In Spring this year, we went to visit designer Estelle Buckland from Door Nineteen in the harmonious surrounding of Bechstein Hall on Wigmore Street, W1.
After first working with Bechstein, one of the world’s leading piano makers, on a project in Manchester soon after the Covid pandemic, Estelle was then briefed to work on Bechstein Hall, which saw the company return to Wigmore Street in London for the first time since 1916. The project would result in a new multi-purpose space, which features a recital hall, bar and restaurant, showrooms, private practice rooms and residential apartments above.
Duncan Riches (DR)
Can you explain a little about the history of the building on Wigmore Street and about Bechstein’s ambitions for the space.
Estelle Buckland (EB)
The history around piano manufacturing, sales and recitals on this road is quite important. Wigmore Hall down the road used to be Bechstein Hall, so with that legacy, the company wanted to come back to Wigmore Street. This building used to house Brinsmead Pianos. It started off as a sales room for Brinsmead, and then they had their own recital hall here in the basement. When we were doing the demolition works, we found the old Brinsmead Recital Hall. All the tiles that you now see on the bar and the welcome area, were recovered from the old hall. They were just boarded over. They’re all handmade Minton tiles. The client here was wonderful, because so often a project, you’ll uncover something like this, and then the next day it’s forgotten, but the client here really valued the history. By saving them you’re not erasing the history of the building, you’re keeping part of its story, and building on it. That was a great find, quite early on.
DR
At what stage was the project at then? Was there a master plan you were working on?
EB
It was still in the planning stage then, but after planning, there were lots of changes that happened whilst on site. I started just as we were getting into the details of the recital hall. It became more and more complex as it went on, because as soon as we had the recital hall in place, that’s when the sound quality became more important.
DR
How did you break down each part of the project?
EB
Due to time constraints, I created concepts for every area so we could quickly get a feel of what we wanted to do or how we were going to proceed with it. The bar and restaurant came later in the project. We had a kitchen originally on the plan for staff use, and then as the business plan evolved to the recital hall, with a bar and a restaurant, we needed a commercial kitchen to support it. So those things came later in the project.
DR
It sounds like you had to be quite flexible as you were moving along in the project.
EB
Oh, yeah, definitely. But I think major changes on a project once something has been signed off can be a problem for some people, especially if you have a rigid approach. But life doesn’t work like that. Change does create complexity, but my goodness, this client is an inspiration for the ambition they have shown. All the things that they changed along the way, they changed for the better, and it was actually quite fun being that flexible. It’s better to celebrate when a client is so attached to a project. It’s a labour of love, but also a legacy project, so worth that extra investment of energy.
DR
What about the design ethos?
EB
Well, Bechstein is a German company, and the ownership wanted this to be quite a modern experience and place to come. Quite different from other similar spaces in the UK, but then there is the history, and the fact it’s an older building. I think there’s something lovely about capturing the history in a way that is not dated and classical. So it was a complicated design process to make sure that you’re fulfilling those two briefs. Maintain the classical nature, but make it modern, and get those two elements to sit well together. It was very different from the Bechstein project in Manchester, which was resolutely modern, quite industrial. Here we have made a feature of some of the older parts of the building, showing some of the raw materials, like the timber from the pianos in the wall cladding. We used a motif we found in some pictures of the ceiling of the old Brinsmead space and re-worked it into the wall panels. We have beautiful reeded glass. There is something nice about how it all sits together.
DR
I imagine having a building with a heavy history can be quite overwhelming.
EB
Definitely, it’s all about getting that balance. We wanted someone, who doesn’t know the history to be able to walk in and enjoy the space, and also for someone who is well-versed in the story to enjoy the hidden details. It was about making sure it was not over designed, but rather works as a strong backdrop for what’s going on, while not overshadowing the product.
DR
How do you go about specifying the furniture and lighting on a project like this?
EB
Like all designers, I probably have my favourite products and brands. I’ve known and worked with Debbie (Director, SCP Contracts) for a really long time, and I just find her so fun to work with. It’s really a joy. She has so much patience. We had the initial concept, with a selection of favourite beautiful products, then we tried out a lot of different chairs and products, to make sure that everything was right. I had a good idea of the colour palette that I wanted and some of the preferred fabrics. We ended up using the Beetle chair by GUBI, which is a real favourite of mine. For the tables, Debbie worked directly with the manufacturer to get the right stain on the tops, so that everything worked together well. We selected the fabrics with the client at the SCP Showroom, and there was a lot of detail that went into things like different bases for some tables that needed to be stored away, and so on. The level of complexity is always high on a project like this, but Debbie and her team, are very patient with that stuff. It’s so important but can take a lot of time.
DR
What other factors were involved in the project that brought complexity?
EB
Primarily, the acoustics. We worked with Evan Green from Kahle Acoustics, who was brilliant. He knew how important the overall aesthetic would be, but really understood the quality of the sound. We needed to have a number of hard finishes, which wasn’t as important in the bar and restaurant as the hall, but it was still a consideration. So it was quite a technical process, but a good learning experience, for me and everyone on the team.
DR
What was the duration of the project and was there anything specific that was different to other projects you have worked on?
EB
It was about four years. The longest project I’ve ever worked on, mainly because of the changes, and the complexity once on site. I think the key difference to other projects was that it was such a multi-disciplined team, with contractors, acousticians, and so many different people on site. The architects and the structural team also really got on and supported each other. Which I would say, is unusual, but it happened here, and it worked well. I am confident that what we have created here will stand the test of time. I really hope that we’ll come back in 20 years and think, wow, it still looks really good.
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A big thank you to Estelle for taking the time to talk to us, and to Bechstein for welcoming us into the space.
