A concept for a boutique hotel & spa in Cheltenham. The brief was a Georgian townhouse reimagined in a more contemporary way. Keep the proportion and the cornicing, but don’t let the interior sit in period pastiche. Richer finishes, bespoke joinery and a bolder palette than you’d normally get away with in a restoration.

Reception isn’t a desk. It’s a small, sculptural welcome point in fluted timber with aged brass and stone underfoot, sat under one statement pendant. The aim was somewhere that feels more like being let into a house than checked into a hotel.

The bar and restaurant lounge does the heavy lifting for the whole building, cafe and guest lounge in the day, destination bar at night. A fluted, stone-topped bar anchors it, with banquettes, smaller tables and a bit of lounge seating so it stays intimate rather than feeling half full. Deep wall colours, low layered lighting, and the garden doors pulled in as a proper feature rather than an afterthought.

Between the two spaces, the identity does what it needs to commercially. Premium enough to hold the pricing, distinctive enough to photograph well, and built from materials that feel considered rather than surface-deep.