How to work Modern Victorian - The George Hotel

British interior design studio Faber created a Victorian influenced scheme for the newly renovated George Hotel in Cambridgeshire, contemporary luxury inspired by a bygone era. The new owner Roberta Goody had strong ties to the building and a huge appreciation of the grade II listed features that make up the interior spaces of this old coaching house. Amidst the backdrop of lockdowns and restrictions, the design brief called for escapism, transporting guests to another time and place.

Photography by James McDonald

Narrative is at the heart of the concept. In envisioning the hotel, we wrote a story; a love affair, set amongst the atmosphere of Victorian England, between George and Mary. Their journey through life is woven through the fabric of the space; George with his love of travel and engineering; Mary with her love of botanical studies and writing. Each space has its own point of reference in the story; the bar, a gentlemans club with patent illustrations and deep leather bench seats; the orangery, a botanical garden room; the restaurant reflects their travels, with colonial inspired rattan panelling, tropical planting and fossils; and the reception area, the study with a leather lined writing desk and oversized family portraits.