Each room a masterpiece: The Milestone Hotel

Set on the lip of Kensington Gardens, The Milestone Hotel & Residences enjoys one of central London’s most serene, bucolic wintertime locations. Right outside, the royal park’s ancient trees are cloaked in romantic morning mists. Nearby, the palace, birthplace of Queen Victoria and residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, shimmers in London’s frost-sparkled winter light. The Milestone itself is as palatial as its royal neighbour. Alongside its 43 sumptuous guest rooms is a selection of 13 individual suites, each immaculately appointed and carefully designed by President and Founder of Red Carnation Hotels Bea Tollman and her daughter Toni. These suites offer guests an exclusive pied-à-terre from which to enjoy this enchanting central London location. To ensure each stay is personalised, each of our guests is invited to complete a room selection form. On it, you’re requested to specify the amenities and aesthetic you’d prefer in your Kensington residence. Here we profile our family of suites and describe what they’re perfect for. The regal: Hermès Suite Gazing out across Kensington Gardens, our palatial Hermès Suite is The Milestone’s most prestigious residence. Elegant interiors are characterised throughout by shades of rich green, the malachite of the deep-pile carpet carried through in the emerald sofa, jacquard bedspread and celadon vases and lamps. Meanwhile, the coffered four metre-high ceiling draws the eye upwards, contributing to a refreshing sense of space and light. For those with an eye for detail, the Hermès Suite never fails to disappoint. The residence is replete with unique objets d’art that add to its storied grandeur. Six of the suite’s 12 eponymous vintage Hermès scarves dominate the focal wall. Hand-picked by Bea Tollman, their vibrant designs add flourishes of style and colour. To either side, five-foot Murano glass pillar lights illuminate the framed scarves with a soft glow. The centrepiece of the suite is an Art Deco brass-framed four-poster bed. Stretch out in comfort between crisp cotton sheets and enjoy a movie on the retractable widescreen TV, housed discreetly in the walnut storage unit at the bed’s foot. Or, if you’d rather curl up on the sofa to watch the latest news, there’s an additional screen serving the living area. The suite is bathed in natural light from its floor-to-ceiling windows, which open out onto two private balconies. Both are beautiful belvederes: one from which to admire the greens of adjacent Kensington Gardens; the other an intimate outdoor setting, complete with bistro table at which to enjoy a cappuccino or evening aperitif while contemplating the tranquillity of Kensington Court. Last but not least of the Hermès Suite’s amenities are its two bathrooms. The larger is veneered with the subtle olive hues of Greek Kalamata marble, and features his-and-her sinks with matching droplet-glass lamps. The bucolic: Kensington Garden Suite The Kensington Garden Suite is a split-floor space commanding magnificent views over the royal park. Floor-to-ceiling bay windows infuse both the ground and mezzanine levels in natural light, accentuating the suite’s crisp, airy décor and offering beautiful garden views. The suite itself is dressed in Champagne hues, united across both floors by truffle striped linen wallpaper. Downstairs, the living room playfully combines and contrasts prints, patterns and textures, liberally punctuated by numerous antique flourishes: here a Carlton House writing desk, there a French Guéridon or a Baroque urn. On the walls, individually chosen Louis Icart and James Tissot artworks add additional levels of refinement. Upstairs, the bedroom is accessed by an elegant curved staircase. Cheerful Roberto Cavalli linens drape the king-size bed, their bright, floral designs complementing the suite’s sense of light and air. Guests waking up in the morning can turn to gaze out at the tranquil Kensington morning outside, leaning over the bedroom area’s interior balustrade in a scene reminiscent of The Importance of Being Earnest. The Hermès Suite and the Kensington Garden Suite can be booked together to form the Royal Kensington Suite. This super-suite accommodates up to six adults, both linked by a subtle interconnecting door. Guests of the Royal Kensington Suite will further enjoy a private chauffeured Bentley transfer, complimentary canapés and the services of a private butler throughout their stay. The Art Deco: Ruhlmann Suite The Ruhlmann Suite is perhaps Kensington’s most striking setting. A mixture of lacquered onyx and laced chrome-gold, its interior design pays homage to one of Art Deco’s founding fathers: Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. The suite enjoys views over Kensington Gardens, with Victorian leaded windows framed by thick cream suedette drapes. The Ruhlmann is set over a single floor, with a small five-step interior balcony transporting guests from the doorway to the main space. Right upon entry, the Art Deco inspiration is in full effect. A black carpet, finished with a cream, angled border, slides sleekly down the entranceway’s five steps before spreading across the whole interior below. To the right of the entrance, a purpose-built, black-and-gold balustrade dances with chrome-dusted