The Hotel Lobby
The vision of the Victorian artist at home helped us to create this welcoming, warm and comfortable hotel lobby area. The dark panelling is softened by a large collection of pictures, prints and photographs of, and by, the artists of the period. A variety of framing adds to the feeling that this is a personal space and our unnamed artist adds a bohemian touch with lamps made from Chinese pots, peacock feathers on display and kilims draped over small side tables.
Overall depth of character is added to the entire ground floor area by the installation of wall-to-wall contract carpeting with Turkish motifs in rich reds, golds and greens. The overall feel is more like a home in which the guest is encouraged to explore the whole area.
Central to the lobby/bar area is the installation of an antique Victorian marble fireplace with a realistic reproduction electric fire and the replacement of the pre-existing large sofas and single low table with groupings of individual chairs around small tables.
An ottoman covered in distressed velvet and edged with brocade provides casual seating or a place to spread out the newspapers.
The reception desk is reduced in size to minimise its intrusion into the artist’s home. This gives us space for a quieter seating area away from the bar, an atmosphere emphasised by potted palms in simple terracotta pots.
