Interiors in association with Oliver Redfern Design
There has been an inn on the site of the White Horse since the 13th century. This interior design needed to establish coherence through the many periods and styles of the building's fabric, while working within the constraints which come with Listed status.
The Inn’s buildings had been extended organically throughout the long era of horse-drawn coach travel – in its heyday Charles Dickens wrote parts of ‘The Pickwick Papers’ while staying here. Some rooms had modest proportions and opportunities to open these out were limited by the Listing conditions. In such areas, like the Bar, we instead leaned into their existing ‘snug’ character, creating a richly hued retreat with charcoal stained timbers and walls.
A day cafe and bakery shop accessed from Dorking’s main high street were designed to raise the local profile of the hotel and of the Restaurant within. With no windows except an overhead skylight, that Restaurant space presented specific challenges.
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