Images Ⓒ Green Circle Bespoke Glazing www.greencirclewindows.com
“Set in the spectacular Devon countryside, the Horn of Plenty Hotel and Restaurant offers an ideal getaway or wedding venue.”
This project was slightly different to our usual luxury house fit-outs. However, it was no less exciting working on the modern extension to the somewhat famous Horn of Plenty Hotel, to give them increased restaurant capacity and giving them an even better dining area for brides and grooms to enjoy this romantic, Devonshire wedding venue!
Visit their website here: https://www.thehornofplenty.co.uk/
The Challenges
The clients, owners of the hotel and restaurant, came to us in search of a supplier and installer that could work around them and their guests to complete the glazing in their new restaurant extension, whilst minimising interruption to the guests already staying in the hotel. It was very important that we did not cause major disruption, as their visitors would be enjoying a peaceful retreat and would not appreciate being disturbed by tradesmen.
Furthermore, the clients needed to find ways to ventilate the area without having to constantly open up the main opening elevation. This was crucial as they needed to be able to maintain a comfortable temperature for clients on those days when it was perhaps hot, but breezy. They knew that opening doors right up would not be an option some days, as it would mean that guests could be disturbed during the dining experience as a result of windy weather conditions.
The clients also wanted to find a way to have this elevation opened right up to link the terraced balcony area and the indoor facility, to allow for alfresco dining in the summer months when the temperatures were warmer. The problem here was they didn’t know what solution would be best – bi-folds or sliders?
The Solutions
Our flexible, friendly team was happy to accommodate the clients’ needs and complete the work in a timely fashion, in accordance with their schedule restrictions.
We found an optimal solution for their ventilation problem with our Premium Parallel Window system. This allowed them to push out the window for a full all-round airflow, or restrict airflow when it was slightly cooler by leaving it on the night latch position. The Premium Parallel Window system was beneficial as it meant they could have large panes of glass on either end of the restaurant area, allowing guests to look out over the luxury grounds of the property without any bars to interrupt their view.
In order to not compromise the outside design, we fitted the windows so that the maximum opening position would make them flush with the exterior finish of the building, allowing for beautiful lines both inside and out!
We invited the clients into the showroom and were able to show the benefits and drawbacks of both the sliding and bi-fold systems. The clients were shown that whilst a bi-fold does give you a larger opening, you do have a stack of doors at one end of the opening which was going to cause an issue for them, as it would interrupt both table space and walking areas. Realising this, the clients opted for our Premium Plus Sliding Doors as this allowed them to effortlessly link the two areas whilst keeping the doors out of the way of guests. Another benefit of the sliding door in this circumstance was that they were really easy to operate and glided seamlessly in their tracks. This meant that elderly visitors and those less able would be able to operate the doors without a problem.
The Results
This area has been transformed and now serves as an exciting and useful area of additional space for the restaurant. Guests enjoy visiting the property and are able to enjoy the views of the Devon countryside, be it with the doors wide open letting nature in, or behind them protected from the gusts and gales that the Devon weather so often throws at us!
Make sure you check out our video on this project, as this shows you exactly how our products help transform this space for them…