Chapter 10
After her discussion with Ben, Lily had been holed up in her bedroom all day, working on the interior designs for the hotel.
She left her room briefly to wander into each bedroom, noting which way they were facing, whether into the forest or at the lake, which would affect the natural light. She also marked how many plastered walls each room had and how many were made up of the log timbers.
Finally, she had her blank canvas with which to start work.
Going along with Ben’s wishes, she created a pale palette for each room.
The log timbers were covered up with plasterboard and painted white, the floorboards were given a soft grey tint and all the furniture was pale ash.
It was modern and stark, exactly what Ben had asked for.
But her heart sank as she flicked through each bedroom. It was wrong, so very wrong, she told herself. But it was what the client wanted, wasn’t it?
Feeling despondent, she wandered downstairs to make herself a coffee.
For once, she found the kitchen empty and so, after making herself a drink, headed into the lounge.
There were various wires hanging out of sockets, waiting for the electrician to fix them up, but it still felt like a room needing more.
It was just a little barren at the moment, thought Lily.
She knew that Ben had enlisted her to decorate just the bedrooms but the rest of the place could certainly do with a makeover as well.
For instance, the lounge wasn’t an inviting space to settle down in, despite the obvious amount of money that had been spent on the expensive sofas which were covered with clear plastic to save them from getting ruined.
Even the stone chimney and oak mantelpiece were bare.
It was crying out for some decoration and a little bit of magic.
As she turned to look at the glorious view outside, she spotted a door on the opposite wall which she hadn’t noticed before. She walked over and pulled it tentatively open.
‘That’s the snug,’ Frankie told her, suddenly appearing and making her jump.
‘What’s that?’ asked Lily.
‘Pretty much a dumping ground,’ said Frankie. ‘It used to be a bar from what I remember. But that was a long time ago.’
As Frankie joined her in the doorway, Lily peered into the space.
It too had a French door that led onto the veranda but only the one, making it more cosy.
But it was still a large space, if you could look beyond the plethora of goods piled up everywhere.
There were coat racks and vases jostling for space alongside a snooker table and candlesticks, hurricane lanterns and piles of old books.
‘This lot was left over from when Walter and Dotty moved out into their lodge,’ said Frankie.
‘Dotty’s a known hoarder. She was always picking up trinkets and other stuff from car boot sales and charity shops.
Then you’ve got Walter who has never thrown anything out in his life.
But the lodge was so much smaller that anything spare was left in here and has never been retrieved,’ Frankie told her.
‘Shame it’s not used,’ said Lily. ‘It’s a really good space for people to enjoy.’
‘Gotta clear it out first,’ said Frankie. ‘And find some guests too.’
As Frankie wandered away, Lily took one last look at the snug before turning to look out across the lake once more.
The trees were now tinged with pale yellow and orange as the greens of the summer began to turn with the imminent arrival of autumn.
She turned her back on the view and looked at the room once more.
That would be her choice of colours in this room, she thought.
Soft yellows, taupe and some burnt umber would be perfect.
Soft rugs, blankets and cushions. Fairy lights and soft candles in the evenings to mix with the firelight.
She took a sharp intake of breath. In that moment, she knew that she couldn’t follow Ben’s desire for the minimalistic design that he wanted. It was totally wrong for the place. She knew that with every fibre of her being.
She would have to be careful, she realised.
This contract was make-or-break for her future career.
So she decided to keep two different design portfolios going forward.
One would be for Ben, showcasing his own ideas.
But there would be another secret one for herself.
The real one. The one that she knew was just right for the place.
She knew he would disagree but she was determined to prove him wrong.
Sitting down later in the lounge with Ben to discuss her ideas for the design, Lily had butterflies in her stomach.
She had spent all afternoon working on her own designs and her heart was singing with the thought of decorating the hotel in her own style.
But first there was Ben to contend with.
She flicked on the first file on her laptop to show him what she had created.
He peered at the design on the screen before nodding his head in approval. ‘Looks great,’ he told her, looking once more at the almost white palette of the bedroom. ‘Just the vibe we were going for.’
She just managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes in time. She had blocked out every log, every piece of wood. It hardly even looked like a lodge any more.
‘So your USP when you open it is for the whole place to look like this?’ she asked.
‘Absolutely,’ said Ben in a firm tone. ‘Sharp. Modern. Slick. That’s totally the in-look at the moment. A lot of the hotels in the area are going the same way.’
Slick and modern? thought Lily. Was the man insane? He seemed bright enough but Ben was insistent that he wanted some kind of urban take on a modern hotel. It was totally at odds with both the people who ran the hotel and the place itself.
‘So about the budget,’ she began.
Ben’s face fell into a frown. ‘It’s got to be pretty tight, I’m afraid.’
She nodded. ‘I understand. You know, as I’ve been invited to stay on by Hannah for a while, I can do a lot of the decorating myself. I’m very good so there wouldn’t be a problem about the quality of the finish.’
He looked surprised but pleased. ‘That’s great,’ he said, relief filling his voice.
‘Obviously I’ll cost up all the materials for you but I’ll get going on the bedrooms in the morning, if that’s OK.’
‘Sooner the better,’ he replied.
‘When’s our deadline?’ she asked.
He leant back on the sofa. ‘I was thinking about that. We need some kind of grand reopening, I guess.’
‘That would be good in getting the word out,’ Lily told him.
He nodded. ‘I agree.’
‘Obviously there’s still the bedroom furniture to be ordered, curtains and the rest,’ Lily reminded him. ‘As well as the actual decorating.’
‘And the plasterers haven’t finished yet. And it’s already October,’ said Ben. ‘OK. How about 1 December?’
‘Sounds good,’ said Lily, thinking that the extra time might just be enough for her to decorate a few extra rooms. ‘And what about the lounge and dining room?’
‘Oh, I think we can make do as we are,’ said Ben. ‘Like I said, the budget’s pretty thin.’
Not wanting to push her luck at this stage, Lily merely nodded. ‘OK,’ she told him.
‘Well, this is great,’ said Ben, looking at the screen once more. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’
‘See you later,’ she replied, as he got up from the sofa and headed out of the lounge.
As soon as she was sure that he wasn’t in sight, Lily flicked the screen onto the secret plan that she had been working on that afternoon.
Immediately she found herself nodding at her own design.
This was much better. They were the same bedrooms but in a completely different colour scheme.
It was still modern but it was also cosy, warm and comfortable.
The wall of wooden logs behind the bed glowed against the soft green of the walls.
Touches of pale pink came from a blanket and cushions that she had placed on the bed.
In addition, she had added some more homely touches such as candlesticks and a pile of books on a small wooden table.
She knew that it was going to be tricky.
That she would have to work fast to complete the room before someone saw what she had done.
She planned to put up a ‘wet paint’ sign once she was done to keep everyone out.
Hopefully it would sustain her for long enough to persuade Ben that she was right with her ideas.
She felt bad about misleading him but she was the designer, wasn’t she? This was what she was being paid to do. Design the best room and that was what she was going to create.
She had wondered briefly about sharing her secret with Hannah before deciding that her friend wasn’t the greatest actress and she didn’t want to cause a rift between brother and sister. Besides, she was used to working by herself.
Lily knew she was ignoring Ben’s wishes and that he was the client but she knew in her heart that she was right. With a determined nod, she felt ready to get started.
After all, the future of the hotel depended on this. And so did her future as well.