CORINTHIA
One of the new restaurants,
Massimo, has been designed by David Collins Studio. This 150 cover restaurant is divided into two main spaces: a plush, wood floored dining area with dark leather seating and dark wood panelled walls and a lighter, less formal oyster bar area with a marble clad bar, light green leather banquets and chairs and a decorative mural feature wall whose pattern is repeated in the mosaic floor tiles. A separate private dining room with chef’s table can cater for parties of 10 to 18, who will be entertained by renowned Italian chef Massimo Riccioli, as he cooks in the open kitchen integrated into the room’s design. David Collins also designed the
Bassoon bar; a sophisticated jazzy champagne and cocktail bar that promises live cabaret and late night musical performances. The house piano is ‘built in’ to one end of the bar
as its black varnished top seamlessly extends to become the seven meter long bar counter. Contractors EE Smith (see ad opposite) were selected to work on the two Collin’s designed interiors and as one would expect from these hotel and restaurant interior specialists, the workmanship is first class. Of the Bassoon project David Collins comments, “…design and music are aligned: the symmetry, balance and harmony are all subliminal reminders of how the environment influences us. Going forward, music will be playing a more and more important part in the soundtrack of my designs.” The main contractor appointed
to the project was Ardmore Construction (see ad on pages 14 & 15 and sidebar, page 22) and their work is nothing short of exceptional. Ardmore lists a number of hotels in their 30 year history, alongside an impressive track record in the residential and commercial sectors. However, this is their first five star hotel project, finished with a degree of craftsmanship that is hard to fault. Their engineering skills too have been called into play with the excavation and building support work under the hotel to accommodate the new spa. Apart from Massimo and Bassoon,
the hotel provides another bar and a south facing restaurant. The Northall restaurant occupies the ground floor, wedge end of the hotel that benefits from tall windows and plenty of natural daylight. A mezzanine floor has been added and the unusual colour scheme of dark brown carpets and light tan leather chairs makes this interior refreshingly unfussy and different to most other hotel
restaurants.GA Design International are credited with the design of this and the remaining parts of the hotel including the bedrooms and suites (GA have been ridiculously busy in recent months having also completed the interiors of the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which opened officially in May). The Northall restaurant serves
all organic, British dishes to contrast the Italian-style shellfish and seafood offer to be found in Massimo’s. This celebration of British cuisine can be visually enjoyed by all as a finishing kitchen has been installed between the restaurant and the bar. This is like a holding space where diners can
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witness the theatre of the kitchen whilst enjoying pre-dinner drinks. Art plays a significant role in
this hotel. There are commissioned pieces everywhere. Predominantly British artists include Alan Macdonald, whose amusing Renaissance style ‘paintings with a modern twist’ include the classic Venus on a Vespa; Claire Brewster, who produces beautifully delicate paper birds cut from atlas pages; Marcus James, who created a striking monographic artwork showing a series of superimposed pencil drawings of local landmarks that challenge the viewer to unravel the images, and photographer, Peter Defty, whose series of dressed shop windows depicting ‘British Bespoke Elegance’ adorn the walls of the upper corridors. The ever dependable Artefact Hotel Art Consultants, (see ad page 23) were appointed to source over 150 pieces of art for this hotel: they should be congratulated. Another supplier of note are Based Upon, who were commissioned to manufacture the stunning brass-topped reception
GS MAGAZINE 19
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