Nicole Kidman at opening of Omega House in London
Omega, official timekeeper to the Olympic games, opened Omega
House last night. Situated on Greek Street in London, Omega has
refurbished this magnificent Georgian house to create a private
member's club of its VIP guests for the duration of the games.
Nicole Kidman, who is an Omega ambassador, was there for the
opening as were other actors and athletes. She wore a little black
dress and of course an Omega watch which for this occassion was a
gold Ladymatic. Joe Cocker was DJ ing and a giant screen in the
garden was showing Olympic events.
Showing a more glamourous side to their Olympic presence, Omega
House is a stunning series of rooms designed to welcome guests who
need a break from the intensity of the Games. Boasting one of only
two gardens in the whole of Soho, Omega House is decorated to evoke
different Omega watches. The Ladymatic room is a dreamy and very
girly all white haven of tranquility with peonies in vases and
hundreds of tea lights twinkling away. The Planet Ocean room has
screen covering an entire wall that shows gushing water and fish
swim around Omega's waterproof watches in a fish tank with a
tropical coral reef. The Hour Vision Room honours the brand's
Hour Vision line and is furnished in a way that recalls the private
members clubs that have been part of elite Londoners' social life
for decades. The space- themed Speedmaster Room, named after the
first watch to be worn on the Moon, is a reminder of OMEGA's nearly
half-century relationship with NASA.
Artist Martha Freud has created a very whimsical
timekeeper that gives a rough reading of the time. A pigeon
hole cupboard holds 48 matt ceramic cups that rotate and light up
to give the time. Each cup has small perforations that form numbers
and words such as "almost" or "nearly" as stock time-telling
phrases such well as "quarter to". The message can only be read
when the cup is lit up and the light streams through the
perforations. When I was there four different cups informed me that
it was 'almost twenty five to nine"
President Stephen Urquhart said, "We are delighted that we were
able to secure this historic building in Soho. It is an ideal place
to greet old friends and meet new ones in an appealing, comfortable
environment. It will also give our guests a chance to re-energize
between the events at the Olympic Games and really will be the
House of Omega."
