Product watch: design-driven tiles from Hyperion Tiles
Specialising in providing bespoke wall and flooring solutions with porcelain, stone and mosaic tiles and panels, Hyperion Tiles has released a new design-driven range of tiles to make a statement on any surface…
With increasing expectations on the bathroom and the tiles within them, balancing practicality with style is key to a successful design. As an area with high humidity, tiles may provide a perfect practical solution, but they also need to offer stylish solutions. While these new ranges are being showcased in the bathroom, they are versatile solutions which can also be used outdoors, and will work well on both floors and walls in any room setting.
“Many of our tiles can be used anywhere in a commercial setting, indoors and out,” said Richard Skeoch, director at Hyperion Tiles. “However, as you can see, these new collections lend themselves particularly well to a bathroom environment.”
Image credit: Hyperion Tiles
Image credit: Hyperion Tiles
The new Ca’ Pietra Magnifique Polished Ocean porcelain tile features a timeless, luxurious look with a high-gloss marble effect in four colour ways, offering all the luxury of marble with the practicality of porcelain.
The Deck Chair porcelain offers another contrasting yet stylish striped solution, suitable for floors and walls both indoors and out. These designs, along with Mermaids Garden, a new hexagonal design, and Maldives Lagoon which brings the colours of the ocean into the bathroom, all have design elements that lend themselves to creativity and versatility.
Hyperion Tiles is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
In conversation with: AXOR on wellness in the bathroom
To really understand whether bathroom design will flow with or push against some of the mega trends around wellness, Hotel Designs caught up with Jay Phillips, Managing Director at Hansgrohe UK, Managing Director UK & Ireland…
Conversations at Hotel Interiors Experience (HIX) last year saw views on bathroom design move to a new area of responsible wellness and wellbeing. Pushing this space beyond recreating a spa-like feel, the team of leading interior designers and architects joined a panel discussion, sponsored by Hansgrohe, to explore how the hotel sector can enhance the visitor experience by considering both physical and cognitive health.
In just the space of a few months, a lot has changed even since then. So, we have decided to speak to Jay Phillips, Managing Director at AXOR, to investigate the trends helping to make this concept workable for hospitality, not only to benefit guest experience but also commercial wellness.
Hotel Designs: First things first, what are the latest trends in shower design technology that are positively impacting wellness in the bathroom?
Jay Phillips: Developments in showers and mixers serve a fundamental purpose – to enhance the user experience. As the HIX panel discussed, this can take the form of a recharging space, finding room for quiet or escaping somewhere where distractions are minimal.
At the heart of this is how we use and enjoy water in the bathroom. We’re seeing increased demand for a more bespoke and individual experience, meaning a heightened interest and demand for innovative spray patterns, extra-large shower heads and instinctive water controls.
Image credit: AXOR
Anything that makes our lives as easy as possible, is, unsurprisingly, popular too. Our AXOR One collection with Barber Osgerby is a great example of this. The Rain and PowderRain spray patterns deliver a personalised element and are selected via highly responsive, clearly marked paddle handles that offer intuitive control of the spray, water temperature and volume to ensure the very best showering experience.
Powered by state-of-the-art Select technology, the elegant brassware from the same collection follows an equally simple mode of interaction; press down on its all-in-one controller to start or stop the water and turn clockwise to increase the temperature. The action is effortless and ultra-precise.
HD: How important is customisation and the ability to personalise the bathroom space?
JP: Personalisation is just as important in the bathroom as in any other space in the home. For too long consumers could only choose from white sanitaryware and traditional chrome finishes. The bathroom has long been viewed as a clinical and purely functional space. We are helping change this. Bathrooms are becoming personal places of sanctuary and retreat from an always on world. Given the chaotic nature of the last few years, this seismic shift is understandable.
Through our extensive range of finishes, shapes, textures, and accessories, we have risen to meet this demand for personalisation. Our showers and mixers are becoming one-of-a-kind works of art that can be used to enhance an interior scheme and deliver a higher specification finish. Marble, wood, leather, and metal are bringing a new lease of life to bathroom design and offer greater scope for creativity when used in combination with finishes such as luxury polished gold and brushed black chrome and beautifully modern Matt Black and White.
For our most exclusive AXOR products, there is also the option to add signatures and monogrammed pieces – the perfect accompaniment for a luxury hotel bathroom. The result is an individualised bathroom of superior quality.
Image credit: AXOR
HD: How can spray technology improve wellness?
JP: In a world that is perpetually connected, the ability to switch off is imperative. Moments with water provide those much-needed ways of escape. As a group, we spend a great deal of time and money investing in spray technology development to make sure our products give unparalleled experiences to our customers.
