Discreet heat and glare control for an elegant party venue

One of the most famous country manor hotels in the country, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons was the brainchild of celebrated chef Raymond Blanc OBE. Now owned by LVMH, the restaurant, still run by Blanc, received two Michelin stars in 1985, the first year of its opening, and has held them ever since.

La Belle Époque Conservatory and function room overlooking the 15th-century manor is described as “one of Oxford’s most lavish of small party venues”, with its private entrance and dining room, plus bar and glass doors that open on to the lawn and look over the walled garden.

Guthrie Douglas was asked to provide its expertise when the hotel called for reliable and consistent control over heat and glare levels that would neither impact the view during the day nor the ambience for evening events, which includes star gazing.

Grand Design Blinds decided to use specialist tensioned shading to overcome the lack of fixings across the roof and to ensure that the systems remained hidden, which was required by the client.

The TESS™ 140 system is popular for its discreet stainless steel wire guides and flexible brackets, which made it easy to design into the glazing surround, while the single barrel mechanism keeps the fabric constantly under tension, producing a smooth, quiet travel.

Guthrie Douglas’ engineers worked with the team at Grand Design Blinds to adapt the mechanism so that it fully integrated into the conservatory, designing and manufacturing a solution that would recess the system behind the plasterboard fascia, with minimal maintenance requirements.

The result is an elegant enhancement to an exquisite venue, which can be used all year round in comfort. The addition of the Guthrie Douglas blinds means it is simple to create the right internal environment for a wide range of events.