Botanical Bedroom Designs
By Caryn Hibbert
We often get asked interesting questions by guests and journalists who are keen to learn more about the design process behind the interiors at Thyme. Since we started, I have led the design process, working with some brilliant collaborators along the way - architects, conservationists, designers and antique dealers. We have always believed in bringing the outside in. using nature as our inspiration, and green as our neutral.
Here, we delve into the design of one of our Garden Rooms - Nettle - with the help ofThe English Home, who posed these questions to us for their. article on country house hotels.
How have you incorporated nature’s green palette throughout the wonderfully confident colour scheme of this room?
The first step with the design of any of our bedrooms has been to select a herb or flower, inspiring our colour scheme and thematic of the room.
This is Nettle, one of our five garden rooms. Nettle is such a common and often rather unwelcome and undervalued herb. It is however intrinsic to our wild landscape, loved by butterflies and bees, its bright green shoots are some of the earliest to appear after winter and the leaves turn a deeper green as they grow and mature through the summer.
We use a lot of green around Thyme - the predominant colour of nature, it nurtures happiness and tranquillity and is a remarkably versatile and fluid colour. We use green as our neutral foundation upon which we can layer colour and pattern.
How have you reflected the country surrounding and nature elsewhere in this scheme to enhance guests' stay?
We aim to have that link with nature at every touch point. In these rooms we have sheepskin rugs which represent the heritage of the Cotswolds, the architecture of our surrounding quintessential villages are built from the wealth created by the Cotswolds wool trade.
The mirrors above bedside tables are unusual, how do these enhance guests' stay?
The mirrors add sparkle and glamour, their gold frames catching the eye. They also catch the light, reflecting the natural light that pours in through the full-length glass doors, bouncing it around the room as well as that from the bedroom and garden lighting schemes. Together, they create the feeling of space, light and fresh air and, in conjunction with the doors, they help to bring the outside in.
How do you create a desk/dressing table that incorporating little touches to encouraging relaxation?
The dressing table chair is very comfy and, although practical, the desk does not feel at all ‘worky’ – especially with the mirror mounted above it. A potted fern or plant is always a calming addition, as well as aiding air purification in the room. We also have a carefully curated selection of books on the desk or bedside tables. It is such an important feature in a room. We have books on botanicals and evolution to engage our guests in nature, an illustrated history book written by a family member, and Charlie Mackesy’s “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse”, which is just delightful!
Having two seats at the end of the bed is unusual, how does this enhance guests stay?
Creating small and cosy spaces within a larger a space is so important, especially in an open plan room. The two chairs invite conversation and shift the focal point of the room. They act as less of a barrier to circulation than a sofa does, allowing people to moving freely around the room and creating an airy space.
How have you made the room’s design practical for country life?
With ground floor bedrooms, you often don’t get the same views as with those rooms higher up. Instead, there is the opportunity to increase the space with the private gardens and to really connect guests with the outside world right on their doorstep. These garden rooms are true inside outside space. Even when the glass sliding doors are closed, the space feels big, light filled and airy and allow guests to enjoy the glorious evening sunlight as well as the pitter patter of rain. The white, natural resin floor is was chosen to feel fresh, clean and modern, warm and smooth underfoot, but also to encourage guests to leave muddy boots at the door!
What unusual, thoughtful or clever touches have you incorporated into the room's design, which guests love, that you wouldn’t necessarily think to do at home but that make a big difference?
Striking the balance between the bedroom feeling connected to its private garden and feeling cocooned in a safe and cosy space is also so important. We have layered levels of light filtration with muslins and heavier curtains to add to the confidence to make the garden spaces, enclosed by hedging, part of your room.
Is there anything else you would like to mention, which hasn't been covered already, that relates to the design, layout or details of the room and why it is a successful country scheme that celebrates its surroundings?
I adore pattern but in our garden rooms have created, peaceful spaces that are simple, luxurious and calm. I always think of green as our neutral, as the overriding colour of nature it goes with everything and encourages too, space for positive thinking, always a good start to having a lovely happy time.
In general, how do you create a relaxing country style throughout the hotel? What touches or design elements relate to a feeling of being in the countryside and enhance the experience?
Our main barns are historic spaces, huge and impressive but at the same time symbolic of their farming heritage, honest and humble. We have made sympathetic architectural decisions that preserve the history of the spaces and design choices that blend with the natural materials of the buildings; the warm pale honey of the Cotswold stone, the grey slate roofs, the magnificent Douglas fir beams, imported from Canada over 200 years ago to create the soaring Ox Barn roof. Combining this with inspiration from the soft colours of the gardens and sky the look is one of harmony and fluidity between inside and out. We also used contrast to define spaces, complement architecture and to establish a visual equilibrium that is interesting without being too noisy or disruptive. I am passionate about the juxtaposition of grand with grit and modern, clean lines with ancient and irregular form. It ensures integrity, that the stories of the past continue to shine but also allows the buildings to look to the future.
How do you create a different mood and experience for the varying seasons, so guests can experience a connection to nature at different times of the year?
A consistent design theme since the restoration began has been incorporating ‘inside/outside space’; whether the open plan kitchens, the Garden Room’s sliding doors or big bay windows, opening rooms up to natural light and the gardens beyond is key to our guests’ experience and immersion in the surrounding countryside. Around Thyme, we always use seasonal, British grown flowers, vegetables and herbs. In summer, floriferous bouquets are dotted throughout the buildings and in winter arrangements of simple twigs; architectural and austere, they are nevertheless beautiful in their simplicity and reflect the season and state of nature that surrounds us. We also use a lot of potted plants, ferns last years when looked after properly and give wonderful life to rooms. In winter and spring, we also use bulbs that grow and bloom over the months before being transferred to the beds outside.
