Sunrise Kempinski Hotel, Beijing’s most iconic building, is designed by Chief Designer Zhang Hai Ao and his team from Shanghai Huadu Architect Design Company; Interior Design is by DiLeonardo.Design
As an homage to the landscape and architecture, the interior is largely inspired by the idea of framing the view whether it is capturing the view of the exterior landscape, or framing areas within by enclosing a space, or setting a vignette of the interior décor. The designer created elements of intrigue within the overall design of the hotel by experimenting with the juxtaposition of solids and voids, and infusing reoccurring geometric forms into unexpected spaces, design elements and features.
The Lobby
The centrepiece of the hotel lobby is a custom-designed art feature. Set around the stunning staircase, the feature is composed of thousands of round glass spectrums hanging from the ceiling to the ground on stainless steel cables. Its design abstractly reflects the exterior outline of the mountainous landscape beyond Yanqi Lake. Intentionally set apart, the panels are layered behind each other within the lobby space, each with a unique design intended to create depth as the viewer looks upon it from different angles. The lobby furniture is contemporary and provides a sense of order in the open space while splashes of jewel-toned violets can be found throughout the soft finishes of the décor, carpet design and stone flooring.
Presidential Suite
Refined yet subtle, muted and uncontrived – these are the words to describe the space within the Presidential Suite. The suite is understated with a contemporary flair and furniture. Jackson Pollock-style artworks adorn the walls of the suite, while large-scale abstract floral- embossed carpet is inlaid with French walnut wood floors. Other detailing includes bevelled mirror-lined friezes around the recessed ceiling and air vents, metallic-backed, fabric wallpaper-lined panels with detailed grooves lining the walls, and silk-like material lining the back of the feature wall bookshelf in the study. The relaxed interior balances with the serene exterior view out to the lake and mountains.
Guestrooms and Suites
The guestroom design is minimal and contemporary yet relaxed. Hints of soft blues conjure a peaceful ambiance, with wallpapered panels softening the overall space while printed fabric selections for accent pillows suggest the hotel’s resort location. Honey golden wood in the flooring brightens up the space while providing a sense of warmth for the guest.
Contemporary furniture pieces in dark and golden brown zebrano are accented with metal and mirrored details adding sleekness to the room’s decor. The monolithic and large-scaled zebrano wood frame around the bed suggests the ‘framing’ concept being carried throughout the hotel’s design and brings it into the guestroom interior architectural design.
A subtle hint to Chinese influence in the modern interpretation of an antique Chinese wood-carved chair repurposed as a desk chair accompany the work desk along the wall beside the inset television. Smoked glass encases the split bathroom facilities, with the bathtub looking out into the guestroom integrating the bathroom with the living space and allowing for natural light to subtly spill into the space.
Floor Two – Atrium
Floor two connects to the ballroom and meeting rooms. The atrium space, with the connecting staircase to floor two of the hotel, is accented by a large-scale three-dimensional geometric feature wall with integrated lighting. Set within a stone frame the arrangement is an abstract set of smaller geometric three-dimensional frames of various sizes that run the height of the 5 four-storey space. Suspended within the void of the atrium is a large-scale, Ruth Asawa-inspired wire-sculpted lighting feature.
Ballroom and Meeting Rooms
The pre-function space features a two-storey-high feature wall with various linear sections composed of interchanging pieces of metal and wood, creating a continuous, bevelled rippling effect along the wall. A row of monolithic rectangular columns extends in front of the feature wall to ‘frame’ the space. The ceiling design has light alcoves that suspend an arrangement of large-scale lanterns encased within three-dimensional irregular geometric gold frames. The ballroom is envisioned to be a ‘jewellery box’, inferring that the most valuable items are within. The wall panels are upholstered in velvet while the main design feature is the ceiling, organized by a grid of squares. Within each square is a chandelier of coloured crystal pieces arranged in various lengths, mimicking the outline of a mountain range with a purplish hue.
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