Hotel conversion could provide arty update for St Helier

Tuesday 21 November 2017

A hotel once known for its art-inspired rooms could pave the way for a new 19-unit residential ‘masterpiece’ inspired by a Dutch painter.

Stephan Beddoe, owner of the Colesberg Hotel in Rouge Bouillon, is hoping to transform the historic hospitality establishment into 13 one-bedroom and three two-bedroom apartments, and three two-bedroom maisonettes, with access to a semi-basement car park.

But first, he’ll need the Planning Department’s approval.

If successful, the Colesberg’s two 1820s townhouses will be refurbished, while the two-storey extension at the back, which was built in the 70s will be demolished. It will instead make way for a modern block, home to apartments each featuring their own balcony.

The two sections will, somewhat unusually, be linked via a glass box. But this is not the most striking part of the proposal.

Pictured: An extract from the 'Public Art Statement' by Private & Public design collective shows their quirky plans for the Rouge Bouillon premises. (Private & Public Ltd)

As part of the ‘Percentage for Art’ obligation, architects have suggested a £15,000 modernist twist to the Roussel Street side of the building – a series of adjoining boxes in black, red, yellow, green and blue at street level.

The style mimics that of Piet Mondrian – a Dutch painter famed for his primary colour-filled grids in the 1920s, which later inspired a fashion line by designer Yves Saint Laurent.

“The glazed brick pattern design situated at street level will take its inspiration from the 20^th century painter Piet Mondrian and will echo the patterns of the architectural façade above. The use of glazed red brick will be a predominant feature and make a direct reference back to the area in which the proposed development is located,” Private & Public’s Chris Clifford, the architect behind the design, explained.

The creative reference also apparently ties in with the Colesberg’s history. The St Helier establishment was once known for its ‘art rooms’, with frames often eschewed for sprawling paintings across four walls.

Video: Piet Mondrian's abstract grids inspired a series of dresses by French couturier Yves Saint Laurent in the 1960s... Now they're providing the inspiration for a building in St Helier. (Art and Fashion Philosophy/YouTube)

In one, catci and cows occupied the same wall space, while another bedroom hosted an Austin Powers-style ‘love’ mural, tiger covers and a lava lamp.

It last operated as a hotel in the early noughties and was later used as staff accommodation. The building has been unused since 2015.

In a statement accompanying the planning application, the Castletree Group – the leading architects on the project - stated that their design approach intended to “create harmony between the old and new buildings.”

They said that it “holds the opportunity to deliver a significant contribution to the housing shortfall”, they added that it the new development could also be a “positive driver of regeneration in this part of town.”