HIGHFIELD HOUSE

STORY LOVE

With their work at Highfield House garnering praise, we meet interior design power couple Andy and Lindsey Lampard to discover a world of creativity

From the moment interior design husband and wife duo Andy and Lindsey Lampard laid eyes on Highfield House in Dri eld, it was love at first sight. They may not have been looking to take on a 15-bedroom home that sits at the heart of the local community, but it was an opportunity they couldn’t turn down. Since the initial purchase, the journey has seen them go from designing a family home in Yorkshire, to creating a highly successful wedding venue and, now, hotel.

It was perhaps always going to happen, given that Andy and Lindsey have spent their interior design careers working in some of the best hotels in the world. Having met at a company called United Designers in London, which was once one of the most prolific hotel design companies,

Andy and Lindsey spent years working together on the

LINDSEY AND ANDY LAMPARD

PHOTO: ANDY LAMPARD design of luxury hotels such as W Hotels and Mandarin Oriental. “Eyes met over the desk and we thought we should probably start our own company together and get married,” laughs Andy. “It was the most amazing job. We designed hotels such as the Dolder Grand in Zurich which, at the time, was voted the most luxurious hotel in the world.”

Andy and Lindsey started their own company in 2010, and their ethos is about design that is led by stories, with an imaginative side, and less about the golden glitz. After deciding they wanted to escape London for family life with more space and freedom, the couple looked at returning to Lindsey’s home of Yorkshire and set about finding the perfect family abode and new base for their design business. So, instead of focusing all their time on the big brands and other hotel chains, Yorkshire got the design treatment instead. Highfield House really showcases the design ethos of the couple, and works to surprise, delight, and tell a story through the interiors.

“We realised for the price of a two-bedroom flat, we could buy a 15-bedroom house! As most of our design jobs were abroad anyway, it made sense to leave London,” says Lindsey. “Every time we would work on the creative part of a project, we would come up to East Yorkshire to do that,

“WE WANTED PEOPLE TO GET MARRIED HERE AGAIN”

because it made us more relaxed. So, we just thought, why not be in a better work environment all the time?” But, it was the fact that Highfield House meant that they had the scope to really push boundaries and do a lot of fun stu when it comes to design that really swayed the couple.

Initially, Highfield House was set to be a family home and base for their architectural design practice. “It gave us the opportunity to put our money where our mouth is and rather than continually telling everyone else how to do it, we thought we’d do it for ourselves. It was this beautiful big house, behind this wall, with gorgeous big gardens,” explains Andy. “We realised quite quickly that people came and walked around our gardens and people started knocking on the door wanting to come in for cups of tea, which we found a bit weird! But we soon found out that Highfield had been a significant part of the community as the Highfield Community Club. It felt like it wasn’t just our house and that the community had really fond memories of the place, so we thought we could open up the opportunity of people getting married here again.”

During lockdown, the couple took advantage of the commercial contract side of their business being quiet, and set to work on turning the property into the hotel and wedding venue it is today. The interiors are eclectic and artistic, and truly showcase the creative talent of both Andy and Lindsey. “Our experience as interior architects really came into play, and being clever with the way space worked,” says Andy. “Instead of doing standard hotel rooms, we had experience of playing around with design to get more out of the space that was there, by angling beds and using ergonomic dimensions.”

Every single room tells a completely di erent story, with the narrative based around stories of the house from previous owners, historic fun facts and accounts, and the Lampards’ too. “There’s a room called Yes Mallard, which is based on the story of a man and the Mallard Train which broke the speed record on the east coast train line,” starts Andy. “A chap called Douglas turned up at Highfield on his 90th birthday having

KINGSLAND

PHOTO: ANDY LAMPARD PHOTO: AARON MORRIS

LIBRARY BAR

PHOTO: ANDY LAMPARD PHOTO: ALLY BYROM

SKETCH

PHOTO: ANDY LAMPARD GRAND STAIRS

“WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGN, BE HONEST WITH YOUR STORY AND WHO YOU ARE”

DRAW ME ROOM

lived there as a child. He was only interested in seeing the attic room, which is because it’s the room that he grew up in, it was his bedroom and where he had his train set. So, the suite is based around this – it even has a toy train set that goes around the top of the room itself. It sounds gimmicky, but it’s all about the subtlety.” Lindsey talks through another room called Stitch about another owner of the house who was a draper and trained in fabrics. It’s filled with fabrics that the Lampards have collected from around the world throughout their career, too.

So, what advice would they o er others looking to spruce their home up and create a love a air for this Valentine’s Day? Aiming to inspire and be provocative with their interiors, it’s clear that this is a key starting point for the husband and wife duo. “We always start with the full understanding that there isn’t a right or wrong way, but be honest with your story and who you are,” says Andy. “If you like red, don’t be afraid to use red and to use it strongly if it really represents you. Also, mix styles and don’t be scared to have antique furniture in a modern room. Understand how you live and how you want to experience the spaces in your home.” Luckily, the Lampards find Yorkshire an inspiring place to be and seek ideas from nature and their surroundings. “East Yorkshire is a fascinating place and it’s so unknown and untouched. We’ve got the coast, the Wolds, the cities, there’s a full mix of everything,” says Andy. “There’s a calmness here, and it has a fabulous e ect on design – ultimately the calm space to think about things is what you really need. If we go on a walk, we are constantly looking at what’s around us and forming inspiration from the colour of the trees to thinking about seasonal flowers for wallpaper patterns.”

After such a hectic couple of years, I wonder what the couple are most looking forward to for 2023. “As a hotel, Highfield only opened in May, so we are looking forward to people knowing we exist. We’re excited to see more people coming and seeing the e ects of the design of Highfield on people,” they smile. “We’re hoping to put on some workshops, work with local artists and do an Interior Design Series to help people with the design of their own homes and to help people understand the design evolution of Highfield. That’s really exciting!”