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Opening a new hotel during a global pandemic may seem counterintuitive unless perhaps it has been conceived as “a next-generation escape hotel” that offers a tranquil getaway from the hectic lifestyle of urban living and constraints of modern life – and thus a chance to escape all the craziness. Such is the case with Birch, a new lifestyle hotel in Cheshunt, a 30 minute drive north of London that opened its doors in the summer, welcoming guests into a soulfully refurbished 18th century mansion that sits amid 55 acres of nature. Designed by London-based architecture and interiors practice Red Deer in collaboration with the hotel’s founders Chris King and Chris Penn, Birch is an ambitious project which aims to upend both the traditional hotel lifestyle and the concept of luxury hospitality, as well as blaze a sustainability trail in terms of construction and resource management. With a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities, a wellness centre and a number of laid-back bars and farm-to-table restaurants to boot, while Birch offers everything one needs to disconnect and decompress from the daily grind, what makes the project stand out is its kintsugi-inspired philosophy of celebrating the beauty of imperfections whose underlying effect, besides the cool aesthetics, is to free guests from modernity’s pressures of perfectionism. 
Photo by Adam Firman. 
Photo by Adam Firman. 
Photo by Adam Firman. Reception. Photo by Adam Firman. 
Photo by Adam Firman. Taking over the former De Vere Theobalds Estate hotel, Red Deer’s renovation of the Grade II-listed building – a grand, Georgian Mansion, built in 1763 in a beautiful estate that dates back to the 15th century – is underpinned by an almost archaeological reverence. Intervening only where it mattered, the architects set out to reuse and repair the existing building fabric and to strip back extraneous elements and unnecessary clutter in order to create thoughtful spaces. “We always try to take a light touch on the existing features and celebrate the existing building” as Ciarán O’Brien, co-founder of Red Deer explains. This approach was inspired by the resourcefulness of the past, where old estates used to manage their resources and land holistically, but it also speaks to the architects’ sustainable vision. Minimising waste, reducing emissions and using environmentally conscious, recycled and non-precious materials are key commitments for the practice. 
Photo by Adam Firman. Photo by Adam Firman. 
Photo by Adam Firman. 
Photo by Adam Firman. 
For this project, sustainability considerations have been fittingly combined with the Japanese craft of kintsugi, where broken pottery is visibly repaired using gold-dusted lacquer, and the related Buddhist notion of Mottainai, a Japanese term that conveys a sense of regret over waste. In practice, what this creative confluence of ideas entailed in O’Brien’s words was “treating both the breakage and repair [of the building] as part of the history of the place, rather than something to disguise”. A prime example of Red Deer’s kintsugi-inspired, sustainability-driven approach is the treatment of the floorboards in the previously carpeted reception area. Numbered in white paint during a previous renovation, the exposed floorboards where left intact, their numerical markings poetically turned into a decorative feature. Similar markings and scars are left visible throughout the mansion as reminders of the passage of time while meticulously refurbished elements such as decorative mouldings and boiserie panels celebrate the mansion’s architectural heritage. 
Photo by Adam Firman. 
Photo by Adam Firman. Photo by Adam Firman. 
Photo by Adam Firman. 
Photo by Adam Firman. "Lang" multi-purpose space. Photo by Adam Firman. Far from evoking a museum-like sensibility though, the renovated mansion feels and looks fresh not least because of Red Deer’s collaborative ethos which had local artists and craftspeople bought on-board to work on the int[/of the building] |
