Hearth – Heckfield Place

Once a stable block, Heckfield Place’s Hearth is now a warm and characterful restaurant centred on an open fire. An ever-changing menu, directed by chef Skye Gyngell, is a simple celebration of seasonal food and our work on this project mirrored this ethos, with a muted colour and texture palette, for a light and airy space that maintains the heritage of the original stables. We started with a brief to refresh an existing bar area, but once the fireplace was introduced, the opportunity to create a novel informal dining space, meant it changed significantly.

The L-shaped 18th Century building was described in the original Grade II listing and required careful consideration and consultation with the conservation officer as we needed to improve much of the existing structure. The roof was raised by 25mm to allow for new thermal insulation. Timber doors and glazing were made to fit the original arched openings and new flooring throughout enabled us to eliminate an original step change, consolidating the space into one seamless area. Existing finishes were stripped back, exposed roof timbers carefully cleaned, storage and mechanical and electrical services discretely concealed behind simple painted structures.

The finished building is a balance of old and new – the exposed vaulted roof and rough textured brickwork walls creating a dramatic backdrop for the modern aesthetic of the restaurant.