Hanover Lodge was built in about 1827, and designed by the architect John Nash. It was substantially remodelled by the neo classical architect Quinlan Francis Terry with the attendance of Walter Lilly..
In 2014 the property was sold. The Evening Standard called it "the most expensive townhouse ever sold in Britain”.
The formal Dining room is the oldest surviving room in the house - The walls were un-plained vertical timbers similar to floorboards. This provided an early form of insulation as well as a suitable surface to receive stretched silk walling and the hanging of heavy paintings. However our client did not want silk fabric or wall papers. The balance of the room was aesthetically disappointing with a low ceiling, several door ways and little architectural detail. The plain frieze had been interrupted with a series of inset grills. The architraves and skirting lacked scale and definition and without a dado rail or any formal overdoor ornament the proportions appeared clumsy.
A re-order was designed by Peter Hare and his team. The fluted pilasters were temporarily removed to allow bumph and stretched canvas to be stretched like a drum-skin over the entire wall surface. With a blank canvas and smooth surfaces the architectural order of the walls could be addressed. Without attaching a single raised moulding the panelling was created to receive trompe l’oeil designs.
This early stage sample was produced for the client. It identifies the division and proposed detailing of the new scheme. The wall is divided in two to establish architectural significance and balance the height of the room. A plywood sample of the proposed new gilded trompe l’oeil dado rail has been reverse taped to establish effect.The upper wall has been painted to depict panelling with a created drop shadow and centralised ornamentation
To overcome the modern airflow grills on the frieze, Peter proposed trompe l’oeil fluting to conceal the engineering whilst also creating a uniformed architectural detail.
The trompe l’oeil painted frieze was painted with fluting and centralised “ drop shadow” medallions. The stretched canvas and paper wall surfaces were painted with trompe l’oeil panelling to create architectural form. The inset neo-classical ornamental designs were painted in a soft palette over a grey colour base to ensure subtle depth tonal definition. The original real and tromp mouldings were then gilded with 23.5c gold leaf.
The progression throughout the house was planned to entice every next step. To reflect the importance of the property and our client, we created a grand entrance.
Over plaster columns and timber we created a faux stone block-work effect with a light offset drop-shadow.
