Mention the new Bentley Private Residences to someone, and the response will likely be, “Bentley? Like the car?”
The brand, which has come to represent excellence, has been rolling out high-end cars for more than a century. Now, through a variety of partnerships, Bentley is bringing its distinctive flair for luxury craftsmanship to a world beyond cars, but don’t worry, cars are still a big part of the Bentley Private Residences.
BENTLEY RESIDENCES MIAMI
Residents at the Miami tower will be able to drive their Bentleys directly into their apartments. The 63-story building, scheduled for completion in 2027, will be equipped with a special vehicular elevator that scans licence plates, hoists cars onto a hydraulic system and lifts them straight to the correct unit.
Bentley’s ethos is threaded through the building in subtler ways as well, from a floating whisky bar inspired by the matrix grille to the hidden pillow on apartment door handles, a nod to the Bentley Flying Spur.
“We look to apply the same attention to detail we have in the cars,” says Chris Cooke, Head of Design Collaborations at Bentley Motors. His team worked closely, often daily, with Sieger Suarez Architects and Dezer Development to integrate the Bentley aesthetic and ensure that the brand’s focus on craftsmanship and innovation was carried over into new forms.
As with any new ventures, Cooke says, the goal was to maintain a high-quality level in the world outside the car, while “staying true to the provenance that made the brand successful in the first place.”
When it came to the building design, he sat down with Sieger Suarez and sketched out the architecture, a process through which they challenged each other “on the art of the possible,” Cooke says, pushing the industry to create a building as unique as the brand.
The resulting tower follows the Golden Ratio in its proportions, a principle often employed in Bentley car design, while the glass cladding evokes the brand’s signature design cue, the diamond. “The pattern links to the legacy of the brand, but is also a device of ensuring a precise finish on the façade,” says Cooke.
In other words, as in Bentley car design, it’s about aesthetics and performance. The panels are designed to create a honeycomb pattern, but they also reflect the intense Florida sun and sustain hurricane-strength winds.
Bentley’s partner in the project, Dezer Development, practices in building design, having already completed several branded properties along Sunny Isles Beach, including the Armani Casa Residences and the Porsche Design Tower.
“Luxury car brands frequently embody the same qualities of exclusivity, craftsmanship, and attention to detail that we seek to incorporate into real estate projects,” says company president Gil Dezer.
And Mr. Dezer knows a thing or two about cars. His father, Michael Dezer, who founded the company in 1970, owns a car collection worth $200 million and even opened a car museum in Orlando.
One could say the Bentley residences come with their own miniature car museums: a wide window looks into the garage from the living area, giving residents a view of their car collections — three or four vehicles depending on the size of the unit.
In designing the residences, which start at $5.65 million, Mr. Dezer used the latest technology and customization to bring what he calls “automotive-inspired luxury” to the residential experience. Paramount are the four vehicular elevators, which are the first of their kind to transport vehicles with the drivers inside. Inside the units, residents are greeted with the same effortless comfort Bentley enthusiasts expect from their cars.
In the kitchens, appliances are designed to disappear with the touch of a button, creating a sleek venue for entertaining; the large terraces, which have heated swimming pools, are designed with an extra layer of glass to protect from gusty ocean breezes; and opulent master bathrooms are fitted with saunas, heated floors, and for an extra touch of luxury, towel-heating drawers.
While this project is Bentley’s first venture into branded residences, it’s not the brand’s first experience with high-class living. Bentley’s team has been designing furniture in partnership with Luxury Living Group for the past decade, and the tower’s common areas, including the lobby, spa, and pool area, will be furnished with pieces from the Bentley Home Collection.
BENTLEY HOME COLLECTION
The collection translates many of the brand’s characteristics – a sense of dynamism, visual potency and use of materials like leather, glass and lacquer into home furnishings.
The coffee and side tables from the Solstice Outdoor Collection pair a super-mirror steel base, crafted in a pattern that evokes the Bentley grill, with a sumptuous marble top in various colours. The new Brixton bed is all curves and dynamic lines, with a double headboard that pairs a natural wood or lacquer finish frame with slim upholstery to simulate the concept of movement.
Bentley has also collaborated with designer Frederico Peri and the Italian company Paper Factor to produce a marble-like table that is made from paper. The Thames coffee table features a smooth tabletop and legs made from European, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified cellulose fibres. Produced without fossil fuels or plastics, the tale is made using a cold process, utilizing heating only to dry the final product. But sustainability doesn’t end there, the company reuses wastewater to make the next round of raw compound.
“We work very collaboratively with Luxury Living Group, always looking to break new ground and innovate with a special focus on luxury materiality,” says Cooke. “This drive has carried through into Bentley places to ensure the pieces sit harmoniously within their environments.”
MIRA VILLAS INTERIOR DESIGN
Recently, Bentley collaborated with Luxury Living Group on its first interior project, the Mira Villas in Dubai. The interiors emphasize materials, scale, and comfort using organic and modern shapes and well-defined lines. Rather than following a particular design style, Cooke explains that Bentley aims to remain relevant through its attention to detail and quality, saying: “We believe timelessness is synonymous with luxury, a brand like Bentley doesn’t need to follow trends, it transcends them.”
The villas are also conceived with a focus on sustainability, another principle Bentley wishes to bring into its collaborations. Roof extensions will shield the properties from direct sunlight, reducing energy consumption, while façades, made from Portuguese limestone, will allow the houses to ‘breathe’. Renewable energy will also be generated through the use of solar panels, and recycled steel and low-volatile organic compound paints will be used in construction.
SUSTAINABLE APPROACH
As cities go, Miami and Dubai are not known for a particularly sustainable approach to development. One wonders how glass towers built on a low-lying strip of sand will fare in years to come, or villa communities built in the sizzling desert for that matter. But when it comes to its own materials and manufacturing practices, Bentley is making significant strides.
In 2020, the company announced its aim to achieve end-to-end carbon-neutral by 2030. To meet this ambitious goal, Bentley is reinventing business-as-usual. Starting in 2030, the full model range will be powered by battery only and the Crew headquarters, already the world’s first carbon-neutral luxury car manufacturing plant, will be climate positive.
As can be expected from a brand dedicated to high-end craftsmanship, Bentley Motors has advanced by paying attention to details. Wastewater, plastics, CO2 and VOC emissions have all been reduced. The company has also added on-site tree planting, and water capture, and is introducing 17 beehives, which are now home to over a million Bentley bees.
The paradox of timelessness of the Bentley brand cannot be achieved by standing still, but rather through innovation and its forward-looking approach. Hopefully, as Bentley continues to expand its reach beyond cars, the brand’s dedication to sustainability serves as a model.
For the moment, the brand is in no hurry. “Our lifestyle portfolio will continue to grow, but at a pace right for the brand,” Cooke says. “We don’t collaborate with just any partner,” he adds. “If we feel we can break new ground with a project and give a customer something unique at a level that is authentic to the brand, then we proceed.”
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Last Updated on April 23, 2024 by Editorial Team