One of our key technologies is the renowned and industry acclaimed PowderRain. When showering, water should fall on the body and nowhere else. Imitating nature with warm and misty rain droplets as inspiration, PowderRain is designed to envelop the body in a gentle cocoon of water. With the advantage of micro spray technology, PowderRain is much finer than conventional shower jets; with six-outlets per nozzle, spray is transformed into thousands of micro droplets, contributing to an overall experience of pure relaxation that indulges all the senses.
HD: What role does biophilic design play in improving wellness?
JP: Used to increase connectivity to the natural environment, biophilic design is an ever-growing trend when it comes to bathrooms. As the importance of wellness is increasingly understood, the natural world is playing a crucial role inside our homes and hotels.
Prioritising this human-nature connection and understanding how biophilic experiences can reduce stress and improve health and cognitive function, the Hansgrohe Group continuously looks to nature, specifically the beauty and movement of water, to shape our product offering and brand ethos.
Take our AXOR Massaud Waterfall collection. Created to be in harmony with nature, this avant-garde collection eliminates all traces of traditional bathroom design to set the stage for a holistic experience. Mimicking the delicate shape of a blade of grass, the mixer spout is exquisitely thin and sensuously organic. The innovative spray shape takes the form of a waterfall to give maximum enjoyment of water, transforming the bathroom into a spa-like paradise.
HD: Discuss the importance of sustainable design in hospitality bathrooms?
JP: At the Hansgrohe Group, we strive to make products that boast unparalleled functionality whilst using less. We understand it is our wider responsibility to produce products that do not cost the earth or its precious resources.
Our AirPower technology, for example, ensures water is enriched with air resulting in lighter and softer droplets. Producing a velvety soft water stream, the aerated water significantly reduces overall water consumption without compromising on performance.
Image credit: AXOR
Equally effective, our CoolStart technology, an environmentally friendly resource fitted on all our basin mixers, is another example of how we are innovating and pushing industry standards in this area. On standard taps, the continuous flow heater or circulation pump starts up immediately when the handle is in the middle position, yet this is needless if the user only requires cold water. With CoolStart, only cold water flows initially meaning pipes are not filled unnecessarily with hot water, saving energy, and reducing water-heating costs.
From an ecological standpoint, by using CoolStart or AirPower products across entire hotels or larger commercial properties, the savings could be significant from a financial and water consumption perspective.
HD: How can opting for quality products boost commercial wellness?
The ability to fit a product in the knowledge that it will not cause further issues later down the line is key to always keeping rooms usable and reducing the potential for emergency callouts and disappointed customers. Here, form and function must go together, with products incorporating precision engineering which is built to last.
For example, all Hansgrohe products are tested with water or air to get as close to the bathroom experience as possible before leaving the factory. We also ‘over-test’ to ensure robustness of all our showers and taps. In the UK, three bar working pressure tends to be the average but Hansgrohe products are all tested to sixteen bar as standard.
Equally, with so many brands offering different guarantees and warranties it can be difficult to navigate the products with the most longevity. Looking out for products that guarantee every single part is an effective way to build this reassurance into product selection and room design.
Unlike other brands, Hansgrohe manufacturers every aspect of the product, including the mixer cartridges, so the whole product is guaranteed by a five-year manufacturer’s warranty. In addition, a spare parts guarantee is upheld even after the product is discontinued – for up to 15 years. Allowing you to simply ‘fit and forget’.
Responsible wellness can take different forms, but the fundamentals of opting for both precision-engineered products with distinctive, individual designs are essential. In turn, this creates the right showering experience for guests and secures building wellness for the longer-term.
Hansgrohe is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
In the factory: how Sanderson Design Group will go carbon-zero by 2030
With the aim to understand how Sanderson Design Group will go carbon-zero by 2030, Editor Hamish Kilburn headed up to Lancaster, to the printing factory of Standfast Barracks, to explore how the group is keeping British manufacturing alive…
In Northwest of England – under the shadow of the Lake District – is a factory in Lancaster that is helping to keep British manufacturing alive. Standfast & Barracks’ role in British textile design is vast. It has been a creative force in fabric printing since 1923, and stands today as one of the few British factories. To stay ahead of the curve, to be able to print intricate designs for the brand, the building shelters cutting-edge technology and a team that is as passionate as it is skilled to push innovation in textile design into a new era. It is here where the printing for Sandserson Design Group takes place, which I am told makes up 70 per cent of the factory’s work.
Inside the walls, there’s a constant challenge (and threat) to find the balance to sensitively maintain its heritage, while also meeting modern demand as a business. And with Sanderson Design Group announcing that it will be a carbon-neutral business by 2030, the latest task has been to shift production into being clean, conscious and, too, carbon-neutral.
In order to understand how both businesses are collaborating with the aim to meet this end goal in less than eight years from now, we first have to understand the step-by-step, artistic process of textile printing.
