Third space

Work meets play: Croydon’s BIrch (seLsDon) hotel is more than just a place to lay your head.

WordS: chLoé petersen sneLL photogrAphy: aDam Lynk

Nestled in 200 acres of sprawling parkland and a former golf course just 30 minutes from London, Birch (Selsdon) is a hotel and lifestyle concept according to nature. A blended environment of hotel-meets-workplace-meetsleisure, there’s nothing particularly new in its simplest sense (see: Soho House), but what Birch offers feels refreshingly different, with an elevated ‘home-fromhome’ concept and relaxed interiors that invite members and guests to escape the every day. ‘Polished, grown up, a little bit wild’ describes its literature, cultural currency that ensured the rave reviews of Birch’s debut opening, Birch (Cheshunt) – which launched to great acclaim in 2020. During a stay, hotel guests become temporary members, with a long list of activities available to experience, from Pilates and pottery to nature walks and even bee keeping. Members are invited to come for their 9-5, but clock off at 4 to enjoy a spritz on the terrace, a dip in the adjacent Victorian-inspired Lido and a bite to eat in either of the two Michelin-chef-headed restaurants designed by A-nrd and Sella.

The rather imposing, gothic building creeks with history. Formerly a 19th century mansion, the story of the site dates back hundreds of years – once an Anglo Saxon Hall, a medieval farmhouse and a Tudor manor house where Henry VIII is rumoured to have courted Anne Boleyn. It makes sense then, that Birch Selsdon’s design would take a restorative approach, carefully peeling back the layers and mixing modern and trend-driven design with original dark wood staircases and stained-glass windows. After undergoing a major refurbishment and restoration by Alessio Nardi and Lukas Persakovas of A-nrd studio, the 181-room hotel presented hidden gems, including mosaic parquet flooring, hidden round bay niches and old decorative stone façades.

“The building inside and out is a very special place,” says Nardi. “It’s grand and historic, set in acres of beautiful land but, over the years in its various incarnations it had been modified in unsympathetic ways and we felt it had lost its way. Now, I think it’s a symbol of how hospitality, contemporary design and sustainability can combine in a very fresh and engaging way. Birch’s ethos to reuse and minimise waste and consumption where possible is directly in line with our studio and is reflected in the interiors.”

In the lobby, the original stone walls and fireplace are flanked by contemporary bespoke artwork by local artist Olly Fathers – reflecting the decorative floral bas-relief ceiling above. Timber flooring is broken up by terracotta cLIent Birch (Sesldon) archItect & InterIor DesIgner

A-nrd Studio and Sella fLoorIng

The Floor Gallery, Forbo furnIture

Massproductions, menuspace, Moroso, Not ma, Zilio, Jobs, Vinteriors, Caravane, Carl Hansen, Sebastian Cox surfaces

Solus

LIghtIng

Michael Ruh, Ferm Living, HK Living, Valerie Objects other

Yarn Collective, Casamance, Romo, Kvadrat, Kaldawei

Image on prevIous page: The Meadow bar looks on to a light-filled Orangery opposIte page cLockWIse from top Left: The Snug workspace

Pared back guest rooms

The surrounding estate is London’s largest rewinding project

The Orangery tiles and pockets of modern furniture zone the space, upholstered in muted tones of velvet, bouclé and rattan. The reception desks were designed by A-nrd, featuring a timber shakes finish using timber cut from the estate’s land. From the reception, guests can eat, work and relax in the light-filled Orangery, featuring original paned glass and a curved sofa upholstered in a bold Klein blue bouclé by Kvadrat X Raf Simons, which overlooks impressive views of the surrounding estate.

The 200 acres of land has been regenerated back to its natural state for local biodiversity, led by furniture designer and biodiversity champion Sebastian Cox. As one of the world’s most nature depleted countries, Britain sits in the bottom 10% globally for biodiversity. Now one of London’s largest rewilding projects, Birch’s approach allows nature to take its course. They stopped mowing and watering the once manicured golf course just 18 months ago, yet yellow-rattles, yarrows and long grasses already spread across the rolling hills, soon to be joined by free-roaming Sussex cattle, wild ponies and pigs. These hardy herbivores will naturally turn the earth, exposing the sleeping wildflower seed bank underground.

“Our concept for what we grow and rear at Birch (Selsdon) is to look past the Victorian and Edwardian dominance of the site and revive the medieval farmstead that once stood at Selsdon,” Cox explains. “Everything we grow (including trees or shrubs we plant around the gardens) should have a use – for humans as food or pollination for wildlife.”

The surrounding meadow and woodland seeps into the interiors, in the large diffused ombré wall hanging from Casamance in the lobby, to the sage green limewash walls and terracotta tiles of the Orangery, and through to the warm apricot walls of the hotel’s bar and casual dining space, Vervain. Here, sweeping original windows sit above

“Lukas and I began to craft the idea of bringing the outside in,” adds Nardi. “Pretty much wherever you are in the building, there’s views from the fantastic paned windows of the fields and woodland. We wanted to bring that connection to nature, that calmness and sense of tranquillity indoors so that guests feel instantly at ease and relaxed as they transition into the hotel and throughout all areas.”

Typical of these historic, spawling buildings, private nooks and passageways can be discovered around every corner. In the ground-floor Snug, refurbished vintage lounge chairs and modern furniture in rich greens and plums contrast with the dark, original panelled walls and bas-relief ceiling, with oversized globe lighting bringing the space into the 21st century. A bespoke 8-metre-wide neon light sculpture is installed on the main staircase, inspired by the towering stained-glass window depicting an ancient tree, complete with Latin-inscribed banner. “It creates a great juxtaposition of styles,” notes Nardi.

With ample space for working inside and out, dedicated coworking space ‘The Hive’ features large communal tables also made in collaboration with Cox, with seven ‘zoom rooms’ for added privacy. Focal to the space is a colourful art installation by Daniel Eatock which lines the back of the area: 38 diptychs painted on plywood. The space is busy and energetic – a welcoming place for the surrounding community to work and socialise. Indeed, upstairs in the pared back guest rooms, there are no televisions or desks – encouraging guests to take the chance to escape, converse and connect in these shared spaces.