ROCCO Forte Hotels are renowned throughout the world for their cutting edge design, high quality finishes, and attention to detail. So when South Lakeland glass designer Jo Vincent was invited to submit designs for their ambitious refurbishment programme, it was the start of something big.

Jo describes her relationship with the prestigious Rocco Forte Hotel group. “In September 2003 I took the plunge to take a booth at the 100% Design show in London. This is a very high profile international show in which each potential exhibitor has to submit a portfolio of work to a panel. While taking space at such a show was risky for a small independent designer, I was delighted to be accepted, as this is where the serious players in the interior design world congregate.”

Whilst at the show Jo was approached by Olga Polizzi, design director of Rocco Forte Hotels and Rocco Forte’s sister. Jo was exhibiting a mix of lighting, wall installations and vessels. Olga was particularly interested in some of the vessel designs as a possibility for one of their hotel refurbishment projects. Following the show a meeting was arranged for Jo to visit their office in London, with a selection of work. An order was placed for 145 bespoke designed bowls for the hotel rooms of the newly refurbished and prestigious Balmoral hotel in Edinburgh.

Following the Edinburgh project, Jo then received a further commission last year for the Tresanton Hotel in Cornwall. Again this was a large number of bespoke bowls for all hotel rooms.

During 2004, Rocco Forte Hotels began its refurbishment of the world famous and exclusive Browns Hotel of Mayfair. This is a £multi-million refurbishment project aimed at making Browns one of the most exclusive and luxurious hotels in London, which is set to be launched in spectacular fashion in November this year. Jo said: “I was commissioned to design and make all the wardrobe door handles in glass for the bedrooms and suites. Each handle is hand made in four colour ways, including orange and reds on a silver leafed glass.

“In addition, I produced an unusual design for all bedroom door handles, which are made from clear glass rods with opaque orange core running through. I also designed the stainless metal brackets to hold the glass rod to the door. Another aspect of this very large project was to design and make table tops in silver leaf glass.”

And the story does not end here. Since completing the Browns project, Jo has been invited to submit lighting samples for the new Frankfurt hotel and has been commissioned to prototype the door handles for a new Geneva hotel to be opened during 2006/2007. Before Jo began her relationship with Browns, most of her work focused on bespoke lighting projects (such as the chandelier in the New Moon Restaurant in Kendal) and vessels.

This move into producing door handles has inspired her to start work on her own glass door handle collection which will be launched in June 2006.

www.jovincent.com