Jeru Restaurant, London
13 Dec 2023
Studley Castle, Warwickshire
23 Jun 2023
By
TheContractCrew
The Background
Steeped in over 180 years of fascinating history, this Grade II listed building is currently home to a beautiful Warner Leisure hotel. The site on the edge of picturesque Henley-in- Arden, right in the heart of rural Warwickshire, is surrounded by 28 acres of countryside to ensure a peaceful and relaxing break with plenty to explore.
Having served as everything from a family home to a marketing centre for automotive brand Rover, Studley Castle’s most recent use has been as a hotel, with Warner Leisure quick to snap up the property when it became available and start its own large-scale refurbishment.
The Task
In order to ensure the success of the huge £50m renovation to restore Studley Castle to its original grandeur, Warner Leisure enlisted interior design and architectural practice HOA HOA. The remit was to create a spectrum of contemporary and heritage bedrooms and spaces, incorporating fresh new design ideas whilst blending with original features and ancient facades that still stand within the castle.
With an impressive 200 bedrooms, dining areas and lounge areas within both the castle, stables and new build areas to be renovated, HOA HOA turned to the Contract Furniture Group to assist in the full site refit and bring its vision to life.
The Work
With the design brief set, we worked closely with HOA HOA to plan, build and install a wide range of loose furniture, fitted pieces and case goods.
Co-ordinating efforts across the resort’s four locations, including the historic suites in Victoria Manor and the contemporary rooms to re-fit, we worked to create unique pieces that reflected the aesthetic requirements as well as practical necessities. With each room having its own character, there was an opportunity to showcase Contract Furniture Group’s extensive design skills and furniture options – a chance we welcomed with open arms.
The Studley Rooms are the heart of the hotel. Situated in the Studley wing, close to the restaurant and bars, these rooms were a large part of our rollout and designed to be classically elegant with contemporary furnishings and fabrics including our bespoke case goods, Tabitha chairs in distressed grey stain and our Anton Round Side Tables.
The Castle Rooms consisted of 28 bedrooms that were part of the original castle built in the 1930s – perfect for history lovers. The styling of these rooms reflected a country house with patterned wallpapers, embroidered fabrics and period details. Each of these rooms was different shapes and sizes, some with larger lounging areas where we were able to incorporate some bespoke rectangle footstools and our Berwick 3 seater sofa in various fabric choices to reflect the colour scheme of each individual room. These pieces also included several scatter cushions, designed by our in-house soft furnishings team. The focus of these stunning rooms was the bespoke opulent headboards that our team of highly skilled joiners created.
The Stable rooms, situated within what once was the castle riding stables, are modern rooms that are an extension of the castle and connect to the hotel’s spa. These 23 rooms have a clean and calming feel to them, which was represented in our lightly coloured birch wood case goods, and our simplistic yet very comfy Nina Carver Chairs.
The Lodge Rooms had the same aesthetic as the Stable Rooms as they are also connected to the spa, but these rooms were in fact 6 detached two-storey buildings, ideal for longer stays or visits with larger groups. Within these rooms, we included our Walton 3-seater sofas in a light grey linen fabric.
Apart from the extensive bedroom refits, Studley Castle also rejuvenated its historic lounging and catering areas. The Oak Room, which is lavished with dark wood panelling and chandeliers, provides a very regal backdrop, we filled this space with soft leather sofas and rich fabrics, including our Tubby Arm Chairs in grey silver velvet and our Cragg side chairs in deep walnut. We also created bespoke lounging areas where guests could also relax in the lobby.
The Garden Room which has stunning views of the gardens, is an area for guests to come for a quiet chat or simply soak in the views. It had ambience and eclectic styling which we matched with our bold furnishings, including a plum Pelham style chaise and our popular Atomic chair in bold yellow. We also furnished this room with our Albie side tables, which have a very mid-century modern style to them.
Warner wanted to offer guests a fun area for guests to take pictures of themselves as a memorable token of their stay at Studley, and one of the more exciting and unusual items we were asked to create for the project was this picture frame fixed seating piece. To do this we turned a Victorian-style picture frame on its side and fitted fixed seating into the base before spraying it bronze so guests would look as though they were sitting in a painting.
The Result
Studley Castle has undergone an astonishing transformation that has its eye on the here and now. It has turned this old stately home into a luxurious retreat in the heart of Warwickshire. Through the collaboration efforts of ourselves, HOA HOA and Warner Leisure, we were able to create a modern-day experience that is still rich in historic details. We were able to create unique styling for guests within lounge areas, restaurants and bedrooms.