The Manor at Sway re-opened its doors on 14 February 2015. Under the guidance of Designer David Bentheim and his studio, who is considered by Home and Garden magazine as one of the top designers in the UK, The Manor has been transformed into a truly modern country house hotel with striking interiors.
The transformation utilises the classic features of the building including high ceilings, original sash windows, and stained glass, alongside bright colours, bold wallpapers, patterned tiles and warm tones.
The house has been restored as much as possible to its country house roots and features a cosy drawing room, low lit and full of books to while away the hours. The bar area’s focal point are the panoramic French doors that offer a full view of the garden including the towering cedar tree that dominates the front of the house.
The Kitchen
The kitchen at The Manor concentrates on serving elegant food with a creative angle, using wherever possible local meat and produce.
Chef Jamie Hurst trained and worked at The Dorchester as well as local establishments, and draws on different influences across the culinary spectrum, inventing dishes that can be either formal or rustic, but always delicious. Menus are changed in accordance with the season and there is a good choice of tasty but hearty dishes, as well as light bites.
In the spring and summer, there is dining on the terrace – weather permitting!
The owners Tim Holloway and Edlyn Cunill purchased the property in January 2014 and along with Tim’s mother Elizabeth Holloway’s support, immediately set about restoring the house. Having met each other working in the hotel industry both the owners have a hospitality background and a love of good food and wine.
The project has taken just over one year to complete. Alongside David Bentheim and his studio, there were two teams of local contractors. Seapoint, responsible for the bedroom refurbishment, and Tuakana who took care of the ground floor. The finished results are a testament to the outstanding work by both. Crestwood of Lymington provided all the soft furnishings.
The Manor at Sway, Sway, Near Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 6BA
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At sunset the view from the bar is truly special. The bar itself is a monochrome masterpiece punctuated by the colour of the vast array of illuminated spirits.
The dining room is accentuated with bold wallpaper and cosy lighting. The space is airy during the day and warm an intimate in the evening.
Moving onto the bedrooms, the colours are bright but earthy with simple clean lines. They feature the usual modern day comforts and include Hypnos beds, vintage telephones, and well-proportioned bathrooms with REN products. The furniture is a mixture of antique and modern, giving a lived in appeal. There are three categories of room, Cosy, Classic and Manor, many of these have gone through major configuration changes to make the very best use of space.