Out with the old and in with the new: the Feathers Hotel in Woodstock, Oxfordshire has just completed a £1 million refurbishment. All 20 bedrooms have been totally re-designed and an additional suite has been added.

And if that’s not enough, the hotel has also opened a new bar, dedicated to that noblest of spirits: gin. Sure to win fans among regulars and newcomers to the hotel, the Feathers’ gin bar will be a chic destination in its own right, somewhere to sample a range of boutique gins or indulge in the perfect martini. The bar stocks over 50 different and unusual gins.

Luc Morel, the general manager of The Feathers says: “This is a very exciting time at The Feathers. The redesign isn’t something we’ve gone into lightly – we decided to use the opportunity to introduce some major new changes including the luxury suite and a highly original new bar concept. We look forward to welcoming our guests to the new rooms and facilities.”

The Feathers’ new look has been created in sympathy with the 17th Century townhouse hotel’s existing historical features. There’s an individual schematic to each room to compliment the character of the building. The designers, Trevillion, whose previous clients include The Lords of the Manor in Upper Slaughter, The Devonshire Arms in North Yorkshire and Bovey Castle in Devon, have chosen an eclectic mix of contemporary and antique furniture to deliver a vibrant and fresh yet timeless style. Soft furnishings and wall coverings by the likes of Designers Guild, Edmund Bell, Today Interiors, Abbott & Boyd and Osborne & Little have been selected to inject a streak of colour and pattern.

A complementary approach has been taken in the public areas with bold colour and some surprising new objêts d’art against a neutral backdrop. The history of the building will be subtly woven into the schematic via external decorations, signage and objects.

The redesign is just one of a raft of changes in the last year. Never a place known for resting on its laurels, The Feathers has a new chef in Marc Hardiman who has quietly been building up a following for his creative and contemporary cuisine. Though the kitchen’s seen a change of guard, the restaurant with its beautiful antique wood panelled walls remains reassuringly familiar.