A new look in our lounge…
Last week, I was overjoyed to see our commissioned piece of art hanging on the wall at Titchwell Manor. I’ve always enjoyed assisting with the hotel’s interior design. I’m certainly no expert or professional designer, but with the help of my wife Lydia, we’ve managed to make the hotel look quite impressive.
The new painting on the lounge wall
I’ll tell you more about the piece of art in a moment, but as we were hanging this unique piece, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to give the entire room a refresh. The lounge at Titchwell Manor has had bold wallpaper for the past 10 years, and we felt it was time to move away from that and opt for a solid colour. Considering the hotel’s beautiful original features and high ceilings, we decided to be daring and choose a dark colour. Along with the recently reupholstered long Chesterfield sofa and a few other new furniture pieces, this transformation has given the room a more contemporary style. I’m genuinely pleased with the outcome.
If you’re curious, the paint we used is from a great local company called Fenwick and Tilbrook. We’ve been purchasing all of our paint from them for the past five or six years. They are a fantastic company that produces stunning paint. For the walls, we chose Marram Grass, and for the ceiling, we went with Wax Lyrical.
Celebratory drinks for the new painting
A closer look at Harry Cory Wright's painting
Back to the art work...
I mentioned it briefly in a previous post, but for the last seven months, we've been collaborating with local artist Harry Cory Wright to create a unique artwork for the main wall at the hotel. Harry is renowned for exploring our fundamental attraction to place, and the physical process of being in landscape. We always felt that the wall in the hotel's lounge needed a statement piece that could be inspired by the view opposite it. However, to be honest, we found it quite challenging to figure out where to begin.
Last year, we had the opportunity to visit Harry at his open studio in Burnham Market. We've always been huge admirers of his work, so it was fascinating to see his studio and hear about his creative process. During our visit, Harry mentioned that he would love to create a piece based on the view from our hotel. We were thrilled by his comment and determined to turn it into a reality.
So, I followed up on his offer, and a few weeks later, we met at the hotel to discuss our ideas openly. The main conclusion we reached was that it would be wonderful to create something over a period of time where we could both contribute. While Harry took charge of the actual artwork, we spent time together exploring the marshes and the beach, and we feel that we have influenced it in some way.
Harry Cory Wright, Eric Snaith and Lydia Snaith at Titchwell Beach.
Harry Cory Wright's studio in Burnham Market
Harry sketching elements of the surrounding landscape
A hidden gem...
We visited Harry several times during the creation process, and it was amazing to see it all come together. However, the true delight came when we finally saw it hanging on the wall. To celebrate this moment, we organised a small drinks party, and during a short speech, Harry surprised Lydia and I by revealing a secret. Hidden within the artwork are clues that lead to the location of a unique gold ring that Harry had crafted by a local jeweller.
You can find more details about this exciting twist from Harry himself in the video we recorded that evening. Keep an eye on our social media platforms as we will be releasing it soon.
It's a really fun idea that we hope will bring joy to many people.
Harry Cory Wright and Eric Snaith at Harry's open studio
Eric and Lydia with Harry at the painting's celebratory drinks
