Spanning 45 acres, Estelle Manor—an estate hotel in the Cotswolds home to a traditional manor house, more than 100 custom-designed guestrooms, four restaurants, and a spa—is located on a historic site in Oxfordshire, England, established in the late 18th century. Roman and Williams executed the complete architectural and interior design of Estelle Manor, including the restoration of its historic Neo-Jacobean buildings and the development of 20 ground-up structures. Guided by a deep respect for the property’s heritage and vernacular architecture, Principals Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch’s design collapses past and present, honoring the legacy and craftsmanship of the property’s historic design while creating a manor house that feels modern and vital.
To restore Estelle Manor’s Main Hall, a designated Grade II historic building built in 1904, Roman and Williams preserved its hand-carved paneling by stripping the varnish from the millwork in order to expose the natural beauty of the original oak wood, and left its stone fireplace mantels intact. In designing the main hall’s spaces—which include 34 unique guest rooms, a library, a living room, a terrace, and three restaurants—Alesch and Standefer were inspired by the romanticism of J.M.W. Turner's landscape paintings, as well as 17th- and 18th-century Orientalist paintings. They also developed a robust art program within the Main Hall, offering a contemporary contrast to its layered décor and vernacular architecture, further accentuated by mid-century Italian furniture.
A ground-up structure, the Eynsham Baths are influenced by the neoclassical buildings of the 17th-century British architect Inigo Jones and Roman Baths built in nearby Somerset between 60 and 70 AD, embracing Doric principles and ancient architectural ideals. Flintstone walls at the spa’s entrance, richly veined marble, and custom mottled-blue painted tiles in the pool foster an airy, clean environment as a breathing pause from the rich layering in other branches of the property.
Historically, the needs of a vast country estate in the Cotswolds would be sustained by their gardens and adjoining farmland. The Walled Garden continues this tradition by offering an intersection of cooking, gardening, and living at the manor, complete with a restaurant and 35 guestrooms. At its center is The Glasshouse Restaurant, home to a collection of plants and fresh herbs, as well as works of decorative art. The space embodies Roman and Williams’ naturalist approach to design, which embraces natural materials and their evolution through use.
Estelle Manor is the latest in a series of recent projects for which Roman and Williams has engaged deeply with British history and design. In 2020, Roman and Williams redesigned the British Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a project that spanned four centuries of British decorative arts. In 2021, Roman and Williams designed the Nomad Hotel in Covent Garden. In 2022, the firm first partnered with Ennismore to design Maison Estelle, a private members club in Mayfair. Roman and Williams was honored to again collaborate with Ennismore to create a country counterpart to Maison Estelle—a property that pays homage to the history of British country living, infusing it with an artistic spirit that breathes new life into a centuries-long destination.