London studio RPW Design have unveiled details of their extensive refurbishment of the five-star Fairmont St Andrews, which will include a 60m (197ft) long ceiling sculpture in the atrium.
Situated on a 520-acre estate on the east coast of Scotland, the luxury resort offers panoramic cliff-top views of the North Sea. It is famous for its two championship golf courses, The Torrance and The Kittocks, and for hosting important political gatherings such as the Northern Ireland peace talks and a G20 Summit.
RPW are revamping the resort's guest rooms and public areas and adding a new restaurant as part of a wider £17m (US$25m, €22m) redevelopment. Speaking to
CLAD in February, RPW managing director Ariane Steinbeck said the Fairmont project aims to relate the interiors to the exterior landscape and history of St Andrews,
and that “a sense of individuality should be the designer's goal.”As such, sculptures of stag heads will line the walls; avant garde velvet wall hangings will be textured to replicate the hilly local landscapes; upholstery fabrics and leathers will evoke local craftsmanship; and timber, copper and rope materials will be used to reference the resort's surrounding old fishing villages.
The new centrepiece sculpture, called Zephyr, is a swirling ceiling installation that sweeps through the atrium, imitating the movement of the water in the North Sea. Its creator, artist George Sinclair, said it is designed “to reflect the crashing waves, the flocks of starlings, the long wind-blown grasses, the spring blossom, the shoals of fish, the rolling hills, the clouds and the sheer energy, beauty, and dynamism of the east coast of Scotland.”
Public areas, including a new gold and green bar and restaurant will be completed by July 2016, while bedrooms and suites will be finished by May 2017.
Elizabeth Lane, director of projects, said: “It is a wonderful opportunity to be part of the revival of this hotel property which simply has a breath-taking location which we have made a focal point in the renovation.”
A new spa complex has also recently been completed for the Fairmont, offering locally-themed massages, facial and relaxation therapies and exclusive Aromatherapy Associates treatments in 12 treatment rooms.
