The Brief
For interior designer Stephanie Dunning of Dunning & Everard, the brief for two new floors at Hampshire vineyard Exton Park’s new event space included the creation of a dining room to seat 20, a bar for a chef’s dining table, a kitchen to cater for 50, a club room that can double as a boardroom for 30 as a place to relax, chat and watch television, a boardroom for 12 with a bar to double as a place for cocktails and gathering, a mezzanine bar where guests can meet and have coffee or to chill out after dinner and an office for the team to work from with their own kitchen and chill-out space. “The lower ground floor had to be brought up to the level of the new floors and the old barrel room was given a specific purpose. The great hall also had to be a place to wow, as this is the first view visitors have of the building.”
The Project
For the stone and tiling, Stephanie chose a varied selection of our products throughout. “In the great hall we used Vieux Bourgogne Limestone in an Ancient finish,” explains Stephanie.
Each and every space has been given a grand, luxurious look befitting of its elegantly exquisite surroundings. “We chose Artisans firstly because they have a good range of stone and tiles,” adds Stephanie, “and secondly because they are great to work with, as they are efficient and jolly, which is really important to us. I also appreciate that nothing is too much trouble. We had quite a complicated bronze logo to insert into one of the floor tiles and I knew Artisans could do that. We also needed stylish but non-slip tiles for the floor in the dining room, which had to work alongside the dining area herringbone wooden floor.
“Our inspiration was ‘outside in’. The views from the building, Exton Hall, are exceptional, which rival any French vineyard. We wanted to bring the colours of the surrounding vineyard into the building and make sure everything was as natural and sustainable a product as possible. We used wool, wood, bronze and horsehair and Artisans were great at understanding our need to make the Great Hall floor stunning but also robust. The interiors are really contemporary as we do not have any skirting or architraves. The floor offers a nod to France and yet its stunning patina gives the building depth without making it a massive feature. Everything has to work together.”
