Published on: March 21, 2010

Lighting designer Bruce Munro sent us one of his latest projects. Hotel Grosvenor is located in the heart of a historic Saxon town in Shaftesbury, UK.

Here is more info from Bruce Munro:

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Lighting designer Bruce Munro announces the completion of a project to light the common parts at the new Hotel Grosvenor, Shaftesbury, Dorset.

Munro designed and made spectacular bespoke chandeliers, wall panels,  and illuminated sculptures for recesses as well as garden lighting.  He also placed general lighting to maintain the light levels throughout.

“I wanted the hotel to have a wow-factor” says the owner Charlie Barkshire “It needed to be chic, moody, and Londonesque, especially in the bar. I realised the lighting was vitally important, so I called Bruce Munro.” he says.

The boutique hotel had a soft opening on December 4th 2009. It overlooks the main street in the heart of the historic town – a listed building that has been a coaching inn for hundreds of years. It has been given a totally new lease of life, and renamed after the eighteenth century Duke of Westminster who elegantly remodelled in classic Georgian style for his use when hunting in the Blackmore Vale.

The new interior offers high quality contemporary design in 16 bedrooms,  including Cecil Beaton fabrics by Beaudesert in recognition of Beaton’s connections with the area.  A 40ft ballroom, drawing room, courtyard terrace, bar, and Greenhouse Restaurant with Michelin starred chef Mark Treasure are the common parts where Munro’s lighting now plays such a pivotal role.

In the downstairs bar, Munro’s ten glamorous ‘Tear Drop Cluster’ bespoke chandeliers provide a stunning explosion of light. They are fibre optic chandeliers, illuminated by two remote low-energy 12 volt halogen projectors using only 100W.

More discrete, but no less captivating, are Munro’s ‘Illuminated Shelves’,  specially designed and made for two mirrored recesses either side of the fireplace in a corner of the bar. They feature 72 dimmable porcelain candles of varying heights and diameters, placed above two xenon 2.5 Watt lamps. Though made of porcelain they have the welcoming, calming feel of candlelight.

Next comes a wall mounted sculpture called “Harvest Moon”. This sculpture features a projection of the moon, thrown onto bas-relief on a disk floating on a rectangle, in landscape format.

Either side of the base of the Harvest Moon sculpture, on the perimeter of a banquette, are Munro’s two illuminated Stalagmite sculptures, called “Light of the Munros”. These are lead crystal stalagmite light catchers, under-lit by recessed LED lamps.

In the Courtyard garden of the hotel, Munro has made 5 ‘Firefly’ luminaires to enliven the evergreen border at night. Staked into the ground, they are made of copper, brass, and 375 thin fibres, and together they are illuminated by one 12 v remote 100 W halogen projector.

In the Greenhouse restaurant three crystal  “Light of the Munros” stalagmites have been positioned on the perimeter of a banquette.

Munro’s ‘Yin Yang’ sculpture is the last piece to mention: a colourful wall panel consisting of 6 white cast forms with Yin Yang bas relief design. They are illuminated with two pairs of adjustable recessed 12v spotlights,  with blue and magenta dichroic filters.

Together with the Greenhouse – locally sourced food by Michelin starred chef Mark Treasure, the new Hotel Grosvenor looks set to prove an irresistible temptation in the heart of Shaftesbury.

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Note of the editor:

Please note the copyright of these images is retained by Bruce Munro. Use of those images is subject to them being used for this article only. Publication of any image in any form or fashion must include a credit for Bruce Munro.