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Hotel: Perception CFX delivers an ‘invisible’ finishing touch
The Project: Under the leadership of Chef Patron Alain Roux, The Waterside Inn is a three-Michelin-star restaurant with stunning guest rooms, located in Bray, Berkshire. Opened in 1972, the building has a unique heritage and long culinary history. Simple yet opulent, The Waterside Inn offers a riverside haven for guests to escape the stresses of normal life in a tranquil and comfortable setting. It has retained its coveted Michelin stars for over 30 years, with diners flocking to its picturesque setting to sample its delights and enjoy its hospitality.
The Brief: The Waterside Inn’s in-house designer, Laura Roux, and facilities manager, Shane Spiers, were overseeing the refurbishment of four of its unique guest rooms with en-suite bathrooms, all of which have their own distinct character, inspired by the Thameside setting.
Each room has been designed with comfort and luxury in mind, from quality beds and linens to elegant furniture and soft furnishings. The rooms’ names inform the style and theme of the décor: Le Nid Jaune, which translates as ‘yellow nest’, features elegant bird imagery and soft golden tones; La Tamise, meaning ‘Thames’, features beautiful blues and a stunning mural that nods to the riverside setting; La Terrasse is elegant with bold accents in a serene setting; and Le Jardinet, meaning ‘little garden’, has a fresh botanical theme with natural tones and beautiful textures.
The main challenge of the refurbishment was to harmonise it with the overall design and décor of the restaurant and the hotel environment. With guests staying for just one or two nights, each room must have impact and make an outstanding first impression. Each item had to earn its place in the finished design, with hand-picked fixtures and fittings adding memorable splashes and surprises to make each stay special.
Hamilton Litestat was recommended as the preferred supplier of stylish decorative wiring accessories by Stephen Hogg of Maidenhead-based H&H Electrical Contractors. A frequent specifier and installer of Hamilton’s solutions, he was confident in Hamilton’s ability to deliver quality products, while finding a suitable design and finish to perfectly match each room, and provide a cohesive theme throughout.
The Solution: Hamilton’s Perception CFX, a high-quality transparent design with concealed fixings, was chosen for the guest rooms. With snap-on clear front plates in a minimalist design, the solution allows for a section of the wallpaper design to be inserted so the plate discreetly blends with the interior décor.
“The beautiful Perception CFX clear plates enhance rather than detract from the impact and design of the spectacular wallpapers and paint treatments we’ve used in each room,” explains in-house designer Laura Roux. “We have carefully chosen outstanding designer wallpapers to make strong statements in each room and set the theme. This is why the choice of Perception CFX and Sheer CFX sockets have been so integral, since they do not detract or spoil the impact at all.”
In La Tamise, an incredibly immersive mural paper by Designers Guild, called ‘Giardino Segreto Scene’, adorns one of the walls depicting a stunning secret garden set against dramatic open skies in glorious yet calming blues. In Le Jardinet, the wallpaper evokes a botanical paradise with a bold yet elegant graphic floral design that is vivid and strong, yet subtle and restful. Le Nid Jaune is enhanced with exotic wallpaper depicting birds, flowers and leaves in soft golden tones and is Asian in style. La Terrasse adds contrast with a feature wall adorned with iridescent, silver textured wallpaper to reflect the light and create a sumptuous feel.
In each, Hamilton’s switches and sockets complement and enhance the room from both a design and function perspective, rather than detract from the breath-taking design scheme. In Tamise in particular, the wiring accessories allow the Ligne Roset ‘Sperl’ mirror, Catelan Italian ‘Nido’ dining table and ‘Pendant Light Vertigo’ lampshade from Petite Friture to be the stars of the show.
Additionally, from a functional point of view, Hamilton’s production flexibility meant that it was able to create bespoke plates tailored to The Waterside Inn’s exact requirements. Positioned at either bedside in all four rooms, eight Perception CFX single sockets with USB charging were created specifically for this project at Hamilton’s Bristol-based manufacturing facility. Hamilton also created ‘blank’ Perception CFX plates that could be adapted on-site to accommodate third-party temperature control sensors for the room’s heating, ensuring design continuity throughout the guest rooms.
“The plates are beautiful yet surprising since it is unlikely anyone would find them in a domestic setting,” adds Laura Roux. “Their transparency gives them a magical quality; they seem to disappear only to re-emerge when your hand or eye turns expectantly to find a switch or use a socket. The novel beauty of their designs transforms these functional, ubiquitous fixtures into works of art in their own right.”
Perception CFX has been complemented with Hamilton’s Sheer CFX design in a Bright Chrome finish, which has created accent switches and sockets to match other metalwork within the décor. The chrome finish matches seamlessly with the Samuel Heath door furniture, along with the chrome fixtures and fittings in the en-suite bathrooms, giving each a fresh and contemporary look.
To add intrigue and a playful touch, Toggle Switches were used throughout. They complement the tactility that has been brought into the rooms through fabrics and textures, adding another layer of interest, charm, and luxury to the guest experience.
The Result: Hamilton’s quality wiring accessories, developed and manufactured in the UK, complement the décor of each of the unique guest rooms at The Waterside Inn, while letting each individual scheme sing.
“We are delighted with our choice of Hamilton sockets and switches,” praises Laura Roux. “Their sleek, contemporary lines harmonise with each room’s design rather than obscuring or clashing with them. Importantly, the sockets are also easy to keep spotlessly clean with their light reflective qualities adding a new dimension.”
Facilities manager Shane Spiers adds: “Our experience of working with Hamilton has been incredibly positive. In particular, we appreciate the professionalism of our representative and the support we received. Service was proactive and our client contact was determined to secure the products we wanted at short notice and at a good price. We are delighted with the superb durability and quality of the products and they look fantastic in our rooms. We would not hesitate to recommend Hamilton or its products.”
Having selected Hamilton as a supplier, Stephen Hogg of H&H Electrical Contractors is pleased with the finished result: “The Waterside Inn is a stunning property, with every little detail considered throughout its restaurant and guest room accommodation. For me, Hamilton was the natural partner for the decorative wiring accessories. It has provided outstanding support on numerous projects, and its products always deliver in terms of quality, functionality, style, and ease of installation. The service is second-to-none, and Hamilton demonstrated this yet again by producing bespoke plates to meet with and exceed the requirements of The Waterside Inn.”
Products Installed:
Control Plates:
Perception CFX Collection – All mounted on Single Clear plates with Bright Chrome switches and White inserts.
Plates installed include:
PC T21 BC - 1 Gang 20AX 2-Way Toggle Switch
PC T22 BC - 2 Gang 20AX 2-Way Toggle Switch
PC T31 BC - 1 Gang 20AX Intermediate Toggle
PC SS1 BC-W - 1 Gang 13A Double Pole Switched Socket
MOD J45 C6W - 1 Gang RJ45 CAT6 Unshielded Outlet
PCBPS - Single Blank Plate for Third-Party Heat Sensor
Bespoke Control Plate:
PC SS1USB BC-W - 1 Gang 13A Double Pole Switched Socket with 2.4AUSB Outlet
Sheer CFX Collection – All mounted on Single/Double Bright Chrome plates with Bright Chrome switches and White inserts.
Plates installed include:
87C SS1 BC-W - 1 Gang 13A Double Pole Switched Socket
87C SS2 BC-W - 2 Gang 13A Double Pole Switched Socket
87C SHSW - Shaver Dual Voltage Unswitched Socket (Vertically Mounted)