On Tuesday night, we hosted a little party for some of London’s top architects at one of the city’s grandest architectural masterpieces – The Violin Factory.

Our guests, undeterred by the opening of the skies over our city,  were confronted by an unremarkable garage door on arrival. Most probably confused, but drawn in by intrigue, they rang the bell and were ushered in to the enthralling space beyond. Passing through an indoor winter garden inhabited by a large cactus they collected their champagne, only to turn the corner into the breath-taking double-height, glass-ceiling dining room. That’s a lot of hyphenated words, but this place deserves them.

Photography by Minnie Orpwood, Tel: 07825443419

The Violin Factory has quite a history to it. As the name suggests, the building was formerly used for the manufacture of violins – though we had a string quartet playing in case anyone was in doubt.  While the great and good of the world of architecture snuck off to explore every nook and cranny of the striking contemporary home, charming owners Milko and Louise related the tale of its remarkable transformation, recognisable  from Channel 4′s Grand Designs.

Delicious canapés by cook and waiter disappeared just as quickly as they appeared, our distinguished guests discussed projects over wine, and Greg told everyone a little about what we do. Chatter competed with the cello, guests took to the pool table to weigh up their snooker skills, and curiosity about onefinestay was satiated.

After a thoroughly successful (if we say so ourselves) architectural affair, we’d like to thank Louise and Milko, along with everyone who attended, for their wonderful company.