Case Studies
bar hospitality furniture with wenge timber legs

The Seven Hotel, Southend-on-Sea

The Seven Hotel Southend-on-Sea has undergone a £4 million investment, turning what was previously a care home into a luxurious boutique hotel.

The Venue

Raymond House Care Home had been acquired and operated by our client since 2013 and was redeveloped with the plan to cater to the lack of luxury and boutique hotels in the area. With local amenities such as Southend’s international airport and close links to London and the coast, the owners saw an opportunity and grasped it. Their goal was clear from the start - an affordable luxury hotel with a ‘London feel’ with views over the estuary and historical town.

Overview and Scope

The 37-bedroom care home retained the same number of hotel guest bedrooms with some being renovated into family rooms and suites. The ground floor was renovated into a bar and a 70-cover restaurant with an award-winning chef producing dished focusing on local produce.

Lugo worked closely alongside Tibbatts Abel, an acclaimed hospitality interior design company to supply the hotel furnishings. From the estuary facing suites to the bar stocking over 70 types of gin, the hotel furniture was carefully selected to reflect the opulent ambience.

The Contract Furniture Supply Brief

The client had specified that they wanted a luxury scheme that also reflected their close location to the Thames Estuary. Therefore, a colour scheme of calming seafoam greens, rich metallics and deep walnuts were used.

Design

The relaxing colours were prominent in the guest bedrooms where colours followed schemes of white, teal, jade and duck egg blue. Hues of blue and green were also visible in the desk chairs and soft furnishings within the bedrooms. In the larger suites, there was a focus on using a neutral colour palette with accents of gold and brass which gave an elegant feel to the rooms.

Hotel Furnishings Supplied

Lugo supplied all of the loose contract furniture for the Seven Hotel Southend refurbishment and worked closely with the designers Tibbatts Abel and the owners to create stunning yet practical furniture solutions to meet the client’s design brief.

Lugo’s Brizio tub chair was supplied for the hotels entrance way in velvet from Kirby Design aptly named ‘Soft Jade’ and framed with contrasting black piping to accentuate the sleek lines of the chair. A dark walnut stain was used on the classic tapered legs. This dark walnut wood unified many pieces of contract furniture supplied throughout the hotel for continuity.

Seven Hotel Lobby

Moving on from the reception lobby into the lounge and bar areas, the colour scheme continued with soft colours and opulent finishes. Welcoming high back lounge chairs were upholstered in Clarke and Clarke Marine, a soft touch velvet in warm blue.

Restaurant

The restaurant had a sultry atmosphere due to the purple uplighting and use of brass and copper tones.

Three different contract dining chairs were used in the Seven Hotel’s Arum restaurant. The curved backrest of the Nerina restaurant chair envelops the occupant making it an ideal choice for guests to dine comfortably. The chair was upholstered in a light seafoam green velvet from Kobe’s Teatro fabric collection and framed with a sleek black piping detail.

Both the Sandra armchair and dining chairs were supplied in the restaurant area. The dining chair’s seat pad and back were upholstered in Sunbury’s Nappa Aquaclean in smoke. This durable upholstery is an easy to clean faux leather, perfect for a restaurant environment. The tub chair was cleverly upholstered in two complimenting fabrics. An almost silver-grey Arkona Velvet from Harlequin Fabric was chosen for the curved backrest which had an intricate embossed pattern. The seat pad was upholstered in Crest's leather Vele in Jade Green, in keeping with the green toned schemed. All restaurant chair legs were stained with dark walnut, in keeping with all the loose hotel furniture pieces elsewhere.

A mix of square and rectangular restaurant dining tables were used throughout and topped with either a Carrera marble alternative or inset blackened glass and edged with a brushed brass profile. The shine provided by the inset glass acted as a mirror, reflecting the lighting from all directions adding extra ambience.

Seven Hotel restaurant – open view

Bar and Lounge

Elements of the restaurant furniture were pulled through into the bar and lounge areas where the Kemi ottomans supplied were upholstered in the same velvet as the Sandra armchairs backrests and a base metal framework was specified in brushed matte brass.

A combination of high and low-level seating was used within these areas. The striking Ariel bar stool was used in both the bar and private dining areas. Its structured back allows guests to sit comfortably whilst enjoying a cocktail. The seat back was upholstered in Clarke and Clarke Beauvoir Indigo whilst the seat pad was complimentarily clad in Crest leather in Delft Blue. The shapely Florence bar stool in contrast to the angular Ariel bar stool was also used in these areas and the look was completed with impressive brass slip cups.

Seven Hotel Lounge

Function Room

The private dining room also serves as a function room for those who wish for a more intimate dining setting. The focal point of the room is a rich hardwood timber top conference table with inset brushed brass inlay detail and a brass underframe. The grand table is ideal for a more secluded event for upwards of 10 guests. Comfortable restaurant dining chairs were specified in Kobe Monza 25 to suit the room's grey and gold aesthetic and finished off with white piped edging and matching back button detail. The armless detail of these restaurant chairs not only allows more of them to be placed around the table but allows guests to feel more inclusive.

Seven Hotel function room

Hotel Furniture Installation

Lugo had to overcome a number of challenges during the project. A familiar problem faced was one surrounding the furniture specified. Due to budget constraints, Lugo had to value engineer some aspects of the furniture designs agreed - to provide alternatives which met the design brief and high-quality standards whilst adhering to the allocated budget. By working with the client and Tibbatts Abel’s interior design team, Lugo was able to provide alternative contract furniture that met both the client’s expectations and their budget.

Communication was key during the installation process as many different trades were on site at the same time. Lugo communicated with other trades to establish their schedule and plans so they could work together efficiently and not become a hindrance to one another.

A major constraint for many of the onsite teams, including Lugo, was the delay in the installation of the Seven Hotel’s lift. As it was not installed until near the end of the project, much of the contract furniture, decor and casegoods had to be manually carried up flights of stairs with care to the guest bedrooms. Despite this, the project was completed to a standard Lugo are very proud of.

Seven Hotel Reception Desk

The Seven Hotel Southend opened to excited guests and fantastic reviews not only for the interior design and furniture, but also the high levels of customer service. If you’re inspired by this project, contact us today to enquire about contract furniture for your establishment.

 

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