Interior design progress

Last year when we decided we needed help progressing the design in our bedrooms we shortlisted from several options three candidates and collated their portfolios together before contacting them and from this shortlist we chose Ward Robinson. The next step was to get them to design a sample of rooms and then if we liked them we would proigress and start working through the hotel as a whole. When we first met them we explained the brief and they commented that we did not seem to have too much feedback on the layouts. In truth although it was important, providing it was laid out in a sensible fashion, then we wanted to judge the finished product and wanted to wait till the room was complete before passing judgement. This was a deliberate decision as we did not want them creating an idea which we then altered and then niether they nor we got a finished article that we really wanted.

On our side however we wanted to move the designs forward whilst at the same time insuring that we did not move too far away from our Eriska feel. In short we wanted our current guests to feel comfortable whilst at the same time we tried to broaden our market base. I beleive that have achived tis and therefore we have asked them to work on the new designs for the diningroom with the one warning that we would want to be involved in the layout and feel as the room is probably the most impoartnat area in the hotel. Therefore we have held a number of meetings face to face with them and endless telephone calls and emails moving the plan to a stage that Chay and I both feel is a real step forward whilst maintaining its feeling and connection with the past.

In short we are creating an open wine cellar in one corner of the diningroom, where the butlers pantry used to be, and panneling some of the walls in the coinservatory so that it feels more part of the original room. We also plan to change the lighting and the curtains and window dressings. Whilst this all seems to be prgressing the biggest change will be the wall coverings with a new wall paper higher up and a new tone to the wood pannelling. The wood pannelling currently is an amalgamation of pannelling which was recovered and waxed when my parents arrived here in 1973 and some old shutters which were salvaged when the house was converted.

Now we simply have to arrange for the wine cellar to be built and then await the new sample chair to be delivered. We then have plans to "road test" the chair and have a number of people of varying shapes and sizes who have kindly offered to trial it for size and comfort. Hopefully we cam get tis all done quickly, so there may be several long meals! as we must be ready to reopen on the 29th January and can only get vstarted on the 5th January so it will be all hands to the pumps!