One Devonshire Gardens

In its former life One Devonshire Gardens occupied houses 1,2,3 & 5 in a terrace set in the leafy grandeur of the West End. The challenge of this project was to convert house 4 from flatted development into hotel use, thus threading the terrace together into a unified whole.
A couple of caveats to this were the rebranding of the whole into the Hotel du Vin brand, and also making a very disabled unfriendly terrace comply with the DDA regulations.

The re-branding involved refurbishing the tired ‘Room’ restaurant back to something befitting of the glory days of Devonshire, adding a whisky room and an ingenious secret passageway to the basement stair and an unparalleled cellarage of fine wines.

The DDA was met by adding a total of four discreet stair lifts throughout the terrace and creating a new private garden at the rear of houses four and five.

The main refurbishment carried with it all the disciplines of good architectural practice- roof work packages including exquisite leadwork detailing and new glass lanterns, stone cleaning and repairs, and clever space planning internally involving some gymnastics with the existing structure.

All was done hand in hand with a client intent on conservation and general excellence, and the ever watchful Historic Scotland who wanted the inherent character of the famous terrace preserved and enhanced to its full potential.

Internally the space constraints of creating the new corridor links, while also preserving the proportions of the important reception rooms lead to the concept of basement bathrooms- turning three of the ground floor rooms into glorious, split level rooms, one even with its own conservatory and private garden. On the first floor the more cramped rooms on the rear of the building incorporated boutique bathrooms that could be opened or closed to the bedroom, maximising the theatre within a small space. On the top floor the attic ballrooms had their ceilings completely reopened, and decaying lanterns replaced to allow the light of a new era into the previously shadowy corners of their regal spaces.

The overall result has been to completely reinvent and revitalise a famous Glaswegian institution, and do so to a finish that has had Historic Scotland recommend the project as an example of exemplary conservation.

Date of completion: 2007