The awe-inspiring views across Exmoor and Dartmoor provided inspiration for a brief that challenged Newhey Carpets to produce a “spectacular” Colortec+ Twist & Velvet carpet for Highbullen Hotel Golf and Country Club in North Devon.
Working with Rooms-Service by Park Grove Design, Newhey’s design studio created an interwoven branch design with a contrasting border for the restaurant areas of the country estate. The venue offers extensive leisure facilities, a USGA-specification golf course and the country pursuits of walking, shooting and fishing.
The bespoke 4m-wide carpet was produced to a luxurious 1700 grams-per-m² specification, in a colour palette using six colours chosen to reflect the Arts and Crafts heritage of the building. Inset feature designs and subtle variations in the carpet across four zones creates identity in each dining area, with the branch design drawing the eye to the countryside views.
Carly Gordon, assistant manager at Rooms-Service by Park Grove Design, comments: “It was established early on that a ‘spectacular’ carpet was required to turn these dated and uninviting spaces into a welcoming dining experience. We turned to Newhey’s design studio to come up with a custom design.
“The countryside views which surround the main restaurant inspired a botanical and natural theme for the design of the carpet. We sent a few indicative images of the design we envisaged for the carpet to Newhey’s design studio and they came back with some ideas.
“Working closely with the studio, we refined the design and were able to create a weaving branch design which would be used as the inset feature carpet, along with a contrasting border carpet. The direction of the branch design leads the eye to the amazing views beyond, while also dividing the large dining space into zones. The four inset feature areas were mirrored as part of the ceiling detail and complemented by the furniture layouts.
“Once the design was established, work started on the colour palette which was linked back to the Arts and Crafts roots of the building, with the use of earthy colours with a vibrant teal. Newhey’s design studio provided a number of colour trials and after a few tweaks the carpet was finalised.
“The same feature design was used in the lounge area which was made to look like an inset rug in the small cosy space, while a lighter colourway of the border carpet was used in The Cellars restaurant. The slight variation of the carpet over the three spaces created identity, while making the spaces cohesive overall. The project was delivered on time and within budget. We were delighted with the results, as were the clients.”
