What we did

  • Interior Design
  • Public Area Shopfit
  • Lighting Design
  • Interior Architecture
  • Furniture Design
  • FF&E Specification
  • Bedroom Casegoods
Client

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Completed

July 2018

Main Contractor

Thomas Johnstone Ltd

Architect

JM Architects

Project Manager

Mace Group

Description

Owned and operated by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Ten Hill Place Hotel puts profits back into advancing surgical standards worldwide to improve patient outcomes.

With 77 existing bedrooms and fairly small public areas, the RCSEd team planned to undertake the £8.5m expansion of this four-star hotel, knocking through into an adjoining building. The expansion would create 52 new rooms and increase the public areas, all with the aim of increasing the contributions which improve the lives of surgical patients around the world.

Our successful pitch saw Occa Design appointed alongside JM Architects, The Mace Group, Rybka and The David Adamson Group to form the design team chosen to deliver the project.

The client brief was to create an interior concept with a strong and relevant local identity which would appeal to tourists, conference guests and also offer relaxation and respite to the Surgeons and other medical personnel who use the hotel. Turning away from the obvious medical associations, our research found that both the hotel and the college are situated on a site, now known as the Surgeons Quarter, which was established as a riding school in 1764, operating as such until 1828, with the Surgeons Hall Museum opening on the site from 1832. Historical maps confirmed this and with this equestrian story creating associations with an appealing level of luxury and elegance our direction was enthusiastically received by the RCSEd and hotel teams.

Our materials palette references equestrian associations throughout reinterpreting the obvious to create to a refined scheme perfect for an elegant contemporary hotel, from the black metalwork to the exposed stonework, to the rich leather upholstery and aged timber floors. Buckle details, saddle shapes, diamondback quilting and stable doors have all influenced the furniture selection and design, creating interiors which are subtle, understated and beautiful.

The rich story behind the interiors of Ten Hill Place Hotel has created stunning spaces which are stylish, inviting and relaxing, unique to the hotel and with a strong local relevance.

Love contemporary hotel design? See our East London Hotel project here