< Previous00 Henderson has risen to the challenge with aplomb, devising a novel solution for shaping the fl ow of the open-plan living space – and cre- ating a feeling of intimacy from the moment of arrival. You now enter the apartment into a long gallery-like hallway which he has had pan- elled with white-washed cypress to conceal storage areas and the powder room. At the end, in a gently curved niche, sits a playful sculp- ture on a pedestal and, to it’s right, is an archway which leads into the fi rst of several entertaining zones. “I purposely directed visitors towards the views of the Hudson Riv- er and a sitting area with swivel chairs and a low table,” says Hender- son. “It’s meant as a place to experience the views.” The spare, consid- ered beauty of this viewing parlour almost eclipses the vistas from the 12-foot-high windows. Five elegant Sixties chairs – upholstered in burgundy velvet and convially arranged in a circle – are capped with a futuristic pyramid pendant light by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, its iridescent fi nish refracting tiny rainbows around the room in the late afternoon sun. Cleverly, the cypress wood-panelled entry sequence wraps around into the living and dining room, simultaneously creating a visual con- nection and creating privacy. “Both spaces are open to each other, but I concealed the dining room to create a more intimate experience,” says Henderson. Slatted cyprus panels have also been used to hide unsightly AV equipment and a television in a chic, sleek way. The kitchen, fi tted with Bulthaup units in Scandinavian larch wood, is tucked off the dining room and a giant pocket door in the liv- ing area conceals a snug, where the kids hang out to watch TV and play computer games. Here, an oversized ottoman is dressed with a jaunty checked fabric, which provided inspiration for the colour pal- ette throughout the apartment. “Typically, I start with one fabric and build a home around that,” Henderson explains. “In this case, I was obsessed with this woven textile. Most colours for the public spaces were pulled from that.” The upshot is a palette of warm neutrals with accents in deep bur- gundy, grey-blues and olive greens. Although there are fl ashes of strong statement colour, Henderson had to be mindful of the home- owners’ growing art collection, which creates wow-factor moments in several spaces. In the dining room, a bold black-and-white canvas by the graffi ti artist Retna is offset by a huge Fifties-style chandelier and midcentury caned chairs by Marcel Gascoin. Three bedrooms (two for the children and one for guests), run the length of a corridor that leads to the high-ceilinged primary bedroom, which is so roomy that it has its own sofa – an angular Edward Worm- ley number in deep green velvet – and coffee table arranged in a cor- ner. A mobile by American artist Beth Campbell hangs like a drawing in space, its profusion of thin, branchlike wires casting gentle shad- ows as it moves. It’s a soothing spot – a perfectly balanced composi- tion of furniture and art that feels approachable yet elevated. “I feel the entire home refl ects my design philosophy,” adds Hen- derson. Which is? “That’s simple. Creating warm, inviting spaces that also feel sophisticated.” shawnhenderson.com ABOVE FROM LEFT: The freestanding tub is a Schrager design; calm caramel tones in the principal bedroom. OPPOSITE PAGE: The seating area in the principal bedroom is anchored by a Edward Wormley sofa dressed in Fortuny mohair velvet. The coff ee table is from La Cividina and the fl oor lamp is by Bourgeois Boheme Atelier. AD_040_108-117_Arena_New York_11748580.indd 11425/08/2021 04:36:18 PM115 AD_040_108-117_Arena_New York_11748580.indd 11525/08/2021 04:36:37 PMAD_040_108-117_Arena_New York_11748580.indd 11625/08/2021 04:36:47 PM117 ABOVE: The dining area in the kitchen has a Drop Chair by Arne Jacobsen and an Arc Globe Lamp by Allied Marker. OPPOSITE PAGE: A Woody Endless light by Jason Miller Studio illuminates the marble kitchen island. The larch wood units are from Bulthaup and the stools are by Toke Lauridsen for Frama. AD_040_108-117_Arena_New York_11748580.indd 11725/08/2021 04:36:58 PMFOR MORE TRAVEL NEWS AND INSPIRATION cntravellerme.com119 ESCAPE PH OTO : HAM E D F A R HAN G I “We decided not to hide the marks of time, but rather celebrate them with deliberately modern furniture and additions” 126 AD_040_119_Escape_Opener_11760074.indd 11925/08/2021 10:33:53 AM- SUITE DR EA MS - Grand Hotel After a dazzling renovation project, Four Seasons Madrid is bringing Old World glamour to the heart of the Spanish capital 120 AD_040_120-122_Escape_Suite Dreams FS Madrid_11758207.indd 12025/08/2021 04:39:54 PMCLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The swimming pool; soaring original marble columns in the lobby; a serene suite bedroom. OPPOSITE PAGE: 84,000 square-feet of facade have been restored. T he grand triangular edifi ce of Four Seasons Madrid stands proud at the confl uence of three streets in the centre of the city, but all the roads in Spain lead here – in theory, at least. The hotel, which opened last September following the renovation of seven historic buildings, is a few steps away from Kilometre Zero, the point from which distances are measured in Spain. The ambitious project (as well as the hotel, there are private residences and a soon-to- open shopping arcade) has taken eight years to realise, and more than 16,000 pieces of architectural salvage were extracted, catalogued and painstakingly restored. Many can now be found in the hotel’s suites and public areas, such as the soaring green marble pillars in the lobby, which