Case study, boutique hotel
Interior design for a new 24-bedroom extension at a four star hotel, delivered alongside the architects across two Deluxe Suites, four Suites and several Executive Rooms.
Project overview
Lea Marston Hotel is a four star independent hotel set in the Warwickshire countryside, within easy reach of Birmingham. The hotel brought in Ilze Reinke Interiors to design the interiors for its newly added 24-bedroom extension, working alongside the architects from the outset.
A new extension is a particular kind of project. The interior designer joins while the building is still taking shape, which means the way a room will feel is decided at the same time as how it is built. Ilze worked with the architects so that the design was considered from the ground up rather than applied at the end.
The result was a set of interiors intended to be both stylish and genuinely functional, ready for guests from day one and easy for the hotel to run.
The extension delivered three distinct room categories, from Executive Rooms through to the most generous Deluxe Suites, each designed to give guests a luxurious and personal experience.
Lea Marston is one of two boutique hotels Ilze names in her portfolio, alongside Ellenborough Park in Cheltenham. Both are shared with the client’s permission.
Location and project type
The hotel sits in the countryside near Lea Marston and Sutton Coldfield, with quick access to Birmingham and the motorway network. That mix of a rural setting and a well connected location is a large part of its appeal to both leisure and business guests.
Designing a 24-bedroom hotel extension is a substantial hospitality brief. It calls for a scheme that reads as considered and individual to guests, yet is robust, consistent and practical for a hotel to operate every day.
The brief
The hotel asked Ilze to transform its new 24-bedroom extension into interiors that were not only stylish but also functional, with each room thoughtfully designed to offer a luxurious, personalised experience for guests.
In hospitality, style without function does not survive contact with real guests, and function without style does not earn the room rate. The brief here was to hold both. Working from the architectural plans, Ilze designed rooms that look and feel considered, while standing up to the daily reality of a busy hotel: quick turnarounds, heavy use, and the need to look immaculate for the next arrival.
The scope
The new wing was designed across three tiers, each with its own level of space and finish.
| Room category | Rooms | Designed for |
|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Suites | 2 | The most generous rooms in the extension, for guests who want space and the highest level of finish. |
| Suites | 4 | Larger rooms with a distinct sitting area and an elevated specification. |
| Executive Rooms | Several | Comfortable, well appointed guest rooms that carry the same considered feel through the wing. |
Design approach
Alongside the architects. Joining early meant the interiors and the architecture were resolved together, so proportion, light and layout worked with the design rather than against it. It is the most efficient way to get a new build right.
Tiered, not repeated. Three room categories were given three clear levels of space and finish, so a Deluxe Suite feels like a genuine step up while the whole wing still reads as one coherent scheme.
Built for guests and for the hotel. Every choice had to serve two masters, the guest who wants a beautiful, personal room and the hotel that needs it to be durable and easy to maintain. That discipline is where hospitality experience earns its place.
Value where it counts. Budget is directed with care, so the spend lands where guests feel it most, and not where they will never notice.
Services delivered
The full interior scheme for the new 24-bedroom wing, developed from the architectural plans.
Working alongside the project architects so the interiors and the building were resolved together.
Distinct schemes for the Deluxe Suites, Suites and Executive Rooms, each pitched to its tier.
Finishes and furnishings chosen to look considered and to withstand daily hotel use.
What this shows
A 24-bedroom extension is not a single room. It is a coordinated programme, delivered with architects, across multiple room types, to a budget, for a hotel that has to open and trade. Handling that from the plans through to finished, guest ready rooms is evidence of a studio that can carry real scale and complexity.
For a hotel, that is the reassurance you want before handing over a wing. For a private client, it says the same eye that coordinates a hotel extension will bring order and calm to a full home. The scale differs, the standard does not.
Begin
Planning a hotel refurbishment, an extension, or a full home. A short private discovery call is the simplest place to start. Tell Ilze about the property and the result you want.
Prefer to message? WhatsApp or email ilze@ilzereinkeinteriors.com
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