5 Grafton Street (The Gucci Mansion)

Mayfair W1S
C3
Residential building

Key Details

Address
5 Grafton Street, London W1S 4EF
Local Area
Mayfair
Local Authority
City of Westminster
County
Greater London
Country
England
Completion
1772
Size
14000 sq ft
Use Classes
C3
Website

Overview

5 Grafton Street, also known as The Gucci Mansion, is a Grade I listed building in Mayfair, London W1.

The 14,000 sq ft/1,300m2 mansion was originally built in 1769-1772. It was designed in Neo-classical style by architect Sir Robert Taylor, built by Edward Gray with magnificent gold leaf interiors by renowned plasterer Joseph Rose and cabinetmaker John Mayhew; under the auspices of landowner the Earl of Grafton.

In July 2022, Beauchamp Estates is instructed to find new residents who like Gucci will have the privilege of calling one of the finest residences in Mayfair their London home.

The eight-bedroom mansion is arranged over basement, lower ground, ground and four upper floors and has classical interiors, a passenger lift, gym, cinema and health club with swimming pool, plunge pool, sauna and steam room and a garage. The accommodation includes a spacious entrance hall, four grand reception rooms, family kitchen, study/home office, four VIP bedroom suites, four further staff bedrooms, staff facilities and two floors of leisure facilities. There is access to a spacious garden terrace, first-floor balconies and a sun room/conservatory on the top floor.

The entertainment and leisure facilities are located across the basement and lower ground floors. There is a gymnasium, a private cinema and a health spa with swimming pool, marble lined plunge pool, mosaic lined steam room and a Scandinavian style sauna. The basement garage offers secure parking for two cars.

The Gucci Mansion

In 1993 the Bahrain-based investment fund Invescorp purchased Gucci from Maurizio Gucci, ending the Gucci family’s involvement which dated back to 1921 when Guccio Gucci founded the luxury brand.

In 1994, following the Invescorp takeover, Texan designer Tom Ford was named Creative Director of Gucci and Domenico De Sole (legal adviser to the Gucci family since the early 1980s) was made CEO, with De Sole listing the company on the New York Stock Exchange in October 1995.

In March 1995 Maurizio Gucci was shot dead in the lobby of Gucci’s Milan headquarters by his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani Gucci and this led to a decision that Gucci should find a new HQ, ideally away from Milan, so that the brand could benefit from a fresh corporate identity and leave the tragic past behind.

in 1998 Gucci’s global headquarters relocated from Milan to London, with the new Gucci Mansion on Grafton Street (close to Gucci’s Bond Street store) becoming a base for Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole. The mansion had been given a 24-month refurbishment prior to Ford and De Sole moving into the palatial building with the lavish rooms dressed in Gucci custom-designed furniture including chocolate veneer desks and cabinets and black calfskin sofas and chairs.

Designer Tom Ford moved into the mansion’s main first-floor drawing-room, with its magnificent 20ft high gold-leaf ceiling with ornate Joseph Rose plasterwork, full height windows, parquet flooring and Georgian fireplaces. This palatial stateroom, where HM Queen Victoria and the 1st Duke of Wellington had been entertained, became Tom Ford’s office and creative space. It was here in 2000 that Tom Ford hosted and mesmerised fashion designer Alexander McQueen and persuaded him to join Gucci group and where Ford hosted legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

The adjoining first-floor dining room, which has a carved wood chimneypiece and built-in bookcases surmounted by busts of Alexander the Great, Caesar Augustus and Marcus Aurelius became Gucci’s main meeting room and boardroom, where lunches and dinners hosted by Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole were served for guests including French billionaire tycoon François Pinault, Gucci’s general counsel Allan Tuttle and important editors and journalists from the world’s media.

The mansion’s fourth floor has a penthouse style galleried luxurious office/entertaining suite with a vaulted beamed ceiling, with an adjoining sunroom/lounge for relaxation in sunny weather. This became CEO Domenico De Sole’s executive office, dressed with Charles Eames chairs and desk that Tom Ford picked out for the office, the suite overseen by Constance Klein De Sole’s poised London assistant.

It was from this penthouse suite in 1999 that De Sole acquired Yves Saint Laurent and folded it into Gucci group and, in the same year, where he fought off the famous hostile takeover bid by Bernald Arnault of LVMH. It is from the penthouse suite that De Sole is said to have held phone conversations with LVMH’s Pierre Godé and Yves Carcelle, trusted aides of Arnault, to see off the takeover bid.

On the ground floor of the mansion are two state rooms, equally as grand, with ornate 20ft high ceilings, full-height windows, original Georgian fireplaces and parquet flooring. Gucci used these rooms to host guests and meetings.

The mansion’s second and third floors provided offices for Gucci CFO Bob Singer, seven staff employed in the brand’s PR and image department, and offices for the Gucci human resources, legal and IT departments.

In 2003 French Billionaire François Pinault took control of Gucci and this led in April 2004 to Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole departing Gucci. In June 2010 the then Gucci CEO Robert Polet decided to relocate Gucci’s global HQ from Grafton Street to Cadempino in Switzerland, thereby ending the Gucci role in the mansion’s history.

Following Gucci’s departure, the building was converted back into a house under designs devised by RIBA award-winning architects Donald Insall Associates, who oversaw the restoration of Windsor Castle for the Royal Household.

The house was also the London home of Lord Chancellor Lord Brougham, where HM Queen Victoria and the 1st Duke of Wellington were entertained.
The plaque on the building reads: Henry Peter Lord Brougham resided in this building for the last 30 years of his life born 1778 - died 1868.

#launchingsoon - subscribe to our weekly newsletter
Be the first to hear about the upcoming launch events and emerging projects – Buildington’s free ‘Launch Events Weekly’ newsletter is sent out once a week

Site & Location

Transport

TUBE
Green Park Underground StationJubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria
BUS
Berkeley Square22, N22

Team

Company
Type
Year
Main Contractor
2013
Insurance Advisory
2013
Architect
2013
Photographer
2022
Sales
2022

Timeline

News, events, milestones and offers from the new development
+ Post a new milestone

News from the companies

Nearby new developments

8-10 Grafton Street
 
New images
New photos of the 8-10 Grafton Street development show the last buildings on site at 163-164 New Bond Street being demolished.
19.02.2024
6-10 Bruton Street
 
Planning permission granted
Planning permission granted for the demolition of existing 7th floor level and existing roof top plant room, rebuilding the 7th floor level and erection of new 8th floor...
20.02.2022
Lansdowne House
 
Construction start
Blackstone, the leading global alternative asset manager, today celebrated the start of construction on its new 226,000 square-foot European headquarters at the previous...
15.02.2024
Completion
2028
Empress
 
New appointment
Tokoro Capital has appointed Collins Construction for office refurbishment at 35 Dover Street. Working alongside interior designer Maison Arabella and Orbit...
06.07.2022
15 Berkeley Street
 
New images
New photos of the site show progress at the 15 Berkeley Street construction site as the anticipated March 2024 deadline for practical completion approaches.
07.02.2024
Completion
2024
Twenty Berkeley Square
 
Construction start
Collins Construction is on site for Berkeley Estate Asset Management's £10m flagship net zero carbon workspace refurbishment and fit-out.Under its One Team...
14.03.2023

Disclaimer

Information on this page is for guidance only and remains subject to change. Buildington does not sell or let this property. For more information about this property please register your interest on the original website or get in touch with the Connected Companies.