DECONSTRUCTED: Office opulence

Some of the most well-known private equity real estate firms are located in London’s exclusive Mayfair, but, at least as far as PERE is aware, none of them have a Michelin Star restaurant as an extension of their office kitchens.

This could all change if one of the firms takes up London-based real estate investment and regeneration specialist Enstar Capital’s latest offering, 54 Brooks Mews.

Situated above fancy French restaurant La Petite Maison, the newly refurbished office is equipped with a special food lift which connects the workspace with the restaurant. Employees can swap their regular sandwich for a three-course meal delivered via the lift.

Measuring 6,000 square feet and with costs equating to £500 (€684; $773) per square foot, it is set to be the most expensive commercial fit-out ever undertaken in the West End, according to the developer.

Each 2,000 square foot office floor cost around £1 million to refurbish and is available to let on a 5-year lease with a guide price of £250,000 per annum, amounting to £1.5 million over a 5-year term.

While this might sound a little pricey for access to upmarket takeout, the office does come with a few other ‘perks.’ It features gold-plated executive washrooms inspired by Armani Hotel in Italy, timber flooring imported from a 16th century monastery in Tuscany and an Art Deco entrance restored with a new 54 entrance logo replicating Steve Rubell’s famous studio 54 nightclub logo from the seventies.

“Offices should be as good as homes. Local business people think nothing of spending £5 million to £100 million on a Mayfair home, spending hundreds of pounds per square feet fitting it out, yet will work nearby in offices which are nowhere near the standard of luxury or quality,” said Simon Lyons, co-chief executive of Enstar.

But, any PERE readers who want to work in such lavish surroundings may have to act quickly. Enstar is said to be marketing the office to Saudi Royals, the family of the Sultan of Brunei as well as Qatari Royals and their relatives.