The Merchant Hotel occupies the former Royal Bank of Ulster Building and many period features have been retained to restore the original heritage of the building. The five star hotels architectural style is a blend of Victorian Grandeur and Art Deco.
Ardvanagh Decorators brief was to redecorate two reception rooms, the dining areas, conference rooms and bedrooms of the hotel. The decorators had to be adaptable in the style of painting as the ground floor is very traditional and ornate and the conference rooms and bedrooms are very modern. On the ground floor the grand entrance and reception areas have been restored through intricately painting ornate columns, arches and mouldings. The dining room has been decorated in an Art Deco style, but with a modern twist.
Walking through the restaurant and coffee lounge in the old part of the building, the full scale of the work carried out is all too evident. Intricate skill was required to create neat, crisp lines between light and dark colours used on the many ornate mouldings and fixtures. As you progress through the building a more modern and contemporary feel becomes evident. The results are however no less stunning. Bold colours run effortlessly into each other creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere, whilst at the same time highlighting further the skilful work of the decorators involved.
In common with decorators who had worked on the hotel before them, all decorators had their names sign written on walls concealed behind decorative figurines to upper levels.
The redecoration took 10 decorators, three months to complete. Johnstone’s products used on the project included, Dry Lining Paint, Vinyl Matt, Acrylic Eggshell, Microbarr and Eggshell. Over 1,300 litres were applied in total.
Ardvanagh Decorators have done a great job on the redecoration of the hotel and have demonstrated their skills and diversity in their use of traditional and modern painting techniques.