The key to COUNTRY HOTEL STYLE
The ethos behind many country house hotel interiors is to engender a personal connection to the countryside and an enveloping, relaxed informality. “The approach is very much about the guest experience and creating the impression that guests are visiting a friend’s grand country home, rather than a hotel,” explains Francisco Macedo, general manager at Cliveden House in Berkshire.
At Thyme in the Cotswolds, founder and creative director Caryn Hibbert explains how decor has been inspired by the soft colours found in the gardens to create “harmony and fluidity between inside and out”. This relationship works both ways as Thyme nurtures winter and spring bulbs inside to grow and bloom, then transfers them to the hotel’s gardens when the time is right.
Meanwhile at Heckfield Place in Hampshire a connection is made to local artisan country trades through thoughtful details sprinkled around the hotel. These include corn dolly ‘do not disturb’ signs, alpaca covers for hot water bottles and hangers, and bathroom lotions made with ingredients from the hotel’s estate.
Eclectic country style, too, creates a welcoming and informal atmosphere through quirky details and characterful one-off pieces that charm and surprise guests. For instance, at Hotel Endsleigh in Devon, a wooden dog even fooled the night porters into thinking it was a well-behaved waggy-tailed friend (see page 76).
The changing seasons are often more noticeable in the countryside than in the city, so country house hotels consider guests’ needs to ensure the rural landscapte can be fully enjoyed. “We have
