Royal Suite at the Waldorf Towers

Royal Suite at the Waldorf Towers

By Paula Jessop

If you can't be a King at least you can live like one at the Waldorf Towers Royal Suite.

One of Manhattan's most majestic Park Avenue apartments, the two-bedroom The Royal Suite at The Waldorf Towers, which occupies the entire 50th Street length of the top floor of the building, has just benefited from a $1 million restoration. With its commanding cityscape and river views, the former New York City residence of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor hideaway for Hollywood to pop culture royalty - Elizabeth Taylor to Britney Spears - is second only to The Waldorf Towers' Presidential Suite, which has housed every U.S. President since Herbert Hoover and countless other heads-of-state, in terms of the grand lineage of its guest roster.

Ironically, considering the family dynamics of the British Royal Family, the suite was created in 1957 for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip who had been assigned The Presidential Suite; however, a Saudi prince who had been staying there took ill and his departure was delayed. Hence, the hotel had to scramble to assemble appropriately lavish accommodations for the Queen of England and her consort. The result was The Royal Suite. When the Windsors, who had maintained a residence in The Waldorf Towers since shortly after his abdication (which had made Elizabeth the heir to the throne) heard about the suite created for the duke's niece, they claimed it as their own.

Ken Hurd of Boston-based Kenneth E. Hurd took on the task of refurbishing the suite, he decided to draw inspiration from the Windsors' decorative style, using their manor outside Paris as a design model.

"Entering the suite is like traveling back in time to the Windsors' private estate," notes Hurd. "Opulent details such as gold-embellished woodwork, layers of champagne-colored Italian silks, antique mahogany moldings and carefully selected artwork and accessories reinforce the sense of a well-traveled, sophisticated and international elegance. The overall effect is that it is as if the Duke and Duchess themselves have graciously consented to the loan of their personal quarters. " Which is exactly what he has done.

Parlor

When I entered the the magnificent suite, I immediately felt as if I stepped into someones private home. There were framed photographs of the Duke and Duchess along with prominent historical figures scattered throughout the room. The parlor looked like a French Manor house salon. There was a Aubusson-inspired custom designed hand-woven petit-point floral carpet on an ivory ground with a blue border and Tiffany blue walls accented with gold leaf panel moldings. European fabrics in ivories, light blues and golds adorn plushly upholstered seating and drapery treatments in layers of champagne colored Italian silks complete the look of quiet luxury. Lighting this understated opulence is eight new antique gold candelabra sconces and a Venetian chandelier. All this opulence was intermixed with modern conveniences like a Plasma TV hanging over the fireplace, a fully equipped workstation hidden in antique sideboard. Updated electrical and broadband internet connections. Multi telephone and fax lines. Everything that a busy professional would need to run a home office out of this lavish suite.

Dining Room

The dining room conveys a sense of elegant intimacy encased in lush fabric upholstered paneled walls above newly installed wainscot panels. Shades of bronze tinted gold fabrics with blue accents provide a backdrop for a mahogany Empire dining table that can accommodate up to sixteen people for formal dinners.

The parlor and dining room were kept architecturally intact, although the oval entry foyer benefited a new custom-designed decorative stone floor utilizing four different marbles.

Hurd did reapportion the two bedrooms, which were similar in size, into one grandly scaled master suite and another smaller, but equally appealing bedchamber.

Master Bedroom

He did this by creating a master bedroom very much in keeping with the Duchess's style with the furnish colorations in soft blues and silvers. The casegoods are painted in white and gold, and over the new fireplace is a hand-painted trumeau. A custom designed needlepoint carpet covers the floor of this gracefully feminine room and needlepoint pillows featured the Duchess's beloved Pugs accent the chairs in the seating area.

Second Bedroom

The second bedroom has received equal attention to detail albeit in a more masculine vein. Antique mahogany casegoods against a backdrop of light gold wallcovering within painted panel moldings are complimented by upholstered seating in rich saddle colored chenille fabrics. A custom silk tapestry hangs over the bed on a decorative rod. Bronze silk drapery on mahogany rods with brushed gold leaf finials frame the windows. Hurd also introduced a four-fixture bathroom and a built-in bar to give the room some 21st century 鬡n as the built-in plasma screen televisions do in the both bedrooms.

Beautiful, elegant and definetly still fit for Royalty. The Royal Suite at the Waldorf Towers can be rented overnight or as a semi permanent residence. Additionally, the entire suite can be rented or the smaller bedroom can be rented on its own.

For more information about The Royal Suite, please call The Waldorf Towers at (212) 355-3100 or (888) WATOWER. Reservations may also be made through the Conrad Reservations Service at (800) 445-8667. Information and reservations can also be obtained by visiting www.waldorf.com.

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