When you step into the foyer of Auriens Chelsea, it’s easy to forget where you are. A rich scene is set before me: panelled mahogany, gold inlay, parquet flooring, and the most exquisite book-matched fireplace presiding over two jewell-toned sofas.
Guests enjoy afternoon tea on the surrounding coffee tables before a concierge in a deep blue suit breaks my attention to confirm my meeting with the establishment’s Chief Commercial Officer, Henry Lumby.
Add us as a preferred source to see more super-prime intelligence in Google.
Indeed, I am here to discuss common denominators in Auriens’ luxury proposition – design philosophy, the guest’s experience, market positioning – but I must stress this is no ordinary five-star resort, members’ club, or even branded residence.
That’s because Auriens is perhaps the most luxurious senior living community in the UK – in essence, a “retirement community” for the over-65s – and one that blows out any preconception of what later living could look like in the UK, especially as the nation faces the conundrum of an ageing population.
Just don’t call it a “retirement home,” Lumby tells me, as I somewhat ham-fistedly try to navigate the differentiators. “We hate the word ‘retirement’ here,” he says as we begin our tour in the lobby before heading out into the exquisitely manicured courtyard (designed by eight-time RHS Chelsea Gold Medal winner Andy Sturgeon, no less).
“What we’re actually creating is refined later living – the epitome of it, actually,” Lumby continues. “This is about The Third Act of life, about thriving independently with the support you need, when you need it.”
As Chief Commercial Officer of Auriens, Lumby has spent over two decades working in later living, and his passion for reimagining this stage of life is evident from the first moment we speak.
Reimagining independence
What distinguishes Auriens from other senior living communities – and certainly care homes – is fundamental to its philosophy. “Residents come to Auriens to enjoy living independently and thrive during The Third Act of their lives,” Lumby says, “with the option for additional care as needed.”
Every resident undergoes comprehensive health and wellness assessments upon arrival, which is led by the Head of Integrated Care and delivered by Draycott Nursing and Care (part of the Auriens Group).
Draycott is considered to be one of London’s most respected homecare providers, alongside Auriens’ specialist wellbeing partner, the Kyros Project. Induction assessments give way to daily, weekly or monthly welfare check-ins, should a resident request one, and annual health reviews, all included in the service offering.
A dedicated care and support team operates on-site 24-hours-a-day, ready to assist with care and support needs as they arise. Should formal care become necessary, residents can choose from packages ranging from 15-minute slots to 24-hour live-in care, at an additional cost.
Guests are encouraged to use their own physicians on the premises, too, to ensure a continuity of care with a professional they trust.
The science of active ageing
This is where Auriens’ partnership with the Kyros Project becomes transformative. Led by health and wellbeing experts including renowned trainer Gideon Remfry – cited as one of the top 25 trainers in the world – and Aidan Goggins, creator of the Sirtfood Diet, the program represents a genuinely pioneering approach to active aging.
“We work with physiotherapists, personal trainers, and nutritionists who offer residents a personal diagnostic assessment covering physical, mental, and gut wellbeing,” Lumby explains.
“Each resident receives a bespoke, holistic, performance-based programme designed to ensure optimum health and physical wellbeing. We’ve seen 85-year-olds putting on muscle mass and making dramatic improvements in mobility. Nobody else is doing this for the over-80s.”
The art of daily life
As we tour the building, Lumby’s attention to detail becomes apparent. He points out vintage black and white photographs that harken back to residents’ heydays, the Steinway in the library where a concert pianist practices weekly, the wine room where residents can host meetings and store their collections.
“People here have routines and it’s our job to know them,” he says. “We know their favourite seats for breakfast, the way they like their croissants, the newspapers they prefer to read.”
The facilities themselves read like an inventory of a world-class wellness resort: a 15-meter swimming pool and vitality pool, salt rock sauna, medi-spa with treatment rooms, a fully equipped gym and fitness studio, hair and beauty salon.
There’s a speakeasy bar for evening cocktails, a cinema for film screenings, and Culfords restaurant – overseen by a former Savoy chef – serving breakfast daily, with lunch and dinner on select days throughout the week.
But it’s the cultural programming that truly animates the community. Recent months have seen exclusive book signings with Zandra Rhodes, Sarah Chapman skincare masterclasses, singing lessons with renowned vocal coaches, jazz and poker evenings, outdoor garden soirées in the courtyard, and Sunday barbecues that bring residents and their families together.
“A lot of our residents are members of the Hurlingham or The Arts Club or Boodles or Whites, those sorts of traditional clubs,” Lumby notes, “and this almost becomes an extension of that – a place where they can host their friends, maintain their social connections, continue the lives they’ve always led.”
A multi-generational view to senior care
The multigenerational aspect of Auriens challenges conventional assumptions about later living. Guests and family members can stay overnight in residents’ private apartments or in two hotel-style rooms on the garden level.
Regular events welcome wider families and friends into the community. In 2024, Auriens launched Friends of Auriens, a social membership initiative offering a curated calendar of events and classes designed to foster connections between residents and the broader community.
“We encourage grandchildren to visit, to stay, to be part of this,” Lumby says warmly. “We’ve had families here for summer parties, for celebrations, for quiet Sunday lunches. The residents want their families to see this as an extension of their lives, not a place they’ve been consigned to.”
