In an era where hotel walls are often designed for the ‘gram, it is a question worth asking \u2014 when did art become wallpaper?<\/p>\n
At The Roseate Reading, we would like to think we offer a different answer, perhaps one that begins not with decoration, but with intention. Because art, at its best, cannot just be something to glance at on the way to breakfast, but something that lingers;that tells you a little more about where you are \u2014 and perhaps, who you are.<\/p>\n
With hotel lobbies in many places becoming perfect galleries of symmetry-increasing number of hallways favouring wall-sized prints designed to match the furniture- and in this context, art risks becoming what it was never meant to be \u2014 background noise.<\/p>\n
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Resisting the generic, chasing the luxurious hospitality we seek to offer you, our art pieces have to enrich your experience at The Roseate Reading. Our commitment to art is not just aesthetic; but philosophical with each piece here not just placed, but chosen with care. It carries a story, a hand, a sense of time and place. It\u2019s art that meets you with presence \u2014 and invites a response.<\/p>\n
Bringing to You An Atmosphere With Soul<\/strong><\/p>\n Ambience is the silent thread running through great hospitality beginning with a warm welcome, growing with conversation and deepening with the unexpected \u2014 a sculpture that makes you pause, a painting that brings a memory forward.<\/p>\n Our collection has been curated to shape this ambience \u2014 quietly, thoughtfully, and without pretence. It draws from artists whose work goes beyond surface beauty, offering something lasting, something to return to in the mind.<\/p>\n Septimus Warwick \u2013 Architectural Legacy Warwick\u2019s imprint on history can be traced back to landmarks such as Lambeth Town Hall and the iconic buildings of Brixton Hill. Warwick\u2019s architectural vision has influenced not just the space we inhabit today but has helped shape the character of The Roseate Reading itself. His work brings forward the timeless elegance of early 20th-century British design, while seamlessly integrating heritage and grandeur with modern sensibilities.<\/p>\n Nicholas Hollinshead \u2013 Interior Visionary Paul Ambille \u2013 The Soul of Movement His horses are not static images but fluid, almost breathing. It\u2019s fitting that guests often describe feeling transported in these rooms \u2014 Ambille\u2019s art makes motion feel eternal.<\/p>\n Isabelle de Ganay \u2013 Impressionism Reimagined Painting en plein air<\/em>, she stunningly captures the quiet tension between nature and perception. Hung in our rooms, her works don\u2019t just depict landscapes \u2014 they distill <\/em>them. The colour shifts of the English sky or French countryside seem to mirror guests\u2019 moods. The longer you look, the more you see.<\/p>\n Simon Allen \u2013 Sculpture That Reflects Light and Thought Inspired by the Cornish landscape, Allen carves wood to echo the rhythm of waves, the patterns of wind, and the continuity of tides. While there is undoubtedly serenity in these pieces, but also quiet intensity. They reflect light \u2014 and invite reflection.<\/p>\n Claire Norrington \u2013 The Grace of Wild Things Her \u201cWild Deer Leaping,\u201d a dramatic, twelve-foot piece, embodies this perfectly. Though it stands still, it moves; it is cast in bronze, but feels delicate. This tension of strength and grace \u2014 runs through all her work, placed throughout our bedrooms.<\/p>\n Alain Bonnefoit \u2013 The Art of Sensual Simplicity Bonnefoit once said eroticism is not an image, but a state of mind. It\u2019s this nuance \u2014 of desire without display \u2014 that lends his work its rare, timeless elegance.<\/p>\nArtists of The Roseate <\/strong><\/h5>\n
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\nIn the spirit of our architectural heritage, we begin with the work of Septimus Warwick, the British architect behind the design of The Forbury Hotel.<\/p>\n
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\nNicholas Hollinshead is the creative force behind the interior design of The Roseate Reading. With over 40 years in the hospitality industry, Nicholas\u2019s journey from hotel operations to interior design has infused the hotel with a unique blend of refinement and personal touch. Having established his design practice, NH Interiors, Nicholas brings a wealth of experience specializing in independently owned boutique hotels. His design philosophy prioritises individuality and creates an environment where guests feel more than just visitors \u2014 they feel like they belong. The interior of The Roseate is an extension of Nicholas\u2019s dedication to blending function with artistry, ensuring that every space tells a story and invites engagement.<\/p>\n
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In the quiet of our bedrooms, guests are met with the dynamism of Paul Ambille\u2019s equine paintings. A former president of the French Artists’ Society and winner of the Grand Prix de Rome for painting, Ambille brought vitality to every canvas. His time at Villa Medici, under the patronage of the French Ministry of Culture, allowed him to paint without interruption \u2014 and that freedom of spirit is felt in each brushstroke.<\/p>\n
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\nBorn in Rouen, the heartland of Impressionism, Isabelle de Ganay is more than a painter and part of an impressive lineage. Her great-grandmother, Countess Martine de B\u00e9hague, was a famed patron of the arts, owning works by da Vinci and Monet. That spirit of stewardship continues in de Ganay\u2019s canvases.<\/p>\n
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\nSimon Allen\u2019s sculptural wall reliefs \u2014 seen in the lounge and library \u2014 are a meditation on texture, movement, and light. Establishing us firmly amongst the coveted list of luxury hotels with lobbies as galleries in the UK, <\/strong>his artworks gilded in white gold and silver leaf, they shimmer like water, but beyond their beauty lies a meticulous craft: of techniques dating back over 4,000 years, preserved and reimagined by hand.<\/p>\n
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\nBronze may be heavy, but Claire Norrington\u2019s animal sculptures feel almost airborne. From her early drawings of animals on Essex farmland to her large-scale commissioned works, Norrington has always pursued a kind of emotional anatomy \u2014 capturing what makes a creature not just real, but alive.<\/p>\n
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\nKnown as the \u201cPainter of Venus,\u201d Alain Bonnefoit approaches the nude with reverence. His works are not about voyeurism but celebration \u2014 of femininity, form, and emotion. Hung in our rooms, they offer guests a moment of quiet contemplation: a study of curves, shadows, softness.<\/p>\n