For the love of design

Interior designer Jill Higgins chats about going behind-the-scenes at Fowey Hall and Moonfleet Manor during two impressively distinctive architectural projects.

The refurbishment of a 19th-century, Grade-II-listed Victorian coastal manor house, and 18th-century grand Georgian countryside mansion with families in mind – where did you begin?

"We first asked ourselves: how do we create something comfortable but also luxurious and robust enough to stand the wear of a hotel environment, coastal locations, muddy boots, children, dogs and more. Our approach to designing the ‘family friendly’ spaces at Luxury Family Hotels evoked a few key principles. Firstly, family friendly does not mean we are designing for children. We are designing for adults who would like somewhere stylish but want to feel relaxed and confident that their children are welcome - and that it doesn’t matter if they throw baked beans on the floor.

Secondly, I would say that children are more sophisticated and design aware than ever before. They enjoy grown-up experiences – and love the ‘mini me’ idea.

It is the idea of that inner sense of fun and nostalgia rooted in our childhood which we have aimed to tap into with the brand positioning and design for Luxury Family Hotels. This in turn encourages interaction between different generations, building upon the brand positioning of luxury being about memories not things. Finally, with everything which has happened over the last two years we believe designing spaces in which multi-generations can enjoy time spent together is more relevant than ever."

Fowey Hall

What would you say have been the biggest differences and challenges in the renovations?

"Architecture. Working out how you modernise the hotels and bring them up to date without losing the charm and character. Fowey’s main house is highly decorative and retains a lot of its original Victorian character.

It was built in the 1890's by Charles Augustin Hanson, who was born in Polruan, across the estuary from Fowey, when he came back after making his fortunes abroad. This was in the late-nineteenth century, during the romantic, picturesque era of architecture. The land was bought from the Rashleigh family who own Daphne du Maurier’s estate. There is plenty of decorative and grand architectural detail. This required a delicate hand and slightly more decorative touch to the way we treated the interiors.

Location also made it interesting – Fowey Hall is located at the highest point in the town of Fowey and is very much part of the community and townscape, but without acres of land to expand into. Therefore, growing the guest experience, whilst keeping mindful of the space for guests to feel a sense of peace and calm, is continually challenging.

Moonfleet is Georgian rather than Victorian and although externally it still has a sense of grandeur, internally a lot of the original interior has been removed over the years and quirky architectural details from a variety of countries and periods can now be found.

Bedroom at Fowey Hall Hotel

We felt it was important to breathe a bit of the Georgian grandeur back into the building and reference the hotel's rich and varied history and local maritime heritage.

Our approach is much bolder and slightly less refined to reflect the scale, proportion of the building and setting of the hotel in its beautiful but isolated beach location. We wanted to celebrate the beauty and honesty of the location and how it has evolved in a playful yet artful way."

Fowey’s main house is highly decorative and retains a lot of its original Victorian character.

Guest area at Fowey Hall Hotel

Have you been able to add a likeness within your design at the different hotels?

"Yes, but while there is brand consistency and an overall identity creating a familiarity for guests there are also broad arching ideas allowing each of the hotels to have their own distinct personality and stand in their own right. This continues to be really important to us as we are not trying to create a faceless chain. Each of the hotels has its own story, quirks and eccentricities – something we would like to celebrate.

We work by a principle of five overriding design values for the Luxury Family Hotels brand: sense of place, respecting the location, architecture, landscape and community – and connecting the hotel with its building; country charm; mixing old with new; monochromatic patterns and playful colour; and creating a sense of discovery through delight and surprise.

The hidden details are also so important, things which might not be immediately obvious to guests but which they discover unexpectedly, and it makes them smile, for example the wallpaper lining to the bedroom drawers and wardrobes, the crab doorstops, and the bronze Wind in the Willows figures hiding behind other ornaments in the lounge."

Crab doorstops

Which is your favourite room and why at each of the hotels?

Fowey, I would have to say the Library – it feels like somewhere you would want to curl up. We took a sympathetic approach to the architecture, keeping the original fireplace, mouldings and shelving, and combined this with new contemporary crafted pieces, bold monochromatic prints and British-made fabrics.

THE ARTISTS' WALL There is a corridor in Fowey Hall Hotel featuring all the talented makers and artists behind the design, with a story abouttheir process, designed and presented by StudioJill

I also love the Morning Room Bar – it works from day to evening, beautiful views for coffee in the morning, space to work and contemplate (you often see parents with a laptop getting a few sneaky emails in here), and by evening it becomes a space for parents to be transported to a grown-up cocktail bar. And, the new spa bedrooms: contemporary luxury, in line with current trend for simple, well-designed spaces, and with stunning views.

Moonfleet Manor, I just love the Mansion House bathrooms – playful overscaled wallpaper, chandeliers and traditional rolltop baths and large showers, with a mix of Georgian and contemporary furniture.

Moonfleet Manor Lounge

What did you enjoy most about these projects?

Getting to know each hotel, its quirks, stories and breathing life into them again. It is also wonderful to be able to work on projects like this where there is a great team to bounce off, both in terms of at Luxury Family Hotels and the local makers, designers, artists and craftspeople who have all contributed to making it possible.

Words | Jessica Way

JILL'S TOP TIPS

1. Mix old and new styles to create something unique

2. Colour can be used to unify different styles and periods

3. Texture is a tool as much as colour and style

4. Look for local or British furniture makers or craftspeople

5. Be brave. Be bold.