ONE of the North East’s most experienced commercial interior designers has joined a leading hospitality and leisure group within the region.
Trish Devlin, whose career spans more than 30 years, has been appointed in-house interior design manager by Newcastle-based Malhotra Group plc, having worked for the organisation on a freelance basis for the past nine years.
Malhotra Group plc owns some of Tyneside’s most popular hotels, bars and restaurants – including the Grey Street and New Northumbria hotels, Scalini’s at Jesmond and Gosforth and The Three Mile Inn, at Gosforth.
It also has a considerable investment in the residential care sector with a portfolio of homes across the North East, including the recently opened Melton House, Gosforth, designed by Trish.
In her new position as in-house designer, Trish will lead the interior design of both Malhotra Group’s care and leisure operations, liaising with and managing external designers and contractors when necessary.
Trish, from Boldon, has worked extensively within the commercial and contract interior design profession, seeing projects from concept to completion for clients such as Scottish & Newcastle Breweries, Swallow Hotels, private hotel owners and residential property building developers.
For the past 13 years she managed her own interior design freelance businesses, and complemented her skill base by completing a dementia designing course with Stirling University.
Bunty Malhotra, CEO of Malhotra Group PLC and director of care for its care division, which operates under the brand name of Prestwick Care, said: “Our full range of new build care homes has been applauded for its focus on design, which is tailored to the specific needs of the residents.
“Trish has a superb, proven, track record and, as we push ahead with our plans to create a number of new care homes – and leisure outlets – in the coming months, it made perfect sense to bring her on-board in an official capacity.”
Trish said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Malhotra family over the last nine years on a number of prestigious projects and developments and I am delighted to be appointed as in-house interior design manager.
“I am looking forward to working on the Malhotra Group’s exciting new proposed developments in both leisure and care and continuing to create bespoke interior design schemes to the company’s exacting standards.”