Interview —
For the love of design Interior designer Jill Higgins chats about going behind-the-scenes at Fowey Hall and Moonfleet Manor during two impressively distinctive architectural projects Words | Jessica Way
T
HE REFURBISHMENT OF a 19th-century, Grade-II-listed Victorian coastal manor house, and 18th-century grand Georgian countryside mansion with families in mind – where did you begin? "We first asked ourselves: how do we create something comfortable but also luxurious and robust enough to stand the wear of a hotel environment, coastal locations, muddy boots, children, dogs and more. Our approach to designing the ‘family friendly’ spaces at Luxury Family Hotels evoked a few key principles. Firstly, family friendly does not mean we are designing for children. We are designing for
adults who would like somewhere stylish but want to feel relaxed and confident that their children are welcome - and that it doesn’t matter if they throw baked beans on the floor. Secondly, I would say that children are more sophisticated and design aware than ever before. They enjoy grown-up experiences – and love the ‘mini me’ idea. It is the idea of that inner sense of fun and nostalgia rooted in our childhood which we have aimed to tap into with the brand positioning and design for Luxury Family Hotels. This in turn encourages interaction between different generations, building upon the brand positioning of
luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk
33
