From Sabyasachi to Jaguar: Design-Led Suites Elevate Luxury Living at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate
Taj’s London property is using distinctive design collaborations to shape its residential luxury experience.
By Rachna Virdi
What happens when cinema, couture and automotive design check into a hotel?
At Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences, London, two signature suites take luxury beyond conventional interiors.
Set within a historic residence once home to couturiers of Buckingham Palace, Taj 51 Buckingham Gate brings together the comforts of residential-style hospitality, heritage and design. The signature suites Cinema Suite and Jaguar Suite are concept-led spaces built around storytelling rather than conventional luxury and offer guests an exceptional stay experience.
One, designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, celebrates Indian and international cinema; another, created with Jaguar, translates automotive design into a residential hospitality experience.
“Our signature suites are where heritage, design and storytelling come together. Whether it’s the cinematic world Sabyasachi has created or the craftsmanship Ian Callum has brought from Jaguar, each suite gives guests a stay that is truly one of a kind, in the heart of London,” says Corinna Luebbe, Cluster General Manager, Operations & General Manager, Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences, London.”
Taj 51 Buckingham Gate brings together residential-style hospitality with heritage, thoughtful design and a distinctive sense of place.
Cinema through Sabyasachi’s lens
The Cinema Suite, designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, celebrates the golden eras of Hollywood and Indian cinema, combining vintage collectibles, film memorabilia and richly layered interiors. It draws inspiration from legendary filmmakers and cinematic personalities ranging from Satyajit Ray, Francis Ford Coppola and Ingmar Bergman.
The living room celebrates masters like Majid Majidi, Wong Kar-wai and Pedro Almodóvar. The bedrooms evoke the glamour associated with Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe alongside colonial influences like Guru Dutt and Merchant Ivory.
Interestingly, the suite features a library of more than 300 films that turn the suite into an immersive exploration of cultural and cinematic experience.
The Cinema Suite pays tribute to the golden eras of Hollywood and Indian cinema.
Automotive design checks into hospitality
The world’s only Jaguar Suite takes a different approach. Created in collaboration with Jaguar and designed by former Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum, the suite translates elements of automotive design into a hospitality setting. The design showcases auto-inspired artwork and elements crafted from materials used in Jaguar cars, such as leather, metal, and high-gloss veneer. The highlights range from a clean-fuel fireplace inspired by Jaguar’s signature rear window, ebony veneer doors, custom wallpaper and subtle Jaguar motifs like Jaguar waves and trapeze details.
The result demonstrates how collaborations between luxury brands can extend beyond co-branding to influence the physical design and the suite’s automotive narrative.
The suites not only offer memorable stays but also reflect how luxury brands are increasingly drawing on distinctive cultural and design identities to create stays with stories of their own.
The Jaguar Suite brings the design language of automotive craftsmanship into a distinctive hospitality setting.
