The Hilden Style Awards, powered by Vision Support Services, opened for entries back in May this year and sought to uncover the hidden gems in care home, restaurant and hospitality design. For the first time ever, global textiles giant Vision decided to open up the awards for care homes; recognising the increasing effort that healthcare establishments have been putting in to their interior design choices.

The brand new most stylish care home category went to Bentley House, part of the Signature Group, in Hertford. The judges were impressed with the level of thought that went into it and the attention to detail was impeccable throughout. The judges noted: “The interiors at Bentley House Care Home are by far the most stylish I have seen in this sector.  The restaurant décor really has the “wow” factor and this space really stood out for me.  If I didn’t know this was a care home, I would assume the dining space was a plush hotel dining room, perhaps in West London.  No doubt the residents feel as though every meal is a special event.”

The Awards, which were open to small to medium or independent venues, aimed to find the crème-de-la-crème of smaller, more intimate venues which may otherwise have gone unnoticed amongst larger chains and groups.

The nine finalists were revealed earlier in September and following visits by Vision representatives to each of the establishments, the winners were then chosen after an intensive judging process.

Winning the coveted restaurant category was sketch restaurant, in upmarket Mayfair, for its quirky and unique design. The restaurant is no stranger to exciting wins; placing 18^th in the world’s best restaurant list by Restaurant magazine in 2005. The judges said: “Each space has such a strong identity and this is design at its best – no rules, bags of creativity and imagination, spaces that are captivating to experience.  All too often restaurants, hotels and bars stick to a formula when it comes to décor, but it is safe to say that the rooms at sketch are far from formulaic!”

Hotel of the moment, Hotel Gotham in Manchester, took the crown for most stylish independent hotel or B&B, hot on the heels of its numerous accolades including Outstanding New Hotel from the Independent Hotel Show. Judges comments included: “This hotel is the perfect blend of old and new, for example the chevron flooring is cool and contemporary but suits the art deco mood.  Staying here would be a real experience, and the interior is almost like a set.”

Judging this year’s awards were: Lee Birchall; Architect and Managing Director of DV8 Designs, Victoria Hargreaves; Vision’s Hospitality Sales Manager, Gemma Ralph; Deputy Editor of Hospitality Interiors magazine, Ellie Tennant; Interior Design Journalist, Lucy Forsyth; Vision’s Healthcare Interior Design Specialist and Jeremy Tring; Editor of Eat.Drink.Sleep magazine.

The lucky winners will receive a double-page spread in the annual Hilden Style Guide; a definitive guide to hospitality interiors and trends, £500 to spend at Vision’s online store, a case of champagne, a pair of luxury Liddell bathrobes and a personalised glass trophy amongst others.  

The Style Awards is set to return in 2017 whilst the Hilden Style Guide 2017 will be published in the coming months. To find out more about the Hilden Style Awards, please visit www.hilden.co.uk/style-awards