Interior design and architecture studio Sibley Grove to design the interiors of Donington Hall Hotel

Posted in News on 14 April, 2025

Donington Hall Hotel is a historic property in West Leicestershire, UK, that will be transformed into a 49-bedroom hotel by Sibley Grove announces PR agency Sandford.

Donington Hall Hotel is the vision of Jonathan Palmer, Chief Executive of MotorSport Vision, which owns six motorsport circuits in the UK and acquired the Donington Park circuit business in 2017. The redesign of Donington Hall will feature a rich blend of timeless luxury with careful integration of its outstanding motorsport heritage. Sibley Grove has been tasked with creating stunning interiors celebrating British manufacturing, traditional crafts and techniques, and racing icons of the last hundred years.

Sibley Grove’s Studio Director, Jeremy Grove, comments, “We are thrilled to be appointed for this prestigious project, which embraces Donington’s rich cultural heritage — from its WWI history as a prisoner of war camp to its legendary motor racing legacy, including Ayrton Senna’s iconic 1993 European Grand Prix performance. By intertwining these stories with William Wilkins’ stunning neo-Gothic architecture, we are crafting a timeless design that revitalises this historic site, creating an unforgettable experience for guests, operators, and racing enthusiasts.”

In addition to converting Donington Hall, Sibley Grove is redesigning Hastings House, part of the former British Midland International airline office accommodation. This sophisticated hub will provide exceptional standards for top-end vehicle collectors, housing a private members’ lounge, conference facilities, and a secure showcase for supercars, classic road and racing cars, and motorcycles.

Jeremy speaks on working with Sandford at this significant moment:

“Incredibly, 2025 marks fifteen years of Sibley Grove. And so it makes a lot of sense to now put more of a purposeful focus on telling our story and promoting the work we have been doing. The studio has completed some really interesting projects over the years, collaborating closely with Fuller’s on numerous occasions to refurbish their restaurants and hotels; working with Selfridges on display designs for their award-winning Re-Selfridges concessions across the UK; and on various ambitious, bespoke luxury hotels and residences abroad including the award-winning Al Khozama hotel, part of LEED accredited King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) campus, Saudi Arabia.

We’re also incredibly proud of our work promoting sustainable design practices, which have been part of our ethos since the start. We rely on a carefully curated supply chain that prioritises responsible material sourcing and labour management. Our partners care deeply about design innovation, craft and quality, as well as their impact on people and the planet. Even for clients who don’t necessarily come to us for this aspect of our work, the Design for Disassembly initiative promotes the idea that timelessness and longevity are intrinsically tied to commercial value.

We’re excited to collaborate with Katherine and her team at Sandford, whose extensive experience and enthusiasm make them the perfect partners to support us during this pivotal time.”

About Sibley Grove

Jeremy Grove
Jeremy grew up in rural Suffolk on a farm estate. He moved to London for university, enrolling in a Design Studies BA course at Goldsmiths, where he graduated in 2004. Sibley Grove was founded in 2010,combining Jeremy’s passion for design with a firm commitment to protecting the natural world. His award-winning ‘Design for Disassembly’ approach encourages thoughtful contemplation on the relationship between luxury and sustainability. He is a 5x winner of Brit List’s Eco Designer of the Year award in 2020 and has taken part in multiple speaking engagements that explore environment and hospitality design, including at the Independent Hotel Show, Surface Design Show, London Design Festival, and HIX, to name a few.

Kate Sibley
Kate grew up in Devon, an area of outstanding natural beauty which undoubtedly inspired her respect for nature. She studied Eco Design & Design Studies (BA) at Goldsmiths, before completing an MA in Jewellery Design at Central St Martins. The former solidified her belief that meaningful design and environmentally friendly practices were not mutually exclusive, while the latter instilled in her a great appreciation for craftsmanship and artisanal making techniques. She is committed to influencing the design industry to embrace sustainability and make a positive impact together.

Tim Grove
Tim studied several subjects, including a BSC in Architectural Technology at Anglia Ruskin, a BTEC N/C in Building Studies at West Suffolk College, and Three-Dimensional Design at Middlesex. The last of these inspired a career in furniture design with a keen interest in materiality and making. This gave him a base understanding of how materials go together, which remains a key factor in his architectural design ethos. He joined the Sibley Grove team in 2019, becoming a Director in 2022. He is detail-orientated, with his understanding of the technical and aesthetic differences small details can make to a project, and how elements can come together more harmoniously and affect the feel and experience of the overall project.

sibleygrove.com