Curtain up for interior design firm’s tallest order

A team of interior designers used to working on large projects faced their tallest order when they were engaged to work at Luton Hoo, the landmark property on the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire border that is being transformed into a luxury hotel.

The seven-metre curtains that will adorn the 18th century mansion’s Blue Hall are the largest curtains the company has every made, and one of a series of unique challenges facing Interiors of Chiswick.

Having worked on the group’s other properties; Tylney Hall, The Grand and Ashdown Park, the team at Interiors of Chiswick understand Elite’s stylistic preferences and their uncompromising demands for quality.

Stuart Harris, Managing Director of Interiors of Chiswick, said; “We have become very familiar with Elite’s needs over our 20 year relationship and during our 30 years of business have amassed an immense resource of suppliers and fabrication specialists that we can bring to bear on the challenges of such a big and exciting project”

“The company really did call on its suppliers to step up to the challenges. Thirty people were dedicated full time for six months to produce the bespoke trimmings to complement the fabrics and colour schemes used throughout the hotel. A further 60 people worked on the making up of window treatments including curtains, blinds and elaborate pelmet designs for all of the windows.  The design schemes had to be sympathetic with the heritage of the building as well as meeting the business needs of a large hotel and providing a consistency across the Elite group.”

Since 1987 the company has been a major supplier for Elite Hotels, which bought Luton Hoo in 1999 and set about restoring the mansion and surrounding 1,065-acre estate to its former glory, prior to its re-opening as a five-star 144-bedroom hotel this October.

Senior Designer on the project Romy Ortiz Bukowski found the Luton Hoo project a fascinating conundrum. “We had a fairly limited, specified colour palette to work with, a brand style to consider and the eccentricities of the architecture. Every room has windows and features of different dimensions and form which meant that delivering consistency in the design was a real challenge. It required a great deal of resourcefulness on the part of our team and placed great demands on our suppliers who in many cases had to print and dye bespoke fabrics to our specifications.”

With 144 bedrooms, uniquely designed principal suites and every public area at Luton Hoo having an individual feel, the challenge for Interiors was to enhance the character of each and every room. From the elegant ballroom to the grandiose marble dining room, individuality was complemented to the level of quality and style expected by Elite’s discerning customers. The consistency achieved in such a diverse environment is one of Interiors’ greatest achievements.

Graeme Bateman, Managing Director of Elite Hotels, said: “I see ourselves very much as custodians of Luton Hoo and that it is our responsibility to restore and preserve the building for future generations. The detail of the restoration is such that all the furnishings have been individually researched and selected to retain a sense of historical authenticity.

We have enjoyed a long association with Interiors of Chiswick through the other hotels in the group, and Stuart and his team have developed a real understanding of our requirements. That said, they faced many new challenges at Luton Hoo, such as creating curtains to fit the vast double-height space of the hall in the mansion house.”

The reservations office at Luton Hoo is now open and when the hotel opens its doors it will be one of the newest members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the consortium representing 400 of the best independent hotels in more than 65 countries. 

Award-winning Elite Hotels is an independent, UK-based hotel group that owns some of the finest country house hotels in the south east of England. Since 1986 the group has invested in historic properties and carefully restored them to their original splendour. The three other hotels in the group are Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club near Wych Cross in East Sussex; The Grand Hotel at Eastbourne, also in East Sussex; and Tylney Hall Hotel, near Hook, in Hampshire.