I feel that so many small small hotels have boutique hotel aspirations. Similar to the concept of eclectic design, some people think you can throw some vaguely bohemian things together and call it a design. We stayed recently at 51 Great Pulteney Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel in Bath England, which is worthy of the name. Having stayed at many so-called boutique hotels, we were not expecting much from No 15 Great Pulteney Street other than a nice hotel in a good location. The design touches, however, elevated our stay beyond the ordinary which is what a true boutique hotel should do.
Eclectic collections unify the theme: Where will your curiosity take you
The design for this Bath boutique hotel was created by Mytton Williams around the theme “luxury for the curious.” In so many ways, this hotel reminded me of an old-fashioned cabinet of curiosities. Only at 51 Great Pulteney, the entire hotel is a cabinet of curiosities. Collections of things capture your interest as you wander around the hotel. These displays are the small touches that add personality to the place and pique your curiosity. Careful curation of the displays saves the hotel from looking like your crazy Great Aunt Edna’s house.
Some of the displays of collectibles (clockwise from top) – table with jewellery under a prospex top, collectibles in the hallways, framed keys making a design
Let’s check out the decor, shall we? These elements are the design touches which caught my eye.
Original Art
Lauren Sagar, an artist from Manchester, created this stunning chandelier that hangs in front of reception.
A chandelier created from lost jewellery including single earrings.
A side light likewise created with jewellery adornments.
close up of the jewellery on the side lights
The original artwork is located al over the hotel.
Pantone codes in Perspex
A mixture of modern art and traditional design.
Quirky Collections
The collections are what you would find in ordinary antique stores or flea markets. Nothing really elevates them out of the ordinary other than their curation and display.
A pharmacy cabinet holds a collection of old bottles.
A display of antique evening bags.
Lighted shelves hold display shelves.
Having the colours all tone together helps keep the disparate collection together.
Interior Decor
My daughter loved the trompe l’ceil canopies over the bed. I promised her I would try something similar with her new room whenever we get around to decorating it.
The fake canopy is a charming touch.
The lighting behind the headboard was a LED ribbon tape light strip which gave a soft glow and helped the 3D effect of the trompe l’oeil canopy.
The lighting behind the bed.
Interestingly, the walls were a mishmash of plastered walls and wallpaper. In fact, I’m not sure it was wallpaper but instead lining paper which is used by lazy decorators over plastered walls in order to get walls smooth with less work. At 51 Great Pulteney though, the design is purposeful because even the plaster is slightly textured.
Thanks to the colours used though, the components all blend together seamlessly to produce a shabby-chic contemporary effect.
The lighting shows off the contrast between the trompe l’oeil, the wallpaper and the plaster walls.
You can see the bare plaster walls more clearly here. This dollhouse was converted to hold the tea and coffee set for our room.
The style around the hotels varies by room. It takes an expert eye to pull them all together.
Comfy leather couch and a fireplace is always a winning combination.
A seafoam green rollmop bath because when you are in Bath you really have to take a bath.
You know how they say you can be quirkily different in the downstairs loo/powder room because it is a small room? Unleash your creativity and all that. Although the hotel toilets on the ground floor was not set in a small room, let me tell you the creativity was overflowing.
Dramatic wallpaper and wall sconces in the downstairs powder room.
Old perfume bottles add elegance and flair.
Perfume bottles you would not otherwise notice become special in this background.
I also loved the liberal use of chandeliers throughout the hotel. They were all different and unique in their own way.
The chandelier in the downstairs loo is more traditional but striking in its length.
The chandelier with the lost jewellery at the front reception.
No 15 Great Pulteney Street is a boutique hotel in Bath England of local hoteliers, Ian and Christa Taylor. The building is three Grade-I listed buildings knocked together on Great Pulteney Street, a main thoroughfare in Bath.
This hotel was newly opened in the winter of 2016. When we visited in January 2016, two of the buildings were finished and work was still underway in one building. I’ll be curious to see what the whole place looks like when it is finally finished.
We drove to No 15 Great Pulteney Street because we were also exploring the countryside. You could get there by train as well.
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Wondering where to stay in Bath, England? Check out this post where I revela you
favorite hotel in Bath. This luxury boutique hotel will conquer you with its quirky and
design touches, which kids absolutely love, and it’s the perfect choice for a weekend in
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