St Andrew Square

Now reimagined as The Edinburgh Grand, the former

A-listed RBS head office built between 1938 and 1942 is an

impressive building situated on St Andrew Square. With many

pieces of Victorian antique brass and pewter ironmongery

and hundreds of original period doors throughout, the

ironmongery solution had to accommodate the traditional

aesthetic and be fit for the many demands of a modern hotel.

Allgood was commissioned by the project’s architect and

interior designer, both long term partners of Allgood; Karen

Brown of Chris Stewart Group and Eirini Christodoulou of

Morgan McDonnell. With such a striking, but unusual finish,

finding coordinated hardware was a challenge. Several

options were assessed before settling on a brass finish

applied to the Allgood door closers, cylinders and joinery

subcontractor’s hinges.

A collection of classic Frank Allart handles was chosen for all

apartment front doors, which also integrated with the hotel’s

access control system. To match the patina of the aged

handles, a satin nickel-plated surface was given a light bronze

finish to produce an aged nickel silver appearance. This

unlacquered, ‘living’ finish, will oxidize and patinate naturally

over time.