Forged anew

NOWADAYS MANY commercial establishments claim to have applied "the personal touch", which in most instances means they took a bit of time thinking about their wallpaper choices. However, at The Horseshoe Inn in Eddleston, the personal touch is genuine and much in evidence.

This may be due to the fact that the chef director, Patrick Bardoulet, and his partner Vivienne Steele, live on the premises or simply that they have incredibly good taste and want all their guests to feel instantly comfortable the minute they walk through the door. Whatever the reason, it works.

This restaurant with rooms wasn't always this inviting, though. When Bardoulet and Steele viewed it in April 2005, it was in a sorry state. "As soon as I walked in the door I fell in love with it but Patrick's opinion was 'forget it - absolutely not!' It was pretty horrific. In fact, Patrick drove past it because he thought it was a pub. Also, we didn't know when we viewed it that the electrics had been condemned."

Although Steele had found her "baby", Bardoulet still needed some convincing: "I felt he had to be sure about it so I sent him back to view it on his own. I'm not sure when it changed for him but he started designing the kitchen . . ."

The couple got the keys in June 2005 and there followed months of redesign and decoration. The property was built in 1862 as a blacksmith's shop. Its last incarnation had been as a restaurant and bar, along with guest accommodation in a separate building to the rear of the restaurant. "The guest accommodation was part of the package," says Steele. "It had been a school until 1998 and it was converted into accommodation nine years ago.

"It was better than the restaurant building, which was very traditional, olde worlde and horrible - lots of navy and leather Chesterfields. In the school, the rooms were basic but they were clean, so we ran with them as they were for a year and then refurbished them this year."

As the couple had moved out of their home and into an apartment attached to the restaurant, they had to turn the refurbishment project around as quickly as possible. "I didn't imagine it would turn out like this as I had to make so many decisions so quickly, which isn't like Patrick and I as a couple. We both love doing interiors and we always agree on everything. We did our last house up together and we had a lot of fun doing it but we had time to make decisions and to say what would go with what - here we didn't.

"The lodge [school] décor was chosen from a wallpaper book and a bedding brochure. I didn't have any wallpaper swatches or samples to go on. However, the one thing I didn't do was make each room the same.

"It would have been much easier but I didn't want that. The pink twin room was quite a cold room, which is why I've gone for the really hot colours. The suede headboards Patrick and I made ourselves and we had all the curtains specially made.

"We drew on our ideas for the décor from our last home, which was in Ancrum. It was a real chocolate box cottage, however, we now live on site and our apartment windows look out onto the secret garden.

"It's beginning to look more like a home now, but in the meantime most of the nice things that were in our last house are now in the public areas."

Steele and Bardoulet also had definite ideas about how the different areas in the Inn should feel. "The bistro had to be relaxed, casual, informal and comfortable," says Steele. "Sometimes on a Monday, Patrick and I will take off with the dogs to the beach at Gullane in jeans, walking boots and big thick coats. I wanted the bistro to feel that if you were dressed like that you would still feel comfortable in it. It's not intimidating, it's totally chilled out. The dining room I wanted to be comfortable too, but much more luxurious."

Steele's only problem was that time was of the essence. "The tradesmen were constantly at me - have you got this, have you chosen that, yet? I was on a wing and a prayer, hoping that it would all come together."

However, although it was done in haste, Steele, fortunately, has an eye for design. Besides her extensive CV in the restaurant industry, she's worked for Rettie & Co and bought and sold antiques and reproduction furniture. Steele's experience at Rettie gave her an insight into how interior designers work and, indeed, the stunning Italian slate floor in the lounge and bistro, which came from Pentland Ceramics, was inspired by a Rettie project.

Steele has also continued her passion for buying and selling: "When we came here I thought the place really lent itself to showing furniture. There are separate areas and you can easily create different looks.

"Unfortunately, I don't have as much time to go to auctions now, but I really enjoy the furniture side.

"We buy and sell artwork too. A lot of artists struggle so we buy their work and if we sell it, great, if we don't I get to keep them and one day they'll go in my home! So it's win, win. Peter Hallam, who stays near Ancrum, did the [paintings] in the bistro especially for the opening and I like to think that one day they'll be in my farmhouse in France, which is eventually where Patrick and I would like to move to."

However, there are three pieces in the bistro that aren't for sale. "The chickens are named after our waiters - Gerard, Philip and Sean," laughs Steele. "Patrick bought the large one for me from Jenners as I have a thing about chickens. I was in Breeze in Peebles and I saw the two smaller ones and I just had to have them. They lived in the apartment for a while but I didn't really have the space to appreciate them and also, we're never in it, so I decided to put them in the bistro so I could see them all the time."

Bardoulet and Steele eventually opened The Horseshoe Inn to the public in November 2005. With Bardoulet in the kitchen and Steele at front of house, over the last two years the Inn has continued to benefit from a genuine personal touch. In fact, the only criticism that can be levelled at the couple is that whenever guests get attached to a particular piece of artwork or furniture, someone buys it. sm

The Horseshoe Inn, Eddleston (01721 730225, www.horseshoeinn.co.uk). The bistro and accommodation is open seven days a week, Bardoulet's restaurant Tuesday to Sunday. Bed and breakfast costs £50 per person, per night.