was once the main hall of La Equitativa, formerly an insurance house and bank. Despite its grandeur, the character of the hotel is friendly and approachable (much like the locals themselves) and the legendary Four Seasons service is in evidence at every turn. Myriad small details – guest names are remembered, conversation is convivial but not overbearing – come together to make for a perfectly calibrated experience. Combining seven buildings while ensuring the corridors are all even has resulted in 200 charmingly individual guest rooms (there are 117 diff erent layouts), some with terraces and double-height volumes. Even the smallest rooms are unusually spacious for a premium capital city hotel. The interiors by San Francisco fi rm BAMO have a soothing neutral palette with subtle pale blue and yellow accents; the wow factor here comes from the quality of the materials, the seamless fi nishes and all the things that aren’t immediately apparent, such as the immaculately outfi tted wardrobes. Decoration aside, the most important elements of a hotel room – the bed and shower – are fabulously functional. The combination of a tightly sprung mattress and feather-soft topper means that slipping AD_040_120-122_Escape_Suite Dreams FS Madrid_11758207.indd 12125/08/2021 04:40:05 PM122 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A one bedroom suite. Several of the rooms have double-height ceilings; guest bathrooms are all marble clad; sunset on the roof terrace at Dani; decorative iron lattice-work on the main entrance. between the fi nely spun sheets is akin to fl oating on a cloud. In the bathrooms (complete with free-standing tubs and capacious rain showers), Hermès products are an ambrosial touch which hints at the delights that await in the French maison’s boutique on the ground fl oor. It’s the fi rst to open in the Galería Canalejas mall, and has echoes of the purveyors of fi ne goods (think jewellery, perfume and hunting equipment) that once occupied the ground fl oor of Palacio de la Equitativa. Try to persuade the staff to give you a peek into the Royal Suite, where the sitting room – once the private offi ce of the bank’s presidents – has retained most of its early 1900s features, while the new bathroom is head-spinningly sumptuous, thanks to the beguiling combination of Calacatta Vagli Rosato marble and antique chandeliers with a contemporary circular tub. Equally eye-catching is the hotel’s 2,000-strong art collection, made up of work by emerging Spanish artists, including the large-scale photographs which line the corridors. Set over two fl oors, the light-suff used spa is the largest in Madrid and off ers restorative treatments post-sightseeing. Better still, it has both a show-stopping covered pool and a terrace where guests can take in sweeping views of the city while sunbathing on balmy days. The best spot for people-watching (and surveying the skyline at sunset) is smart rooftop brasserie Dani, helmed by Spanish celebrity chef Dani Garcia. Booking is a must: well-heeled madrilenos and visitors vye for the best tables on the terrace, watched over by a bell tower with a copper cupola. Inside, typically sophisticated decor by Martin Brudinkski is a match for Garcia’s elevated gastronomy. Be sure to try the Tomato Nitro, which undoubtedly helped the fl agship Dani Garcia Restaurant earn three Michelin stars in 2018. It’s a delightfully surprising take on classic ingredients and leaves you wanting more – much like Four Seasons Madrid itself. fourseasons.com/ madrid – TALIB CHOUDHR Y AD_040_120-122_Escape_Suite Dreams FS Madrid_11758207.indd 12225/08/2021 04:40:22 PM- DR EA M TICK ET - Paradise Found A tranquil, tropical idyll offering world class culinary experiences, Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi is the peak of Maldivian luxury T here was a moment in the mid- dle of the global lockdown when life seemed momentari- ly calm. Isolation will do that. But really, what we’re all look- ing for is splendid isolation (to misquote British Prime Minister Henry Palmerston), and the Maldives has built a global reputation on off ering tranquil, luxuri- ous peacefulness. Those twenty-six atolls contain over a thousand islands with immacu- late sands, swaying palms and sapphire-clear water, and business is booming – Emirates airline alone has four fl ights a day landing at the expanded Vela na airport. The islands’ hospitality off ering has burgeoned (all-inclu- sive family resorts are having a moment), and, at the very highest level, the competition has seen a proliferation of resorts that are at the global peak of luxury. The Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi sits proudly atop this peak. Of course the resort’s 119 beach, reef and over-water villas are magnifi - cent with lush tropical entranceways and pri- vate pools, but if splendid isolation is the goal, the two Stella Maris residences are the ulti- mate address; these standalone above-water villas are accessible only by boat. As your con- cierge turns the craft around and heads back to the main island, you can stand on one of the myriad decks and gaze in awed silence across the boundless ocean. Without even a walkway to the shore, the intimacy and opulence of the solitude allows you to unwind instantly. The infi nity pool faces east for sunrise, and upstairs (yes, they are duplexes), a granite hot-tub faces west for the famous Maldivian sunset. On the ground fl oor, the impossibly blue sea twinkles through the fl oor-to-ceiling A powder-soft private beach. RIGHT: Sunset views on the Li Long terrace. AD_040_123-125_Escape_Dream Ticket Maldives_11760409.indd 12325/08/2021 04:41:47 PMNext >