Practical considerations receive equal attention. The house car is available to transport residents to local hospitals like Chelsea and Westminster or The Lister, as well as to GP appointments, shops, and restaurants within a one-mile radius.
Twenty underground parking spaces are available on 12-month licenses. Pets are welcome – a non-negotiable for many residents who cannot imagine life without their companions.
Even the apartments themselves are designed with adaptive functionality for future-proofing. While unfurnished to allow residents complete freedom in expressing their personal style, each home comes finished to exceptional specifications: book-matched marble, hand-crafted joinery, high-quality timber flooring, sophisticated electrical systems, and integrated air-conditioning.
Every surface is load-bearing, taps are designed for ease of use by those with arthritis, and kitchen units can be lowered at the touch of a hidden button.
“At the heart of our ethos is ensuring that residents can thrive independently within homes that cater to their needs,” Lumby explains. “The Auriens team helps residents move in, assists with curating their collections of artwork and antiques, and ensures everything works within their new homes. We want people to feel this is truly theirs.”
A crisis hiding in plain sight
Lumby’s enthusiasm for Auriens is rooted in something far more urgent than luxury property development. “Everywhere you look, there are the wrong type of properties being occupied by the wrong people,” he explains, his tone shifting from convivial to concerned.
“The UK is facing an old age crisis that nobody wants to talk about properly. We need communities like this across the country, across all price points and geographical regions.”
The statistics support his argument. Research conducted by Auriens in partnership with TMG Research reveals a stark picture: 90% of over-65s feel disconnected from their communities, while more than one-third report their social life is deteriorating.
What Auriens’ research quietly underlines is that wealth delays isolation, it doesn’t prevent it.
In fact, 100% of over-65s living in homes worth over £3 million pounds reported feeling socially disconnected. The wealthiest, it seems, are the loneliest.
The broader context is equally sobering. While Australia and the United States have around 5% percent of their populations living in later living communities, the UK languishes at just half a percent.
Auriens matters not because it is luxurious, but because it exposes how unprepared the UK remains for later living – even at the very top of the market.
“By my estimation, we’re about 20 years behind,” Lumby says. “And the consequences extend far beyond individuals. Bed-blocking costs the NHS hundreds of millions a year. People go into hospital, perhaps after a fall, and their home is no longer fit for purpose but there’s nowhere to discharge them.”
The human cost is measured in more than statistics: 37% of over-65s report worsening mental health, 15% never exercise, and 10% admit to never considering the nutritional value of their food. Add to this the World Health Organisation’s declaration of loneliness as a global health threat – with effects equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day – and the urgency becomes clear.
The investment perspective
For a prospective UHNW client, the economics are straightforward. One-bedroom apartments are available to purchase from £2.75 million or rent from £19,000 per month.
Two-bedroom-plus apartments start from £4.5 million to purchase or £25,033 monthly to rent. Monthly management charges begin at £905 for a one-bedroom apartment, covering the day-to-day running costs of the building and its amenities – the gym and pool, fully staffed restaurant, twenty-four-seven concierge, security, and house car.
A deferred management fee – a resident’s contribution to running and maintenance costs, calculated as a percentage of the sale price – is payable when the apartment is resold or upon change of ownership.
Apartments can be sold at any time on the open market, with the only condition being that the next owner or occupier must be aged 65 or over and undergo an assessment by Auriens’ Wellbeing Manager.
“For prospective residents interested in experiencing life at Auriens before making a long-term commitment, we offer a ‘try before you buy’ option,” Lumby notes. “Guests can stay from a single night up to a year, though we tailor each arrangement individually.”
Currently, over 60% of the 56 apartments are occupied – a testament to the concept’s appeal in a market where discerning buyers have countless options.
Considering the future picture
As our conversation draws to a close, Lumby returns to the theme that clearly drives him: the need for systemic change in how Britain approaches later living.
“Countries like New Zealand have a Retirement Villages Act, which provides parameters for operators and protections for consumers,” he explains. “That legislative framework led to huge uptake in development and consumer confidence. We need something similar here.”
The absence of suitable alternatives, he argues, forces older people to remain in under-occupied properties while discouraging downsizing due to high stamp duty costs.
The impact ripples outward: fewer family homes available for younger generations, increased pressure on healthcare services, and most damagingly, the isolation and declining wellbeing documented in Auriens’ research.
“We’re trying to recreate something we’ve lost,” Lumby reflects. “That village structure where everyone lives close by, where people socialise naturally, where there’s daily interaction and mutual support.
Most of us, even young people, don’t have that anymore. But it’s what humans need to thrive, regardless of age.”
Entering the third act
Walking back through the lobby to somewhere I’d rather not leave, we stand together making small-ish talk about the company’s future, and their near-term plans to create another more traditional later-living community in Surrey’s foothills. There is mention of taking the model to Europe.
But such conversations feel trivial at this moment. I watch residents chatting over coffee, a couple walking hand-in-hand from shopping on the Kings Road, and the concierge orchestrating an itinerary of activities for the weekend ahead.
This is what Lumby calls The Third Act. And it feels more fitting taking this moment in and enjoying it unfolding.
To learn more about Auriens Chelsea, visit auriens.com.
