Hamilton Litestat reports on its lighting and wiring work inside The Lime Tree Hotel, a family-run business in a Grade II-listed building, located in south Belgravia, London…
Packed with original character and grandeur, The Lime Tree Hotel’s high ceilings, open fireplaces and original cornicing have been painstakingly preserved for almost two centuries, providing guests with a charming, elegant and warm welcome.
The hoteliers sourced quality designer accessories and refurbished the guest rooms, with each suite featuring different wall coverings to create a high-end designer boutique feel. To unify the varied design scheme, they wanted to standardise the style of lamps used, hand-selecting Astro and Pooky lamps, and continue this consistency with coordinated electrical wiring accessories. They needed a solution that would work throughout the property, complementing the look and feel of each room and providing that sought-after high-quality finish.
To be in-keeping with the rich heritage of the Grade II listed property, the Goodsalls wanted to avoid large multi-functional control plates that felt too modern. Instead they were seeking a solution that would give a more traditional, boutique feel with single and double plates of a standard size.
During the research process, the Goodsalls came across Hamilton at a major independent hotel trade show. The sleek, sophisticated profile of Hamilton’s Sheer collection of switch plates and sockets, which fit almost flush to the wall, interested the hoteliers and they enlisted Hamilton to support in the hotel refurbishment.
Image credit: Hamilton Litestat
The Solution: Hamilton advised the Goodsalls on plate styles and finishes to suit the Astro lamps that were to be installed on either side of the bed in each guest room. Featuring a built-in reading light, the Astro lamps are a shade of bronze with crisp white shade. Hamilton developed a bespoke solution for the project, manufacturing its Sheer collection of plates in Etrium Bronze, a finish not typically available in this plate design but was an almost identical colour match to the finish of the Astro lamps. The minimalist flat plate Sheer design provides an elegant and understated designer solution.
Although deeply respectful of the building’s original features, the Goodsalls were well aware that guests expect modern functionality, such as USB charging, so Hamilton supplied 2.1A/1A dual USB double switched sockets for each side of the bed. A separate rocker switch was also installed alongside the USB plate that controlled the corresponding Astro bedside lamp.
For the main lighting in the guest rooms, a one-gang rotary dimmer acted as the master light switch, with a two-gang rocker switch to control the en-suite lighting. Both were finished in the sophisticated and on-trend Etrium Bronze finish for a coordinated look.
A matching 2.1A/1A dual USB double switched socket was also installed above the writing desk to support business guests that use the working area. Meanwhile, to keep functional wiring hidden away and the desk area clear, a double switch socket and telephone plate was installed under the desk.
The Result: Hamilton’s quality products, developed and manufactured in the UK, provided the perfect finishing touch to the Lime Tree Hotel. The design and finish of the switch plates and sockets match effortlessly with the hotel’s designer lighting accessories, while complementing and coordinating with the décor in each of the individual room designs. The hotel owners are delighted with the finished result.
“The quality and finish of the solutions supplied by Hamilton is exquisite and we’re proud to be able to offer this setting to our guests,” said Matthew Goodsall. “Throughout the process we have felt thoroughly supported, with the Hamilton team going the extra mile to supply samples that helped us to quickly reach a final decision on products and move forward with the refurbishment. The team’s enthusiasm, interest in the project and getting the finer details spot on has really added something extra to our final interior design scheme.
“Wherever possible, we wanted to source British manufactured products and support the UK industry, and we’re pleased to have been able to do this with Hamilton,” adds Matthew.“The team was big enough to take on our bespoke request but small enough to care; I don’t think we would have received this level of support from a larger company.”
Gavin Williams, Hamilton’s Head of Marketing, added: “This refined period property needed careful handling to ensure that the electrical wiring solution met the needs of guests while also adhering to the age and charm of the Grade II-listed building. We feel we found the perfect design and finish, and we’re delighted that hoteliers Matthew and Charlotte feel the same way.”
Main image credit: Hamilton Litestat
