INTERIORS

Ann Donald

visits a restaurant in a famous hotel where image and atmosphere are of the essence

THINK hotel restaurant and immediately think ''Oh Dear''. For many hotel restaurants the concept of ''design'' stops at the migraine- inducing orange colour scheme, the naff 1970s colour co-ordinates that decimated many a beautiful interior in the name of progress. The idea of culinary or aesthetic pleasure and a hotel restaurant is, for a large proportion of the population, a contradiction in terms. But all that is set to change.

Now think of Hadrian's. A brand new restaurant at Sir Rocco Forte's Balmoral Hotel, situated at the east end of Edinburgh's Princes Street. The immediate impression is one of polite cross-breed design. Strains of traditional respectability, echoes of art-deco, and the subtler aspects of contemporary London design all seep through into this 105-cover restaurant. This is such a timelessly designed venue it appeals across the generations. One can happily imagine taking your grandmother on her 80th birthday or your twentysomething partner on their graduation. The atmosphere is respectable without being constraining and starchy, yet casual enough that you could chill out in the small bar lounge sipping on a brandy and ice before dinner.

This is a hotel restaurant designed to elevate a maligned venue into the startling world of fashionable restaurant culture where the Marco Pierre White's, Conrans, and Rouxs of this world would be honoured to work. Image, atmosphere, and cuisine are of the essence in this latest addition to the Capital's burgeoning number of style restaurants such as The Atrium, Blue, and Indigo Yard.

It is the result of a top-class team, assembled under the auspices of Sir Rocco to take the lead at his flagship hotel and transform the former Balmoral Brasserie of old into a unique restaurant. Leading London architect David Collins (The Pelican, The Canteen, Bergdorf Goodman) was responsible for the interior, with designer-in-charge Martin Brudnizki collaborating with Olga Polizzi, sister of Sir Rocco and head of the group's 800 hotels design and refurbishment section.

Though Hadrian's opened mid-August the media launch proper will not be until October. However, Olga Polizzi happily agreed to give me a tour of both Hadrian's and the six prototype Balmoral Hotel rooms she is in the process of re-designing. They are just part of The Balmoral's overhaul that will see an expanded health and fitness club, a luxurious sauna and steam room, and a more upmarket - read expensive - No 1 restaurant implemented over the next few years. Many of these features will form the blueprint for the Rocco Hotels in Florence and the rest of the international venues.

''I do hope Edinburgh will like Hadrian's,'' declares the consumately Italian-styled interior designer with a smile. ''I am very pleased with the way it has turned out myself and judging by business during the Edinburgh Festival the international visitors thought the same. But,'' she warns, ''we need that important Edinburgh clientele throughout the year.''

The local Edinburgher gazing into this distinctive building on the corner of Princes Street and North Bridge cannot fail to have noticed the vast European-style windows of the spacious and tastefully cool restaurant that are completely at odds with its big baronial Balmoral brother.

''That is the whole point,'' comments Polizzi, pointing out the imposing wooden double door entrance. ''Hadrian's has been given a completely separate entrance and identity to the hotel. It is its own entity.''

An identity that owes much to famed Dubliner, now London-based David Collins. Head of his own firm of architects, interior, furniture and graphic designers, Collins has a sound reputation among the design cognoscenti. His philosophy for design is to use simple, natural materials of quality and endurance, with attention to detail reflected throughout the project in using artists and craftsmen for fixtures, fittings, and lighting. Sir Rocco and his sister Olga were impressed not only by the philosophy but also by the impressive list of clients Collins has garnered over the years. Hadrian's is only the latest in his award-winning eateries that count The Criterion, Bar Vendome, and The Canteen in London and recently New York's Bergdorf Goodman. Collins is remaining tight-lipped about his impending retail concept collaboration with a secret Italian fashion designer.

For Collins, his brief to design everything from furnishings to menu typeface was surprisingly simple and open. ''Apart from saying that he wanted something 'more contemporary' Sir Rocco let us have a pretty free hand,'' he explains. ''He wanted somewhere people could eat and drink that wasn't identifiable as a 'hotel restaurant' and wasn't so formal or upmarket that it would discourage the ordinary individual from entering.''

