With Heythrop Park Hotel set to open in the summer, award-winning design agency DesignLSM is well underway with its latest project: renovating the front of house and F&B areas at the prestigious Grade II listed property…
Set within 440 acres of parkland, Heythrop Park, recently acquired by Warner Leisure Hotels, is set to open later this summer with a completely evolved aesthetic celebrating the historic architecture and founding owners of the estate. Appealing to the existing loyal Warner guest as well as attracting new visitors, DesignLSM has undertaken a strategic and creative position on the vast project, focusing on three key principles to enhance the overall guest experience – relaxation, exploration and entertainment.
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Renowned for its beautiful architecture, stunning gardens and rolling rural estate, Heythrop Park, located on the edge of the Cotswolds, was originally built for the 1st Duke of Shrewsbury in 1706-1711 and was one of the first estates to marry the interior with the exterior, ensuring that it captures the remarkable vistas on offer. Paying homage to the baroque era, but keeping the modern traveller in mind, DesignLSM have created a distinctive design narrative for the property that runs across the sprawling estate, taking influence from the Duke’s Grand Tour in Italy and his close working relationship with his architect Thomas Archer; alongside design inspiration woven in from the subsequent owner – Thomas Brassey.
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Having a wealth of experience, most recently designing Gaucho’s new Glasgow restaurant and The Al-chemist’s Spinningfields Bar , with Searcys’ St Pancras Champagne Bar refurbishment amongst many others currently in hand, the DesignLSM team have bridged the gap between the Grade II listed 18th century charming manor house and the contemporary extension – creating an engaging aesthetic that runs through the whole Estate; including The Orangery, six lounges, three restaurants, two bars, a ball-room and theatre. Each space has its own design identity that encourages a journey of discovery for guests.
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The Market Kitchen restaurant with its soft colour palette, fresh biophilic patterned upholstery and wall paneling was inspired by the traditional kitchen garden, while the Brassey Bar, echoes Thomas Brassey’s love of engineering and background in the railways, housing traditional industrial patterns and materials – think dramatic beamed structures, metal detailing, rich leather banquettes, and intimate lighting.
“This has been a tremendous project for DesignLSM,” said Holly Hallam, Managing Director of DesignLSM. “We have worked closely with Warner Leisure Hotels from the very beginning – offering our strategic expertise to curate the proposition, creating and defining several new F&B concepts as well designing a new narrative and an immersive interior design across all of the front of house rooms in this grand Estate – influenced by, and respecting its historical roots, whilst bringing it forward into a new era of enjoyment and adventure.”
Each space, while having its own unique design DNA, compliments the architectural language of the property as a whole, delivering atmospheric and inviting spaces with a contemporary feel and elegant grandeur – encouraging a sense of welcome, comfort and continued exploration. Being the latest in a stunning series of design achievements, Heythrop Park looks set to be a forward thinking and vital edition to DesignLSM’s groundbreaking hospitality portfolio.
Main image credit: DesignLSM
