The highly decorative Michelin Housee located in Chelsea, London, was the first headquarters of the Michelin company in England. Built of ferro-concrete in just 5 months, the design was by a Michelin employee, François Espinasse who does not seem to have done any other buildings. It opened in 1911, the style could be decribed as Art Nouveau or very early Art Deco. Motoring customers were accommodated on the ground floor, cars entered through powered doors in the front of the building, tires were stored in the basement.
When Michelin vacated the building in 1985 it was taken over by Terrence Conran and Richard Hamlyn, owner of Octupus Publishing. The building was restored and reconfigured as a bar, restaurant, Conran design Shop and offices for Octupus Publishing. The stained glass windows and glass cupolas had been lost over the years, they were replicated and installed to duplicate the original look.
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