inlay work on the neighbouring wall, a fitting introduction to the main suite space. Pride of place is the silk-draped central bed, an original Ruhlmann design meticulously reconstructed in veneered walnut by our artisan Italian carpenters. Adding to the bed’s majesty, a Joan Roslyn Hathaway Lucite screen acts as a headboard, depicting a spectral dancer perfecting their final flourish. Brass-inlaid floating bedside tables and a lacquered chrome liner desk complete the set. On the opposite wall, mid-century Italian sconces flank original Erté artworks, while Murano crystals uplighters complement the brass details with their beige light. Across the whole suite, period Art Deco antiques, sourced across Europe, lend their lacquered elegance to the Ruhlmann aesthetic. To round off the suite’s Art Deco experiences, step into the outsized bathroom, complete with frees-standing shower and bath, panelled, of course, in specifically sourced Italian Portoro Gold marble. The leopard print: The Noel Coward The Noel Coward is an elegant assemblage of different interior styles that effortlessly harmonise to create one of The Milestone’s most premier suites, carpeted from the doorway to Victorian windows in gorgeous leopard print. Similar to the Ruhlmann, a slender balustrade guides guests down a staircase into The Noel Coward's expansive main area. Here, irreplaceable artworks, spanning centuries and different media, grace every wall. At one end, a triptych of brass pendant mirrors hangs above the suite’s Savoir bed; while on the other, the bathroom’s bronze mirrored double doors reflect the light-filled living space. Most stunning of all the artworks is perhaps the 19th century mahogany table desk, or the Francois Gangemi Les Demoiselles-esque portrait of a lady. To complete the bright aesthetic, a custom-made Murano glass chandelier lights the entire room. This heirloom was assembled using traditional techniques, with each of its spherical baubles hand-blown. To round off the suite, an attractive bathroom features the largest dual basin sink in the hotel. The bathroom is clad in Makrana-white marble, stylishly inlaid with ribbon-like black marble borders. A full walk-in wardrobe, complete with round-the-clock butler service will allow guests to fully unpack and experience all the spacious suite has to offer. The historic: Tudor Suite The Tudor Suite is The Milestone’s architectural masterpiece, featuring period design highlights at every corner. The suite itself is set over two main rooms, each with a unique aesthetic that refers to the indulgent Tudor lifestyle of the 16th century. The bedroom is set in a delicate beige, gold and white colour scheme, with a wedding cake-like fabric wallpaper framing the dulcet palettes of the interior it encloses. A dramatic four-poster resides in the middle of the bedroom, its four ornate Solomonic spires resembling resplendent torchères. Above, a stunning white stucco-work roof traces the ridges of an intricate Tudor Rose. Meanwhile, the upper register of the bedroom walls is corniced with Romanesque vine-scrolls and pilasters. To complete the bedroom’s cosy Tudor interior, an exquisite bespoke seating area features two banquettes and a miniature library surrounding a Portland stone fireplace. Next door, the living room is set in gorgeous age-old oak panelling. Resembling an old Cambridge college dining hall, the room’s chef-d’ouevre is the low-set minstrels’ gallery, a living relic from the Victorian mansion’s townhouse past. Few rooms in London are as atmospheric as the Tudor Suite living room in winter, when the warmth from the fireplace fogs the Victorian pane windows, and the soft flicker from its flames dances shadows across the oak varnish. This space can act as a separate bedroom, with a rich double sofa bed providing ample comfort; or this exceptional historic interior makes a charming space in which to play host. The theatrical: Mistinguett Suite The Mistinguett Suite exudes theatrical pizzazz. Draped in seductive scarlets, suave greys and sleek monochrome, the suite’s striking colour palette resembles one of Toulouse-Lautrec’s iconic posters. And with good reason: the suite is devoted to one of the most successful Parisienne singers and actresses in history, Mistinguett. The suite is headlined by the plush, fur-draped king bed, at the head of which stands a striking banquette-like headboard. Artworks pertaining to the actress’ life and work are scattered throughout the Mistinguett’s chic interior, from original theatre posters to hand-sketched portraits. At the same time, conical light shafts from the bedside glass lamps contributes to the space’s box office feel. Design highlights include a nacre-inlayed chest of drawers and a pair of custom-sourced silver-scarlet French Adam Style chairs. Outside, the Mistinguett Suite continues to delight. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out over a vogueish private terrace, ideal for morning breakfast or teatime tipple alike—or, dare we say, sabrage. A modern set of outdoor furniture sits in the centre, an exceptional setting from which to start the day looking out over the Royal Borough below. Each of Red Carnation Hotels’ The Milestone Hotel and Residences’ 13 suites is personally curated to combine one-of-a-kind artworks, antiques and design details.