The St. Regis San Francisco working with design firm Chapi Chapo has recently completed an elegant update of its guestrooms, meeting spaces, and lobby, along with a reimagined bar by Blacksheep as part of the multi-phase property redesign…
If you would like to keep up to date with the latest news from Hotel Designs, subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
The St. Regis San Francisco, situated in a 40-storey architectural landmark designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, originally brought the St. Regis elegance of design to the city when it opened in 2005. The luxury hotel, sheltering 260 guestrooms has long been recognised for its ideal location, bespoke services, exquisite art collection, and timeless elegance.
Located in San Francisco’s SoMa neighbourhood and part of the Yerba Buena cultural corridor, The St. Regis San Francisco is the premier hotel for arts and culture enthusiasts. The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) is located within the property’s ground floor, and SFMOMA, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Union Square, Oracle Park, Chase Center, the Ferry Building Marketplace, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and Moscone Convention Center and more are located within blocks of the property.
“The St. Regis San Francisco prides itself on being ahead of the curve, and the reimagined interior spaces reaffirms its position as one of the most art and design-focused properties in the world,” said Roger Huldi, General Manager of the hotel. “We’re excited for guests to experience the fresh interiors, new ambiance, and beautiful art.”
In keeping with the hotel’s celebrated art collection, the design refresh integrates new pieces in the reception, bar, and dining spaces. The Blacksheep team graced the reception area with enlivening touches, such as a signature contemporary chandelier, metal detailing, and the curved framing of a decorative wall installation that mirrors the sweeping forms of the main bar. Intimate seating encourages conversation. In the dining area, a dreamy landscape titled ‘Mountain Mist’ by Janie Rochfort reflects a unique watercolour style, rich olive greens and lighter pinks, that captures the fluid colours of a sunset reflecting off San Francisco’s hills. Much like the artwork in reception, Rochfort’s painting illustrates a distinct sense of place, from the misty fog to the robust surrounding geography that contribute to San Francisco’s distinctive character.
Image credit: Marriott International / St Regis
The reimagined St. Regis Bar experience creates a welcoming atmosphere that epitomizes Northern California luxury, with rich textures and soft metallics that pay tribute the city’s unique vistas. The award-winning London-based design firm Blacksheep imbued the space with a colourful, lively, and stylish personality designed to captivate the imaginations of travellers and locals alike. The characteristics of the region, from the city’s rolling hills and cable car lines to the mountain ranges and serene landscapes of Napa Valley, informed Blacksheep’s design.The mood is light in the main bar, where a sweeping brass trellis inspired by the city’s iconic trolley lines rises overhead from the back bar before forming a series of beautifully illuminated display boxes and floating glass shelves. The bar’s illuminated backdrop, visible through the large windows, is artfully placed to capture the gaze of guests in the lounge and to beckon passersby. Dark green and dusty rose-pink upholstery is set off by sharply defined black furniture legs. Custom tables with sculptural stone bases and brass detailing add contemporary touches in counterpoint to the modern noir ambiance, with traces of the past suggested by the bar’s sophisticated shapes and millwork.
The newly refreshed ultra-luxe guestrooms and suites uphold the modern sophistication and rich heritage that are the hallmarks of every St. Regis address while capturing San Francisco’s unique innovative spirit, rich history, and natural beauty. Toronto-based Chapi Chapo Design, a prominent, multidisciplinary design firm whose principals were instrumental in the original design of the hotel, imbued the guestrooms and suites with new energy by leveraging new customised furniture, exclusive to the hotel, and thoughtful choices in colour palette and materials. Headboards, picoted with rich leather paneling suggestive of a luxury sports car interior, house outlets that power the sophisticated technological upgrades. San Francisco’s iconic hills and valleys are subtly referenced in the wall covering’s soft curves, while California’s glorious panoramas, as captured by landscape photographer Ansel Adams, are visible through layered smoked desk glass.
Honouring the California Gold Rush of 1849 that put San Francisco on the map, a colour palette of silver, copper and iron adds an alluring luster to the rooms’ ambience. These subtle references to San Francisco’s history are balanced by distinctive, custom 3D computer graphic applications created by Christo Saba. The artwork by Saba pays homage to the innovative spirit of San Francisco with subtle visualisations of past luminaries and today’s tech industry giants.
In addition to the guestrooms and suites, the redesign by Chapi Chapo also enhanced The St. Regis San Francisco’s 15,000 square feet of meeting and event spaces, creating sophisticated yet approachable areas designed to facilitate conversation and collaboration. Both the meeting and event spaces and new bar are designed to make guests feel a sense of belonging, whether visiting the city for the first time or longtime San Francisco residents.
Main image credit: Marriott International/St Regis