15 Feb 2024
The Garrion Tower Renovation project has appointed Julia Sagias, owner of boutique interior design studio Julia Clare Interiors to transform the derelict 17th century castle in the Clyde Valley into Scotland’s newest luxury wedding venue hotel. Owner Nicole Rudder, the G4 Claims entrepreneur, bought the castle and saved it from further ruin in 2022 for £250,000.
Nicole has ambitious plans and chose an equally passionate designer in Julia to design and sensitively restore the interior of this historic building to its former glory. The project will see the repurposing of the previously private residential property into a stately wedding venue and gastronomic landmark. The new Garrion Tower will boast nine bedrooms including honeymoon suites, a stylish champagne salon, ball room, fine dining restaurant and even an intimate wine tasting cellar with artfully displayed hidden treasures found on site.
Julia’s passion lies in heritage, uniqueness and a dedication to beauty and detail. She has designed her own wallpaper and fabric collections which will grace the bedrooms in plush velvets and decorative wall coverings. Drawing on the inherent character of the building, it’s original interior features and the natural beauty of the Clyde Valley, Julia’s vision is to employ a minimally expressed confluence of the old and the new to create an authentic interior flow and ambience.
A design theme of ‘Modern Victorian’ will combine traditional ornateness with contemporary luxury and comfort. Modern and sculptural lighting and furniture styles will sit graciously alongside the 17th century walls and restored interior features of floral cornicing and wall panelling.
The castle has been surveyed with attention to detail to ensure where possible these features are restored or recreated by local artisans for an authentic interior ambience. A conscientious approach to interior design with sustainability, material innovation and longevity will inform the curation of materials for the fixtures and fittings. Julia is keen to use recycled materials as well as antique furniture and locally sourced raw materials like stone and wood where possible, which will benefit the local trade and manufacturing community.
Inspired by the exterior surroundings and botanical heritage of the castle’s estate and gardens, Julia also has plans to include bespoke art work using shapes and textures from the trees found on the castle grounds.
Garrion Tower was originally the Bishop of Glasgow’s summer house and was extended with a larger turret and grand entrance of blond sandstone during the Victorian era. The turret of the building will remain a feature in the plans, offering a romantic setting to celebrate the perfect fairy tale wedding in grandeur and luxury.
Julia said about the project:
‘I’m absolutely delighted to have been appointed as the official interior design of the Garrion Tower Renovation project and can’t wait to work alongside owner Nicola, project manager Laura Cassidy and the team at Block Architects. My vision is to create a ‘Modern Victorian’ interior design programme which is historically sympathetic and conscientiously executed using high-quality material innovation, comfort, style and long-lasting functionality and sustainability.’
She added:
‘Bringing my ideas to life and helping to realise this new wedding venue will also have a positive impact for the local community. Its accessibility will definitely play to its strength; whilst situated in peaceful countryside it is also minutes from motorway connections into Glasgow’.
Nicole Rudder said about the project:
‘It’s so local but it feels a million miles away, which makes it so special. We don’t want to change the building. We want to retain its historical features and structure to make it last another hundred years. It will be of huge value to the community’.
Picture 1 courtesy of Curse These Eyes Photography and Picture 2 courtesy of Garrion Tower and Block Architects.
