One of the country’s finest chefs, Paul Ainsworth of the Michelin-starred restaurant Number 6 in Padstow has now extended his offering to include accommodation, opening six exquisitely designed suites in a newly renovated Georgian townhouse, just a stone’s throw from his restaurant.
As a chef, Paul has quite the pedigree, working for Gordon Ramsey, Gary Rhodes and Marcus Wareing. In addition to recent TV appearances he in 2011 he appeared on the BBC2 TV series Great British Menu, competing against the country’s top chefs. A finalist in the cookery contest, he won the dessert round for his offering, Taste of the Fairground. Taking inspiration from his dessert, the six bedrooms are named after fairground treats and retro sweets. Guests at the Padstow Townhouse can stay in Marshmallow, Popcorn, Rhubarb and Custard, Toffee Apple, Honeycomb or Bonbon.
Photo: Jonathan Cornes Associates (jcassociates.co.uk)
During the 16-month project, Paul and his wife Emma worked with interior designer Eve Cullen-Cornes, design director at Jonathan Cornes Associates, to create the six bedrooms, each significantly different from the next.
“Our intention from the start was to create a truly unique and welcoming experience for our guests,” explains Paul. “We loved the idea of sweet-themed bedrooms. It started as a play on the word suite/ sweet, but quickly became the foundation of the design process. So for example, the Toffee Apple suite has warm caramel colours and a botanical theme. Eve discovered beautifully restored furniture and lamps, plus a retro line of botanical plates for the wall and beautiful botanical illustrations of fruits to highlight the hand buttoned head board.
Photo: Jonathan Cornes Associates (jcassociates.co.uk)
“Our Rhubarb and Custard suite is an eclectic collection of textures, including red and orange velvet, to represent the sweet and sour of rhubarb and custard. Eve managed to source these amazing cracked leather sofas in a deep, almost blood red, that are perfect for the room.”
Interior designer Eve Cullen-Cornes explains how she used storytelling during the design process to define the character of the six bedrooms at the Padstow Townhouse: “Emma and I created a backstory for each room, imagining who the room belonged to and defining the character. Once we had these well-rounded characters fixed in our minds, we could imagine their taste in décor, furniture and art. It’s a method I devised to tease out the individual characteristics, helping to clearly distinguish each of the six bedrooms.
Photo: Jonathan Cornes Associates (jcassociates.co.uk)
“So for example, for the Bonbon suite we pictured a smartly dressed gentleman who relishes a sense of occasion. An Oxbridge type, he can always be seen at Wimbledon, Ascot and the Henley Regatta, and spends his spare time skiing and race car driving.
“The suite is decorated with one of Cole & Son’s classic wallpaper patterns, the aptly named Wimbledon Stripe. We furnished it with an oxblood wing back and club-style chairs. The room is dotted with vintage sports memorabilia to set the scene, but the bed is my favourite part – it has an upholstered fireplace headboard, which would have been adorned with all of the trophies our gentleman has collected from his sporting exploits.”
Photo: Jonathan Cornes Associates (jcassociates.co.uk)
With the help of Eve, Paul and Emma have successfully restored the Georgian townhouse to its former beauty. The renovation process of this Grade II listed property involved a brand new roof, strengthening of the outer walls, floors and ceilings, and traditional sash windows have been re-installed. Inside, it has been completely re-wired and re-plumbed from top to bottom, and every wall has been re-plastered. The eclectic style of the townhouse was achieved by gathering exceptional pieces of furniture and sourcing the right materials and fabrics, over a matter of months.
Paul adds: “The design is very respectful of the age and architecture of the townhouse and we’ve made the most out of the building’s quirks. Emma and I feel we have good taste and we know what we like, but we relied on Eve’s incredible vision and creativity to steer us in the right direction. It’s just been the most amazing experience working with Eve; she’s in a league of her own! I think creatively, Emma and Eve really fuelled and energised each other. It may sound odd, but I’m genuinely gutted it’s over, it was just such a brilliant experience.”
As an interior designer, Eve has worked on a range of varied projects, from tiny townhouses to mansions, and hunting lodges to French chateaus. She has also worked with other chefs, designing the bedrooms at The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, the Michelin starred pub owned by TV chef Tom Kerridge.
