London based Design Company, Studio Ashby, has recently completed the refurbishment of Robertson Small: a 10 room five star boutique hotel in Robertson, located in the Cape Winelands of South Africa. Studio Ashby conceived the redesign of the beautifully restored Victorian Manor House – built in 1909, which comes complete with original period features including cast-iron fretwork to the veranda, intricate plasterwork and lofty grand ceilings. The Robertson Small is established as Robertson’s only five-star hotel having been routinely named among South Africa’s finest luxury country hotels since it opened its doors in 2011. Studio Ashby took inspiration from the local scenery, including the nearby Langeberg and Riviersonderend mountain ranges, as well as the heritage of the hotel itself, with Studio Ashby’s founder and creative director Studio Ashby commenting: “The architecture was the perfect scaffolding for us to hang the redesign from. The hotel had been going for some time, operating mostly at full capacity so was in need of some TLC. I’m delighted that we were selected to redesign the hotel and it was a great privilege to work with the talented and creative local designers and makers and create a hotel that better reflects the exciting things happening in design in this vibrant country. It’s a project we are immensely proud of.”

In order to foster an authentic sense of place and history in the hotel, Sophie spent a lot of time in Cape Town discovering and meeting makers, craftsmen, designers, artists and galleries. Following these meetings, the Studio’s aim was to resource the project 100% locally, as Sophie stated: “I was determined that the only thing shipped from overseas for the refurbishment, was me!” As well as conceiving the redesign of the hotel, Studio Ashby also enhanced the entire experience of staying in the hotel and deepen its connection to the local community by introducing a deli selling local food produce and wines from the region, a cactus and herb garden in the landscaped grounds surrounding the property and a cyclical art gallery pop-up in the Manor house. Sophie also curated specific art installations and display art from the emerging local art scene of Cape Town and beyond. Robertson Small is a particularly exciting and special project for Sophie as she grew up in the Stellenbosch winelands before moving to the UK age twelve. Sophie’s mother is from Cape Town and an opportunity to spend some time and work on a project in a place that means so much to her, is a dream come true. Sophie’s sister, Rose Ashby of Spring Restaurant at Somerset House in London curated the new menu for the hotel, with the focus on seasonal produce sourced in the Robertson area.