Designed by famed architect Edwin Lutyens, the Abbey House Hotel in Cumbria has a palette of bespoke carpets from Wilton Carpets Commercial that draw inspiration from the architect’s interior influences. Creating features within the floor that are completely unique to Abbey House Hotel, the seven bespoke designs in a mixture of woven axminster for the public areas, restaurant, bar, corridors and function rooms and tufted carpets for the bedroom, form an integral part of the interior.
APM Design provided Wilton Carpets Commercial with the brief and design direction for the carpet, with the manufacturer’s design manager Julie Robertson developing the design detail and using a combination of on-trend colours from both the Optimum and Elements palettes to coordinate perfectly with the luxurious jewel toned velvet and plaid fabrics. Throughout all areas slate and zinc base tones combine with fashionable plum, aubergine, lime and teal to create a harmonious flow of beautifully rich colours.
A constant contemporary plaid design flows through public spaces, with fresh elements and additional colours creating individuality in different areas, from beautiful organic scrolls to the stunning large scale overlaid lace-like effect in the Grand Hall. In each area, Wilton Carpets Commercial has shown its expertise in planning and design. Taking inspiration from the hotel’s breathtaking manicured gardens, the corridors are resplendent in an eloquent plum and aubergine scroll leaf design which flows beautifully down the corridors and makes feature areas; while the reception, bars and lounge enjoy a muted take on geometric patterning based on an original tile. In the main bar this inspiration continues, with the tile-inspired design overlaid by a clever contemporary damask to soften the look.
Throughout public areas of Abbey House Hotel, six bespoke woven axminster designs were created with a mixture of wall-to-wall carpet and rug inlays to the parquet floor. Within bedrooms, a tufted carpet in a bespoke striated design has been employed in a colour palette that echoes that found throughout the public areas of Abbey House Hotel.
“We have worked very successfully with Wilton Carpets Commercial over the last few years and feel the team has an excellent understanding of just what commercial interior designers require,” comments Andy McCluskey, design director, APM Design. “Their assistance in terms of design and support helps the whole process and as always, the quality of the carpets and their ability to be adaptable is crucial to achieving a successful outcome.”
The woven axminster carpets have been specified in a highly durable nine-row construction that provides great levels of appearance retention throughout the 900 square metres of axminster installed. Some 600 square metres of tufted carpet provide the ideal combination of comfort, appearance retention and value throughout the bedrooms of the early 20th Century building. Both woven and tufted carpets were installed by Kendal Quality Carpets of Cumbria.
Originally designed as a grand country residence that played host to King George V, the Queen Mother and even the Prince of Siam, the sandstone building was converted into a hotel in 1986 and retains many of the interior features created by one of England’s most famous architects. With a respectful extension in 2000 and set in 14 acres of private grounds, the Grade II* hotel is one of the Lake District’s most desirable places to stay and has won Cumbrian Wedding Venue of the Year three years running.
