{"id":312878,"date":"2026-02-23T10:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T10:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/312878\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T10:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T10:54:15","slug":"crafted-hotel-avoids-the-pastiche-in-takeover-of-georgian-mansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/312878\/","title":{"rendered":"Crafted hotel “avoids the pastiche” in takeover of Georgian mansion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clashing styles and a focus on local craftsmanship define the eclectic interiors of this lakeside hotel<\/a> and members’ club<\/a> in East Sussex, England, designed by House of Dr\u00e8<\/a> as a counterpoint to the building’s restrained Georgian architecture.<\/p>\n

Crafted at Powdermills<\/a> is the first project completed as part of a new venture from entrepreneur Chris King, known for co-founding the design-led Birch hotel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"LobbyHouse of Dr\u00e8 has completed the Crafted at Powdermills hotel<\/p>\n

King invited London studio\u00a0House of Dr\u00e8<\/a> to oversee the interiors of the 51-room hotel, which is set within the walls of a heritage-listed Georgian mansion that was once the headquarters of a gunpowder mill.<\/p>\n

The building had been gradually extended over several decades, creating a series of disjointed spaces with varying styles, which the designers leaned into by emphasising the sense of contrast.<\/p>\n

\"FireplaceOriginal fireplaces of the Georgian mansion were retained<\/p>\n

“History is everywhere here, which freed us to take a bold, playful approach,” Christodoulou told Dezeen, adding that the interiors “deliberately mix eras and styles”.<\/p>\n

“Every space holds something old, something new, something crafted and something blue, layered and eclectic without ever feeling austere.”<\/p>\n

\"Members'The hotel also includes a private members’ club for locals and guests<\/p>\n

Rather than applying a uniform aesthetic throughout the hotel, Christodoulou said he chose to “work with the building rather than against it”, using what already existed and approaching each space individually.<\/p>\n

Many of the original features were preserved, including the single-plate glass windows, marble fireplaces and antique floors. These are combined with modern elements to create a layered design that focuses on atmosphere rather than historical recreation.<\/p>\n

\"BarHouse of Dr\u00e8 used the technique of “colour drenching” throughout the hotel<\/p>\n

“We deliberately avoided the pastiche of restoring every space to an authentic, museum-like state,” Christodoulou said.<\/p>\n

“I love Georgian design, but it does have a reputation for being very restrained and controlled. Our aim was always to soften the formality, avoiding anything that felt too stuffy or austere.”<\/p>\n

\"PrivateThis involves covering all available surfaces in shades of the same colour<\/p>\n

A key element of House of Dr\u00e8’s modern approach to the interiors was the use of a bold palette and a technique of “double drenching” spaces, covering every available surface in shades of the same colour.<\/p>\n

Christodoulou chose a range of earthy tones that complement the original architectural features and reference traditional Georgian decor, contributing to a familiar, timeless aesthetic.<\/p>\n

The layered approach to the decor begins with architectural finishes such as handmade tiles that provide a backdrop for locally crafted furniture, ceramics and wall hangings.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Tom's<\/p>\n

House of Dr\u00e9 creates “playful and familiar” interior for Tom’s Pasta restaurant\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

“It is both romantic and practical for us to work with local crafts makers,” Christodoulou explained, since part of the hotel’s offering is a range of classes and workshops led by artisans from the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n

“With that in mind, we wanted to establish as many connections between the hotel and local craftspeople as possible in order to create a symbiotic relationship between the two groups,” he added.<\/p>\n

\"RestaurantPlayful touches include leopard-print pillows in the main restaurant<\/p>\n

The guest rooms were developed in collaboration with British furniture maker Sebastian Cox<\/a>, who worked exclusively with British timber to create pieces that celebrate the wood’s natural figuring.<\/p>\n

Details such as room number signs and table lamps were crafted using clay from nearby woodlands by local ceramicist Holly Dawes<\/a>, who now has her workshop on site.<\/p>\n

\"PubThe hotel also has its own pub<\/p>\n

Basket maker Emma Purcell<\/a> created a host station for the restaurant, featuring a woven structure made from locally sourced willow that drapes over a wooden frame crafted by Atlas Joinery.<\/p>\n

In addition to the restaurant, the hotel has its own pub, which House of Dr\u00e8 designed as a space that is “humble, handmade and layered with history”.<\/p>\n

\"HotelThe rooms feature custom furniture by Sebastian Cox<\/p>\n

Drawing inspiration from the site’s industrial past, the room features bespoke ceramic tiles, a zinc bar top with visible weld marks, and a rustic colour palette informed by traditional workers’ pubs.<\/p>\n

King has pitched Crafted at Powdermills as the first in a new series of hotels, where guests and local members can experience nature, food, wellbeing and craft.<\/p>\n

\"DeskHolly Dawes created custom lamps for the bedrooms<\/p>\n

“Over the coming years, Crafted will grow into a network of life-friendly hotels and clubs across the UK and beyond,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Each one unique to its setting, but all sharing the same spirit: nature-first, creatively charged and thoughtfully designed for balancing modern lives.”<\/p>\n

\"SaunaThe hotel and its amenities are organised around a private lake<\/p>\n

King’s since-defunct first venture, Birch, previously saw the entrepreneur convert mansions in Hertfordshire<\/a> and Croydon<\/a> into hybrid hotels and members’ clubs.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Milo Hutchings, Owen Vidler and Euan Baker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Clashing styles and a focus on local craftsmanship define the eclectic interiors of this lakeside hotel and members’…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":312879,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,89730,308,5040,93,15940,146459,61,60,126524,3949,13059,814,5326,1577],"class_list":{"0":"post-312878","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-craft","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-england","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-hotels","17":"tag-house-of-dru00e9","18":"tag-ie","19":"tag-ireland","20":"tag-members-clubs","21":"tag-renovations","22":"tag-restorations","23":"tag-sectionall","24":"tag-sectioninteriors","25":"tag-uk"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/312879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}