The Background

Rutland Hall, formerly known as Barnsdale Hall, was originally built in the 1890s for the 6th Earl of Fitzwilliam as a family hunting lodge.

Over the years, the hall fell into despair and passed through various owners, before being transformed into a hotel in the 1990s. Barnsdale Hotel welcomed guests for almost 30 years before being acquired by new owners, who straight away started to update and improve the resort into the widely recognised destination hotel that is now Rutland Hall.

blossoms restaurant

The Task

The client came in with a clear vision, to create a strong brand identity for the hotel, that would be a clearer representation of the resort and location. They wanted to provide authentic warm hospitality that helped create cherished memories for guests, with an emphasis on their sustainable commitment to the environment and community.

As part of the refurbishment, the hotel appointed Curveline Design to bring their vision to life with Contract Furniture brought in to add technical expertise to Curveline’s creative flare. As a team, we undertook the extensive refurbishment of the hotel’s dining areas, 62 bedrooms and public areas.

rutland hall blossoms

The Work

The first part of the project was to undergo refurbishing 62 bedrooms that were decorated in worn-down 1980s style. Refreshing these bedrooms consisted of decorating the rooms in a more contemporary way, incorporating turquoise and grey velvet furnishings whilst also implementing dark walnut case goods. The rooms that were located outside of the Main Hall were very spacious and this allowed us to fit an agreeable amount of loose furniture, including our Derby fully upholstered Lounge Chairs and bespoke rounded walnut tables with brass finishings. Main suites were positioned to have superb views of the lake so each of these was centred to make sure the beds were facing the sliding doors that take you out onto terraces, providing a great view of the lake.

rutland halll bedrooms

Once the bedrooms had been completed it was time to redesign The Blossoms Restaurant that sat within the hall, a restaurant that has an outstanding reputation and offers fantastic refined international cuisine. The space laid out for the restaurant and bar was large with beautiful light flooding in from skylights, full glass-pained windows and doors that lead out onto the terrace.

We provided a wide range of loose furniture and fixed seating within this area and manufactured and installed a bespoke bar and buffet counters, we also offered our full decorating services, resulting in a positive change to the atmosphere. The Blossom’s restaurant was created to be very inviting, with plush seating areas, gold finishings, and the warm glow from low-hanging vintage-style lights.

The informal casual dining area of the restaurant consisted of both lounge-height and raised seating, this area featured our Lucy Open Arm Lounge Chair, all upholstered in turquoise and yellow velvets by our in-house team, using beautiful fabrics from Skopos. The restaurant’s lounge area also includes bespoke leather benches and our Rustic Reclaimed Dining Tables.

rutland hall Blossoms restaurant

Separated by a black geometric partition, the dining area consisted of our Charlotte Side Chairs, High Chairs, and Digo Carver Chairs fully upholstered in Skopos’s Palmyra Oceanic bold statement leaf print. We also designed some stunning curved fixed seating within this area in the Oceanic print. To add further texture to the room the dining tables were finished with a marble coating and gold rims and stands.

The project also included refurbing two private areas that are used for secluded dinners or conferences. Both these rooms consisted of huge table centrepieces, one round and one 6 metres in length. Both fitted with our fully upholstered Chelsea Side Chairs with the bespoke deep pocket finish and Skopos’s Lava vertical grey and bronze print fabric. Panelling and mirrors for the walls were added to these rooms as they had no natural light, so by using mirrors and low-hanging lights we were able to make a very dull room feel bigger and brighter.

rutland hall private dining

The Result

Through our collaborative efforts, Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa has now accomplished its goal of providing a high-quality experience in a stylish and contemporary venue within a tranquil setting complementing the stunning views of Rutland Water. The hotel has also won many awards in recent years, including The Times voting the venue into their ‘Top 100 Places to Stay in the UK’ for 2023.