BARNSLEY, SOUTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND – Creative laser cutting and engraving from Cutting Technologies has helped interior design firm Style Contracts (Knutsford, Cheshire, England) achieve awards success. The firm approached Cutting Technologies for support in transforming Harrogate's The West Park Hotel—and the finished result was so impressive that the project won a coveted Northern Design Award in the Hotel Interior Design category.
The West Park Hotel had fallen into disuse before being bought by Provence Inns, a collection of traditional Yorkshire pubs. As Provence Inns' first hotel in its collection, it was imperative that the team created something truly spectacular.
Keen to bring a hint of traditionalism to the design, Style Contracts incorporated bespoke design fretwork with a gentlemanly circular pattern as a feature wall and a wine wall with a backdrop of natural stone as a nod to traditional Yorkshire dry stone walls.
Inspired by the hotel's position on the Harrogate Stray, a feature wall was created with abstract leaf patterns laser-cut from Corten steel, which was then artificially rusted to add a modern touch (FIGURE 1). Individual delicate, laser-cut copper oak leaves were then hung in front of the Corten steel, along with cage pendants (FIGURE 2).
"This was a challenging but extremely rewarding project to work on, and it's great to see everyone's hard work recognized with a Northern Design Award," explains Jane Robinson, director at Cutting Technologies.
"The intricate detail required for the copper oak leaves would have caused us a real headache in the past, as copper has traditionally been a very difficult material to cut," Robinson says. "But thanks to investment in a state-of-the-art fiber laser, cutting non-ferrous materials like copper has become pretty straightforward, and the results on this project speak for themselves."