British designer Ben Thompson has combined the grandeur of a Georgian manor with the informality of a modern farmhouse for the interiors of a new hotel in Hampshire, England.
Heckfield Place is an 18th-century country house, renovated to create 44 guest suites, two restaurants, spa facilities and an underground cinema. It sits at the heart of a 430-acre estate, with a farm that produces natural produce for guests and fresh flowers.
Heckfield Place is an 18th-century country house
A passion project for the Chan family ? developers whose portfolio also includes the Standard Chartered Bank Building and the Peak Galleria in Hong Kong ? the hotel has been over a decade in the making.
Ben Thompson was brought in to redesign the interiors, after a previous scheme was deemed unsatisfactory and torn out. His brief was to create spaces that respected the history of the building, but that also made guests feel at home. Ben Thompson's interiors combine antiques and contemporary furnishings
The result is proving successful so far ? the hotel counts Prince Harry and Meghan Markle among its recent guests.
"The overriding message we heard was to sympathetically restore the Georgian building and its original character, which had been lost over the years," explained Thompson.
There are 44 guest suites, including six signature rooms
"In its heyday, Heckfield was, like many a country home, the height of English hospitality; a retreat where guests were invited to relax and feel ...