Decorative coatings from Crown Trade have been used to transform the appearance and ambience of the Princess Royal Suite at Aintree, the largest and most luxurious hospitality facility at this famous racecourse, the historic home of the Grand National.

Northern Building Design Associates led the refurbishment of the fourth floor function suite which, amongst other works, involved the introduction of a radically different colour scheme and the relocation of a large bar area to provide unparalleled views of the racetrack through three fully glazed walls.

Principal Architect Chris Unsworth explained his choice of decor: “The Princess Royal Suite had previously been decorated in the rich blue and yellow corporate colours of Martell Cognac, former sponsors of the Grand National. I wanted to introduce a palette of soothing neutral colours and a more contemporary décor scheme to complement the new layout.

“For the coffered ceilings I selected soft Vinyl Matt coatings in Taupe and Liqueur from the Crown Trade Colour Collection and a subtle flecked finish from the Crown Trade Colorfects Decorative Effects range to differentiate the recessed panels. These colours really set off the muted terracotta colour of the wall coverings.”

Hills Decorative Ltd, responsible for the interior and exterior decorating at Aintree racecourse, had to ensure the new look function suite was ready in time for this year’s John Smith’s Grand National weekend.

Proprietor Steve Hill commented: “We had a very tight window in which to get the redecorating finished, working round other building contractors and fitters. As soon as we could get access we got our scaffolding in and applied Crown Trade Covermatt White to the entire ceiling area to obliterate the previous coatings.

“In the recesses we then applied Crown Trade Colorfects Bondcoat followed by Aquaroll to build up texture with fine flecks of colour. All the other areas of the ceiling, the cross beams, light wells and perimeters, were finished in Crown Trade Vinyl Matt and the walls were re-papered last of all.”

He added: “I put four of my men on the job and we got the entire function suite and lift lobbies redecorated in less than two weeks. It’s a complete transformation and the finished effect is very impressive.”

Zoë Greenall, Operations Manager at Aintree Racecourse agreed: “Our architect had the vision to see how this busy hospitality suite could be improved and our decorating contractors have done a superb job in delivering the results. We’re all delighted with our new look facility.”