Most design aficionados would likely agree that if a vehicle were to be translated into a physical space—say, a house—they’d most want to spend time in a Range Rover.
Luxury, of which the brand is emblematic, needs no argument. But Range Rover as a template for the experiential transcends luxury. That the iconic British brand connotes a lifestyle rather than merely a way to drive—or be driven—exceedingly well is thoroughly understood by devotees. Many loyal clients await the meticulously considered details of a new custom-edition vehicle the way cinephiles anticipate the next ambitious feature from a visionary director.
But translating brand values like high design, sleek performance, and hand-meets-glove symmetry into an architectural space and three-dimensional experience—as Range Rover does around the world each year, to give the faithful intimate and innovative ways to interact with the brand—is no small feat.
From France’s Saint-Tropez to Canada’s Whistler, Park City in the United States to Sydney in Australia, these limited-time, invitation-only experiences and the desirability of their destinations say something about the special place Range Rover occupies in the imagination. Each Range Rover House is conceived as a warm and welcoming conversation between guest, vehicle, landscape, architecture, design, and experience—a process that’s as instructive about how modern brands can cultivate lifelong clientele as it is about designing a beautiful, detail-oriented space.
“Luxury hospitality is a hallmark of each Range Rover House,” says Theresa Choh-Lee, U.S. Range Rover brand director, pointing to the guest experience personalized from the moment visitors pass through the gate and come under the stewardship of crisply dressed, consummately attentive concierges.
“The idea is complete immersion into the Range Rover lifestyle,” Choh-Lee continues, on the occasion of the latest iteration of Range Rover House, this past August. “Every detail and moment is centered around the guest experience, sharing the luxury and exclusivity of the brand through experiences and access.” While creating a premium environment is a North Star, Choh-Lee also emphasizes that each Range Rover House aspires to create space where guests can connect with friends and family, for carefree moments in a welcoming space. “Our valued clients at Range Rover House enjoy personalized experiences designed to create lasting memories,” she adds.
Each Range Rover House is site-specific. The most recent site was storied Pebble Beach, on California’s Monterey Peninsula, during the event known as Monterey Car Week, anchored by the famed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, one of the world’s most prestigious automotive assemblies. Within a stone’s throw of crashing surf and craning cypress, the enclave offers breathtaking vistas even before a visitor arrives at the United States’ most bravura coastal home designs. This summer, Range Rover took up residence at a new home in this coastal forestland of the peninsula, which served as a stunning backdrop for a moment to celebrate the launch of the brand’s highly coveted Range Rover SV Carmel Edition—a limited edition of 17—as well as the global debut of the Range Rover Sport SV Edition Two.
Range Rover recast the Pebble Beach home in its image, down to details such as the books for its shelves (among them, Craft Britain: Why Making Matters and Bespoke: The Men’s Style of Savile Row). This orientation toward the smallest touches echoes the brand’s reverence for luxury at every level: the leather binding that trims mohair carpet mats at a driver’s feet, or the particular gloss of ceramic controls on the dash.
Step inside the Range Rover SV Carmel Edition
The Carmel Edition was the centerpiece of this year’s Range Rover House, on view in an open-air courtyard where approaching guests could not fail to miss the Union Jack flying proudly above, raised on a flagpole before the home’s facade. The edition’s custom shade of satin green was conceived as a nod to Northern California’s lush greenery, and its graphite accents, evoking seaside mountains, are reminiscent of the area’s famed winding roads alongside the teal-tinged Pacific. Set against the home’s crisp blond wood, the jewel-toned exterior and the sequoia green leather interior mimed the surrounding forest. (Fittingly, a portion of each Carmel Edition sold is donated to the Del Monte Forest Conservancy, which strives to preserve the very environment that inspired the vehicle’s design.)
Luxury hospitality is a hallmark of each Range Rover House. Our guest experience is personalized from the moment they pass through the gate, welcoming them into the Range Rover Lifestyle.Theresa Choh-Lee, U.S. Range Rover Brand Director
As a whole, this ephemeral experience, crafted for select Range Rover clients, was conceived with an emphasis on personalization. One of the most personal statements is scent, one reason Range Rover House is often outfitted with a dedicated room for a bespoke personal-fragrance consultation. At Pebble Beach, guests received the personal attention of Heretic Parfum founder Douglas Little, who led individual, hour-long mixing sessions to arrive at tailored blends of bergamot, oud, and cucumber.
