Ballyfin Demesne, an opulent estate nestled in County Laois, Ireland, boasts a captivating history dating back to the early 19th century. Constructed between 1800 and 1820 by Sir Charles Coote, the magnificent Ballyfin House, designed by acclaimed architects Sir Richard Morrison and William Vitruvius Morrison, showcases stunning Neo-Classical architecture amidst over 600 acres of picturesque gardens, woodlands, and lakes. Over the years, the estate transitioned from a private residence to a boarding school before an extensive restoration project in the early 2000s revived its splendor. Reopened as a luxurious hotel in 2011, Ballyfin Demesne offers guests an immersive experience, seamlessly blending historical grandeur with contemporary luxury, inviting all to revel in its timeless beauty and tranquility amidst the Irish countryside.
5 Star luxury country house hotel in the heart of Ireland. Set at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains in the centre of Ireland, Ballyfin is a place of history and romance, of tranquility and great natural beauty.
The Ballyfin Garden Room is the room to relax and enjoy its beautiful suroundings.
Grants worked closely with the London designer Collin Orchard and the General Manager Peter White at Ballyfin Demesne throughout the process from initial enquiry to commissioning of blinds. We asked Peter to say a few words…
Everything about Ballyfin is special including the unique conservatory from the 1850s. Our Guests loved to spend time in here, however it was often too hot and bright to be comfortable. We needed the end result to be beautiful at all times, preserving the delicate structure, representing the period and any solutions to be fully retractable when not required.
The solution that Grants designed, using French Pinoleum Round weave in natural finish, cleverly following the roof structure and hidden within concealment facia to match structure, has exceeded all expectations. We are very proud of the end result and we thank Grants for an amazing job. Thank you.
The garden room at Ballyfin is a beautiful 170-year-old cast-iron structure that was too bright and hot with no standard shading options available. The Grants Design Team was asked to create a solution that was fully retractable so that the beautiful transparency of the design could still be enjoyed when blinds were open. Several options were designed and visualised to the client with the corresponding costings noted. During the design process, Grants prototyped the solution and worked with the designer for finish, weave and facia design to conceal the blind stack when opened.
Once the concept design had been settled, Grants needed to work through the technical aspects of how everything would work. Whilst the room looked beautiful, over time the building had become out of true, careful considerations had to be given to create the least impact when the blinds were retracted. The structure was a mixture of cast and wrought iron, which can rust or flake over time. Fixing methods needed to be adopted that would not put unnecessary strain on the building and relied on weights as well as fixing points which meant special bracketry was designed and made specifically for this project.
The Ballyfin project included novel products which required a mock-up installation of working blinds to establish final sizing with precise templating for manufacturing purposes. Detailed CAD drawings were made and final deductions applied to get production sizing. In addition, wiring diagrams were drawn up to enable our client’s electrician to install wiring prior to the installation of blinds on site. A separate survey undertaken by the Fascia & Design Team was carried out to finalisethe fascia design. Colourmatching to the structure colourwas applied to all blind hardware and brackets to minimisethe visual impact the proposed blinds would have. Once products and bracketry were ready, the core Installation Team carried out the implementation with the specialist fitters coming to dress the material once fitted. Electrical connections were made, blinds commissioned and then fascias were mounted.
For the Ballyfin project, specialised products were sourced and developed from reliable European partners. The natural French Pinoleum Material required flame-retardant material bathing and anti-fungicidal treatments spray applied to the material, with different suppliers. Purpose-designed bracketry was finalized and made in the UK, powder coated to agreed colour. The Grants team also coordinated the final detail of the curved rail guide system. The overseas location of Ballyfin, meant we also had to organize travel, accommodation, shipping and transport for UK based installers. Local suppliers were procured when possible.
This installation was bespoke in every sense, each blind had to be templated to fit and follow the curved roof structure withoutinterfering with the adjacent blinds. The hardware was finished in a colour closely matching to the structure and fitted before the templates were made. Grants inhouse production in Kent produced the blind panels which were in turn edge braided to protect the edges from damage over time.
Each blind had to have rings positioned correctly on the rear side so that the folds between all the blinds were aligned. The blinds were then prepared for shipping as the installation was overseas.
Garden room projects benefit from Grants Platinum Service whereby the technicians visit on an annual basis to check for normal wear and tear. The Platinum Service Includes:
Removal of all blinds from their brackets so any dirt or debris can be removed from the blind.
Removal of any surface marks from hardware.
Checking of any wear and tear of components and their replacement if necessary.
Refitting of blinds, checking & re - tensioning of all wires and cords.
Cleaning and re-silicone roof support wires where appropriate.
Checking of programming, operation and replacement of handset batteries if necessary.
Among the key elements were additional floors which were added and set back with a large curved glazing area supported on timber glulam beams bringing state-of-the-art design to a period property that had seen better days.
Grants were approached by highly respected architects Collado Collins and the national building contractors, Costain, who had been let down midway through the project by their existing suppliers who were unable to supply shading that worked within the originally agreed budget.
Having surveyed the project and discussed every aspect of it with the architect, Grants’ Special Projects division suggested a bespoke shading solution specifically designed to follow the main curve of the glazing and stack at the head when not required.
The proposals put forward by Grants were based on a fully motorised Endurashade system operating through parallel side channels with the motor itself housed at the head of the blind.
The order was placed by Costain subject to the approval of a working prototype crafted at Grants’ workshops. When this full-sized prototype was indeed signed off, the blinds – manufactured using Blenheim 7215 Charcoal material and supported by a steel hardware system finished to match the colour of the overall glazing structure – were commissioned and installed by Grants’ project management team.
Finally – to ensure the highest levels of aftersales care – an ongoing service contract was put in place for the tenant to ensure the blinds were regularly maintained and kept in good working order.
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