A Layered Retreat

Martin Hulbert Design breathes new life into Coworth Park’s secluded Dower House, blending rustic English heritage with refined contemporary charm

Close to Ascot and to Windsor Great Park, the five-star Coworth Park is the UK’s only hotel with its own polo fields and equestrian centre. It speaks volumes that this Dorchester Collection estate is known for being where Prince Harry chose to spend the night before his wedding.

In 2010 Martin Hulbert Design (MHD) masterminded the interiors of Coworth’s main hotel, the Mansion House, a Georgian stately home previously occupied by the Earls of Derby. The Dower House, nestling in a quiet glade among woods in the grounds, is an entirely different story: a lime-rendered 18th-century hall house, it is the sort of home that was built for prosperous yeomen farmers – the emerging middle classes. Now, MHB has reimagined this secluded dwelling, too, and the result is a relaxing and atmospheric interior that, while remaining highly Anglophile, has the feel of an individualistic family home.

There is a deliberate, layered approach to mixing old and modern, city and countryside. Hulbert achieves this by employing a muted, subtle palette with a range of tones that include sienna, butter yellow and light terracotta.

Using natural textiles such as mohair and linen throughout enhances the welcoming and home-like effect. In the hall, kitchen, study and drawing room, Hulbert embraced the humble ticking stripe (sourced from Kravet at GP & J Baker) in places, to emphasise vernacular tradition.

The master bedroom’s walls feature cinnamon-coloured ‘Oisin’ fabric by Holland & Sherry. Linens from Ireland and fabrics from MHD’s own collaborative collection with Zinc Textile (available from Romo) frame the four-poster.

With sustainability in mind, the team repurposed many antiques, along with the portraits that reinforce the impression of a family home. Hulbert says: “It’s not all of one moment, which makes guests feel as if there is some backstory here.” This was all realised with the help of studio partners Jay Grierson and Emma Webster, who co-managed the project.

“It’s not all of one moment, which makes guests feel as if there is some backstory here”

The relaxed calm of the bathrooms are set off by a wow moment in the shape of the striking, hand-made copper roll-top baths. These too are ‘re-hangs’, as it were. The opulent bathtubs are an MHB bespoke design, specific to the hotel and still going strong from 2010 (although relined).

There are some culturally eclectic accents, such as the bold orange chosen for the artisan printed ottoman fabric (‘Kalahari’, from de Le Cuona) in the master bedroom. Similarly, the second bedroom’s headboard employs Raoul’s distinctive ‘Tie Dye’ fabric, from Turnell & Gigon.

‘Twig’ table and wall lights by Vaughan not only echo the surrounding woodlands, but pick up a signature moment on arrival in the main hotel. Here, over 15 years ago, Hulbert installed a dramatic bronze cast of a real tree. It grows on, resplendent in the lobby: like Hulbert, it seems to have put down roots here.

Guests can choose to cosy up in the plush armchairs in the hall – Hulbert’s favourite part of the house under the clock tower – or cocoon in the private garden behind high hedges. In other words, the Dower House is as relaxed and comfortable as a family home – except with more charging points. “It’s not like the Dorchester [in London] but it still has a bit of a city feel,” says Hulbert.