Cedar Manor Hotel - Awarded 'Best Hotel Interior' in the world at the International Hotel Awards

By: Fidget Design  22/02/2012
Keywords: interior design, hospitality, interior designers

Cedar Manor Hotel throws down the gauntlet to create the most luxurious hotel suite in the Lake District The Cedar Manor Hotel is an impressive Victorian Gothic style stone building that was built in 1854 as a residential country house. Now a comfortable and stylish hotel, it is set in mature walled gardens dominated by the ancient cedar tree. While the hotel feels peaceful and secluded, it is just a short stroll away from the shores of Lake Windermere and the centre of Windermere village in the English Lake District. A structured refurbishment programme to create a luxurious location with ‘wow’ factor Hoteliers Caroline and Jonathan Kaye took over The Cedar Manor just a few years ago. Their vision was to create a haven of relaxation and tranquillity for their guests without having to compromise on urban comfort. Cedar Manor provides a fine balance of chic contemporary design with an informal atmosphere and a sense of calm. With the help of Alison Tordoff of Fidget Design, they have carefully and gradually updated the original building of Cedar Manor to blend its original period charm with modern luxuries using furnishings, materials and skilled craftspeople from the local area. Alison Tordoff explains; “Caroline and Jonathan wanted to refurbish the Cedar Manor and turn it into a sophisticated, tranquil and luxurious Lake District retreat. They have very exacting standards and felt that in order to do the job to the highest possible standard; the budget could only focus on one room or hotel area at a time. We embarked on a structured refurbishment programme starting with a couple of bedrooms, then moved onto the bar and lounge area. The client was keen to retain some of the original charm of the Victorian Gothic period and so we set about searching for block print wallpapers and stylised floral prints with a surprising modern twist.” The goal was to create the most luxurious suite in the Lake District In 2010, it became time to consider the upgrade of an annexe building of the hotel that was historically a coach house to the side of the house. The obvious option would have been to simply refurbish the existing small rooms by upgrading the furnishings, fittings and decoration. However, Caroline and Jonathan were keen to find a way of providing something new and exciting for their guests and decided to take a radical step of turning the old coach house rooms into one enormous duplex luxury suite. The goal was to create the most luxurious suite in the Lake District. Fidget design was commissioned to create an interior space that would incorporate much of the Victorian charm of the original building in a sumptuous setting that included all the latest technology and comfort features guests might only find in top end, city-based boutique hotels.. The interior also had to reflect the local environment, and use local artisan trades people, materials and products where possible. The initial meetings and consultation process began in July 2010 and the project was completed, ready to receive its first guests by August 2011. A celebration of the Lake District Environment The interior design theme of The Coach House Suite is a celebration of the local environment. Alison and her team have created a spectacular contemporary look and feel while taking great care to embrace the colours and textures that epitomise the best of the Cumbrian landscape and natural materials. The carpeting is made by local specialists Wools of Cumbria Carpets, and all the oak furniture was handmade by Lakeland Fells, a specialist joinery and furniture firm. Where possible the project used locally sourced products, services and expertise. Guests staying at the new Coach House Suite are blown away by the sheer size of the accommodation. The interior has a large and spacious bedroom on the ground floor including a 6ft wide king sized bed and a massive ensuite bathroom with two washbasins, a stand-alone air bath and walk-in wet room shower. Upstairs guests will find a large open plan living and dining room with a small kitchenette. Both floors boast large flat screen televisions, iPod docking stations, and Wi-Fi. The suite also has the flexibility to turn the top floor into a board room facility for companies looking for a special place to hold business meetings, lunches or dinners. There is a separate entrance, a fully equipped kitchenette and the dining area has the technology for presentation projection, Wi-Fi and iPod docking. Soundproofed to provide a totally silent and tranquil experience One of the key challenges Alison and her team had to consider was that of noise reduction. While the Cedar Manor Hotel is in a very pretty and secluded setting protected by a walled garden, the Coach House was not as well insulated as the main hotel building. This meant that guests could hear some traffic noise from the Ambleside Road. Explains Alison: “Jonathan and Caroline were keen that the Coach House Suite should be a peaceful experience. This meant providing guests with the option of total silence from the outside world, or the freedom to play their own music as loud as they like without worrying about disturbing anyone else. In the end, in consultation with the architect on the project, Phil Hubbard, we went for a fully soundproofed option, utilising a special commercial grade of acoustic insulation.” Bathroom luxury for guests to soak away the stresses and strains of modern life The main bathroom was also a key factor in the Coach House Suite. “The bathroom is nothing short of a triumph. It incorporates every luxury feature you could possibly imagine in a modern luxurious bathroom. In addition, we made use of the latest LED lighting technology which provides offers a fantastic lighting solution that cost just pence to run,” said Alison. Key features of the bathroom include: A wet room with remote control shower settings and water temperature; an enormous ‘Airbath’ bathtub designed for two; double wash basins; TV, radio and music to enjoy while you bathe; LED specialist mood lighting. The result is a private and secluded suite that oozes luxury and opulent splendour Jonathan Kaye of Cedar Manor commented: “The Coach House Suite is everything we could have wished for and more. As always, Alison has been able to interpret our “wish list” and present us with exactly what we are looking for. She manages this every time. Brilliant! Guests old and new are totally blown away by the new suite and online reviews of the Coach House Suite have been amazing. It was a huge risk going down this route. But so far it has been worth it. “We know we’re not the biggest or the most famous hotel in the Lake District, but we believe we have created a very special place for our guests where we offer the same level of personal attention and luxury you would expect to find in hotels that cost more than twice our rates. Our new Coach House Suite is simply the best facility in the Lake District.” Further details on The Coach House Suite can be found at: www.cedarmanor.co.uk/the-coach-house-suite-in-windermere/

Keywords: hospitality, hotel design, ihotelawards, interior architecture, interior design, interior design cumbria, Interior Design The lakes, Interior Design Windermere, interior designers, International Design Award, LED lighting, lighting design, sustainable, The Coach House Suite,

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