Having decided that Hadrian's should have its own entrance, Collins and Polizzi both took a look round at the competition's interiors. ''I had a quick flit round certain Edinburgh restaurants,'' admits Collins, not wanting to be drawn on specific names.

''That was partly to see what was working and what was popular. I then decided there would be no wrought-iron work or objects' trouve-type look. We wanted something that was fairly timeless and couldn't be placed as a specific statement for 1997. Nor did we want it to be one specific type of restaurant like a French brasserie or an Italian.'' For her part Polizzi had already sampled many of the city's restaurants when she visited her daughter at Edinburgh University. ''Despite the momentum created by places like The Atrium, Blue, and Indigo, I still feel that such a stunning city like Edinburgh is a bit lacking in good restaurants,'' she says of the gap in the culinary style market.

As a man raised among the Georgian architecture of Dublin, Collins appreciated the innate nuances of a city like Edinburgh. ''It's a vibrant city that is a bit more serious than the go-getting clubbers city of Glasgow,'' he offers. ''And although I decided upon low-key restful colours and soft lighting for the space I still wanted to make it an exciting environment, something that is definitely not the equivalent to sitting at home!''

As Polizzi guides me through the restaurant, I can begin to appreciate the influences Collins cited earlier: cubism, African woods, Indonesian silk lamps, varied lighting sources all mesh together into one understated but decidedly stylish whole.

''I wanted the entrance to be quite relaxed and not chi-chi in the least,'' explains Polizzi, referring to the two-tone oak and walnut flooring and muted creme-de-menthe cubist shaped lamp. Even the gold-leaf ''scratch marks'' on the doors into the bar area and intended to evoke memories of art-deco are so subtle that my guide has to highlight them.

The original bar top, fashioned out of ''highly-fired volcanic rock'', that Collins told me to look out for is intended as a sturdy but sleek base on which to serve drinks. Not least the perfectly formed cappuccinos produced by ''the first Italian coffee-machine of its kind in Scotland'' as Polizzi proudly describes her yellow and metallic wonder. Above the bar hang the trademark Collins lights. Held in place by narrow bronze fittings and in Hadrian's creme-de-menthe tone, the cubist angled silk light shades, were inspired, according to Collins by the French cubist artist Brancusi.

Again this explains the discreet but curious bronze wall sculptured hangings that face each other in the centre of the restaurants. Side-stepping round behind one of the hangings, Polozzi highlights the hidden clinically clean serving areas. ''We brought the wall forward here,'' she says. ''It helps this clean, simple plain look that I'm into just now,'' she offers, before her eyes come to rest on the brown leather and subtle green upholstered restaurant chairs. ''These were very important to Rocco,'' Polizzi smiles. ''Rocco has got a thing about comfy chairs and I agree with him. As I get older comfort and design go together whereas once upon a time it was just beauty that mattered!''

Looking down the space, one becomes increasingly aware of the varied but atmospheric lighting. ''We were very careful not to overlight Hadrian's,'' says Collins, ''because of the importance of reflected light in an environment like this.'' One of the most impressive aspects and something that echoes Collins' earlier desire for excitement are the huge 50s-styled sculptured lamps dotted around the space. Polozzi picks up the thread. ''So many people have gone over-the-top about low wattage bedroom lighting that we wanted a mixture which is why we have the wall screens, floor and ceiling lighting.''

France, Africa, and London are all cited as abstract sources of inspiration for the interior. What then of Scotland? Where is the hidden kilt to wrap around this Scottish Forte flagship? ''The Scottish flavour is entirely in our menu,'' replies Polizzi genially. ''Despite the wishes of many of our Japanese visitors who would like tartan carpets, we declined and put the Tay salmon and Isle of Seil oysters in our very Scottish menu instead.''

A winning combination they believe: a London-designed interior serving Scottish cuisine to an Edinburgh clientele. Polizzi is optimistic: ''Hadrian's is traditional, it's intimate, it's not so OTT it will offend anyone, and I have overheard many people say that they adore it already.'' If all goes well, Hadrian's may find itself invaded by a legion of culinary and style warriors.

n Hadrian's is at The Balmoral

Hotel, Edinburgh. Enter by the

North Bridge. Tel: 0131 557 5000.