in Georgian style.
He said: “These pieces will sell for a fraction of the originals but nothing is lost in the quality or style.
“Of course, there are offerings for the more practical buyer: cushy ottomans upholstered in velvet and trimmed with fringe, marble-topped coffee tables, and gilded furniture once housed in the famous Promenade.
“Fans of European history will delight in seeing items from the Eisenhower Suite up for grabs – though they are likely replicas and not originals from the general’s home.”
Pro Auction declined to confirm whether any pieces from the sale were once owned by celebrities.
In February this year the hotel, opened by Sir Robert McAlpine in 1931, commenced a multimillionpound refurbishment to its 187 rooms and 65 suites.
The five-star Mayfair hotel was built on the site of Joseph Damer’s Dorchester House mansion.
Damer also owned Milton Abbey in Dorset and created the village of Milton Abbas.
Pro Auction will be leading the sale, set to take place on June 21 and 22. Bidding will take place in person and via a live webcast, starting at 10.30am each day.