Acclaimed hotel and hospitality design firm, Goddard Littlefair, has completed the interiors for the new Printing Press Bar & Kitchen at The George Hotel, Edinburgh, as well as new coffee shop – Burr & Co.
The new restaurant and cafe are part of wider renovation plans to the hotel, including the ongoing refurbishment of public areas, a complete refurbishment of the guest rooms, and the creation of new suites, following the acquisition of The George Hotel by private investment group, Starwood Capital.
The project is one of four that Goddard Littlefair is involved in with Starwood Capital, forming part of its portfolio of city-centre hotels to be re-launched as a new UK hotel brand in Spring 2016.
“The creation of destination bars and restaurants is a central part of our plan to breathe new life into iconic hotels across a number of great cities,” David Taylor, COO of the new brand, explained. “All the hotels, the restaurants and bars will have their own design and reflect the local character of the cities in which they sit.”
The hotel itself is formed of a series of five townhouses and is listed, which meant treading very carefully around existing surfaces and treatments.
‘”Our overall approach was to be highly respectful to the building’s original fabric”, explains Martin Goddard, Goddard Littlefair founder “as well as to the late Victorian insertions, ensuring a feeling of restored grandeur and creating an environment that instantly feels long-established, with a real sense of the building’s naturally imposing proportions adhered to, but also added to via simple detailing and the highest-quality, authentic materials, including oak, brass, ceramics, leather, velvet, glass and marble.
“As in all our projects, every single item of furniture and lighting is completely bespoke and designed entirely for this particular environment, positioning and clientele by Goddard Littlefair.”
The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen is a 92-cover, 186 square metre restaurant and a 116-cover, 207 square metre bar, which flow into and adjoin one other in order to maximise footfall throughout a three-meal service day, with the bar area open throughout.
The restaurant, meanwhile, has a grill-brasserie feel with an authentic Scottish direction and includes dishes such as Perthshire wood pigeon with heritage beetroot and hazelnut crowdie; mince and tatties, and marmalade steamed pudding with Drambuie custard.
The overall footplate for the new restaurant and bar was as per the existing hospitality space in the hotel, whilst Burr & Co inhabits space formerly used for meetings, with a new timber shopfront fascia, re-creating one of the original Victorian-era shopfronts and designed by architects 3D Reid, with branding by Plus Agency.
