Dorothée Meilichzon is renowned for designing playful hotels throughout Europe, from city spots like Grand Pigalle Hotel in Paris to seaside resorts like Montesol Experimental in Ibiza, but she had never tackled a rural property until she overhauled a 1695 estate in the Cotswolds.
Photography by Mr. Tripper.
Reminted as Cowley Manor Experimental, the newly-updated hotel is her take on an English countryside getaway—complete with modern influences. She incorporated the estate’s many past lives, including its role as the inspiration for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, into the aesthetic.
The key to Cowley Manor’s enchanting interiors is the centuries-old structure itself, which provided Dorothée with a character-filled canvas on which to layer her modern finishes and decor.
1. Pay homage to history.
2. Riff on a well-known trope.
Instead of the overdone circular hotel lobby sofa, Dorothée created an inviting seating area by arranging upholstered club chairs back to back.
Dorothée used an abundance of checkerboard for two reasons: It’s more graphic (and French) than the traditional U.K. tartan—and it subtly nods to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
3. Embrace checkerboard.
Though Dorothée employed blues and greens in most spaces, she avoided such cool colors in the restaurant, since they’re known to suppress the appetite. She applied a warm brown stain to the elaborate wood-paneled walls and added shades of red and pink for a welcoming, food-friendly atmosphere.
4. Go all in on warm tones.
Elsewhere, the cocktail bar, with its rust runner and smooth wood paneling, would be entirely mid-century in style if not for the cobalt enamel side tables that add Dorothée’s signature bold modernity.
5. Consider cobalt.
6. Upcycle existing furniture.
Each of the 36 guest rooms has its own look, but many of them include old wardrobes from the hotel’s previous iteration that Dorothée upcycled to suit her taste.
7. Bring back canopy beds.
To offset the high ceilings and excess square footage in the more cavernous guest rooms, Dorothée designed canopy—or baldaquin—beds with flowy curtains.
8. Add a statement headboard (even in small spaces).
The more compact guest rooms are outfitted with statement headboards—a calling card of Dorothée’s—which allow them to feel fully designed despite a lack of space for additional furniture.
Just because a fireplace no longer functions as a heat source doesn’t mean it can’t serve a purpose. Dorothée gave the existing mantels a monochromatic paint job, then adorned them with red and white square tiles for more checkerboard moments.
9. Check out a nonfuctioning fireplace.
To infuse the bathrooms with color, Dorothée specified countertops made of enameled lava stone from French volcanoes. We’re longtime fans of Dorothée’s playful, statement-making designs.
10. Try enameled lava stone.