Elsewhere, a London-trained milliner crafted custom fascinators, complete with the skyward swirls recognizable from the finery of English ceremonies. Expert tea makers from San Francisco guided guests through loose-leaf base notes, such as Ceylon or chestnut, and top notes, including lavender and white peach. The wellness-minded could relax into a massage or boost an already elevated mood by strapping on a red-light face mask. For a more analog mood-booster, some guests opted to sip fine whiskey while contemplating the exclusive golfing greens visible just beyond the home’s back hedge.
Visitors to the Range Rover House had the opportunity to experience the bespoke details of the Range Rover SV Carmel Edition firsthand.
The concierge staff guided guests throughout the home, grounds, and curated programs, providing a tailored experience for every visitor.
Every corner of every Range Rover House is conceived as a mark of distinction. But this year’s house, in Pebble Beach, held a special advantage in that pursuit: a British fleet of State Review and personal vehicles with quite the auspicious lineage.
“It is a great honor that with Land Rover Classic we present the Vehicles of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II outside of England for the very first time,” said Joe Eberhardt, president and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover North America, ahead of the debut of this royal collection at the Concours d’Elegance.
Five official Vehicles of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II were on display at the Range Rover House, shown outside of England for the first time.
These vehicles, showcasing the brand’s royal roots, hugged the curves of Range Rover House on a gravel drive and ushered admirers through a sort of museum of royal mobility from the 1940s onward. The complete collection, which debuted at the Concours, included five official vehicles, most distinguished by their stately shade of royal claret, a hue named for the red wine embraced by English aristocracy. These custom vehicles were designed for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to see and be seen in; they were outfitted with Palomino leather perches for each to rest on during hours of waving. Others in the collection were more suited to roving across the countryside, intrinsic to the brand’s name, which the royal family was quite well known to do, elevating their relationship with Range Rover beyond the official to the personal.
The odes to British tradition continued inside the home, with one full day at Range Rover House devoted to steeping coastal California in British culture. There was an afternoon high tea service, during which guests could nibble tea sandwiches and scones with clotted cream while admiring replicas of Queen Elizabeth’s beloved Launer handbags, enshrined in museum-quality display off the kitchen. That evening, Michelin-star chef Daniel Clifford offered a classic British dinner menu, including a crispy hen egg paired with Veuve Clicquot Brut.
Range Rover House isn’t just an example of high design; it gets guests in on the act. In a room off the main courtyard where the Range Rover SV Carmel Edition was parked, the Range Rover design team created an automotive sketch studio and offered a master class on their approach, explaining how each contour of their vehicles is backed with aesthetic intention, such as how light will play off its curves by day and night—ensuring each iteration, like Range Rover House, will leave a just-right impression on those around it.
Visitors could sample the customization experience, designing their own Range Rover from hundreds of choices in interior and exterior finishes for the vehicle of their dreams.
Leather swatches and a spectrum of exterior paint samples made Range Rover’s attention to materials tangible for guests accustomed to appreciating the sum of the parts.
Nearby, clients’ custom vehicle aspirations could begin to become reality at a bespoke vehicle-building station, where leather swatches hung from the wall and color tiles indicated a portion of Range Rover colors on offer (one can, for example, be as specific as choosing to match a vehicle to their favorite shade). Clients can make countless customizations, including adding 24-karat-gold–rimmed script badging to their Range Rover nameplate or mohair carpet mats with leather binding. Range Rover’s approach is the ultimate expression of individualist luxury, with the client’s hand guiding that of the vehicles’ craftspeople in constructing something truly singular, designed—like the brand’s companion homes—to both meet the moment and stand the test of time.
The impression that the Range Rover House and its Range Rover SV Carmel Edition left on its clients was one of craftsmanship that, while rooted in history, meets the needs and desires of each potential owner and their destination. This approach to British luxury endures because it allows for new, unique creations while holding fast to quality and tradition. With 40 Range Rover House experiences across the globe to date and counting, the brand moves as confidently and timelessly through the experiential landscape as it does the road, creating its own land for the singular and the lasting—qualities that define modern luxury the world over.
Explore the hospitality of the recent Range Rover House on the California coast
