Five star experience
Vicky Gibb spared no expense when she bought the village pub and turned it into Dewars, a fabulously decorated restaurant with rooms with a bar for locals, visitors and their dogs. Sharon Dale reports.
THAT the nation’s interest in interiors has grown exponentially over the last few years is an indisputable fact. Further fuelled by social media platforms including Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok, styling, restyling, decorating, redecorating and hunting down furniture and accessories has become a passion that spans all generations.
It has also had an impact on hospitality venues because expectations are now considerably higher when we pay to eat and/or stay somewhere.
That was at the forefront of Vicky Gibb’s mind when she bought the village pub in Kirby Misperton, which is close to the family’s main business Flamingo Land, the popular theme park, zoo and holiday resort near Malton.
Her motivation was fired by her late father who had always wanted to build a hotel to complement the thriving business he had built up, plus she didn’t want the village to lose one of its key hubs.
Vicky’s plan was to create Dewars, a first class restaurant and rooms with stand-out interiors while also retaining and upgrading the bar for use by locals, guests, visitors and their dogs.
She hired Malton-based architect Bramhall Blenkharn Leonard to help redesign the existing building and create more accommodation and amenities on the upper floor and at the rear.
The result is truly sensational and has exceeded all expectations thanks to Vicky’s vision, love of colour and her decision to hire a crack team that included Yorkshire-based interior designers Cussons and Storey, who specialise in interior architecture, lighting design, space planning, builds and decoration.
By the time Sara Cussons and Karen Storey arrived at the former pub, it was an empty shell that had got to the first fix stage of its new life.
Some further space planning was required and they worked with the architect to make some changes to the layout, which included creating a residents sitting room adjacent to the restaurant where guests can relax.
The brief from Vicky set Karen and Sara’s hearts alight. “Most people want to play safe with bland and neutral decor but Vicky wanted vibrant colours and texture and it’s very rare to find someone who is so brave. We were thrilled by that because it made the job so much more interesting,” says Sara.
Vicky was adamant that she did not want beige or grey and also insisted that every one of the 19 guest bedrooms was decorated differently and all had to have “wow factor”.
The thinking behind this is that those returning to stay won’t get bored by staying in an identikit room.
“It took a huge amount of time to design every bedroom differently but it was worthwhile,” says Karen.
The wallpaper and fabrics came from a range of first class companies including GP and J Baker, Zoffany, Nina Campbell and Mulberry while the wall covering in the reception area is by American based Phillip Jeffries.
There are many bespoke elements made by artisans, such as the beautiful staircase by Helmlsey-based Bisca, which is a work of art and is perfect for photo opportunities, while an antique mirror opposite adds more interest.
The upholstered chairs are by a Nottingham company who used different fabrics and piping to create diversity.
Much of the lighting in the rooms is by Pooky. “There is a lot of boring lighting out there but Pooky have been a delight to work with because they have such a great selection and their lamp designs are so much fun and you can interchange the bases and the shades,” says Sarah, who adds that the restaurant light was bespoke and made in Latvia.
The attention to design and detail extends to the loos on the ground floor, which are anything but bog standard.
“Vicky wanted them to be a highlight and also accessible and we had lots of fun with wallpaper by Timorous Beasties in the ladies loos and Cole and Son’s enchanted forest wallpaper in the mens,” says Karen.
Along with bedrooms in the main body of Dewars, there is accommodation in the grounds at the rear, which also boast a swimming pool and bespoke circular sauna made by Hirac, one of the joiners on the team.
“Each room is individual and we have used a lot of Designers Guild papers and fabrics in those,” says Karen.
Accessibility for those with disabilities was also key and there is a ground floor