After arrival, before the fabric comes into contact with dye, the cloth begins its preparation journey by being sewn into continuous sheets ready for processing using the plaiting machine.
The material then enters the singer machine, which burns off any loose fibres from the surface. During this process, the starch used for weaving is broken down with an enzyme. It is then rotated for no less than 16 hours to continue breaking down the ‘size’ (starch).
Image credit: Standfast & Barracks
Mercerising is an essential process used for cottons, which swells the fabric fibres and enhances the lustre that helps with colour yield. The fabric is then stretched, as it shrinks in the wet processes, which is the final preparation procedure before printing occurs.
Image credit: Standfast & Barracks
The cloth then enters the dyehouse, where there are a few different methods of printing, depending on client demand. The factory has six Jig Dyers, one pad-batch dyer, which is known as the ‘Padder’ and a small laboratory where tests can be carried out efficiently.
The Jigs and Padder machines prepare the base cloths for printing, and each fabric has a standard shade that the team’s colourist checks against for continuity.
Image credit: Standfast & Barracks
Flatbed printing
Using the flatbed printing method, up to 24 colours can be used on one design, using up to 24 screens to print a full design onto fabric (each screen is used to print a different colour onto the fabric). Despite this being a long and labour-intensive process, this, I am told, is the best method of printing on the fabric in order to achieve the crispest line quality and sharpest detail. Due to the time and resources needed, the factory’s minimum order for flatbed printing in 200 metres per colourway.
Image credit: Standfast & Barracks
Rotary printing
With a rotary printer, the design is applied using cylindrical metal screens which are engraved using a laser.
The latest rotary printing machines can produce accurately fine detail and closer fitting prints; they’re very accurate, and ideal for small apparel prints. Limited to a maximum of 20 colours using this method, the factory’s minimum order for flatbed printing is 300 metres per colourway.
Image credit: Standfast & Barracks
Digital printing
The latest method of printing, constantly evolving part of the factory, is digital printing, which is where the answer lies for the factory – and Sanderson Design Group – in achieving their combined carbon-neutral goals, without compromising on quality.
The new EcoFast production process, which uses from 30-80 litres less water per metre than conventional printing, provides high-performance fabrics with both indoor and outdoor use. Due to the nature of the technology, this method enables multiple colourations to be developed and taigled for all markets and design specifications.
The factory has engineered several durable polyester-base options. These are suitable for outdoor use, with comprehensive list of performance related features, including printing with high definition durst greentex inks and a fluorocarbon finish, which makes it stain-resistant. What’s more, the process requires a minimum order of just 100 metres per SKU.
Image credit: Sanderson Design Group
So what’s next? In order to understand exactly how Sanderson Design Group and Standfast Barracks are going to achieve NetZeroby30, we sat down with Lisa Montague, CEO, Sanderson Design Group. “We have made certain assumptions and some advances past the initial five years are hard to predict, such as how hydrogen will be adopted, Lisa Montague, CEO, Sanderson Design Group, told Hotel Designs. “Our Live Beautiful program has 2 big pledges, to be Zeroby30 and to be the Employer of Choice in our industry. Both are very ambitious!”
Image credit: Clarke & Clarke/Sanderson Design Group
Image credit: Clarke & Clarke/Sanderson Design Group
“The first challenge is that we are not a green industry,” adds Montague. “We work with dyes, solvents and chemicals that require a lot of energy in production. There are many ways to reduce our impact and we are confident to reach net zero in scopes one and two with a 50 per cent reduction aim in scope three.”
I’m told that the focus in 2022 has been to design in longevity and deeply explore product lifecycle with a project group set up to work from all aspects. “As you will have seen at Standfast, base materials and print processes are already working at the forefront of the most ecological solutions available to deliver the product that is desired,” explains Montague. “Afterlife has not yet been a focus of ours, and this is an opportunity to reduce waste and make the products the most sustainable they can be. Packaging was changed a couple of years ago, moving away from plastics to sugar-cane wrapping. Sample books have been reduced by more than half across the business with digital design books introduced and physical books made to order. Supplier audits have been introduced and there is great opportunity to work more closely with all third-party partners as we emerge from the pandemic and find a new equilibrium.”
“My ambition, 10 years from now, is to be a hub of creative talent, the destination for beautiful home interiors, at home and abroad, as a trusted business partner to architects, designers, and retailers, and a reliable resource for inspiring fabrics, wallpapers and bespoke objects that compliment and bring beauty to a room.” – Lisa Montague, CEO, Sanderson Design Group.
Image credit: Harlequin/Sanderson Design Group
Sanderson Design Group is well on its way to achieving its ambitious goal. The latest milestone reached has been receiving the fourth annual certification from Planet Mark. Without taking the significance away from long-standing brands that are striving to become net-zero, in the process, there is the unavoidable challenge of maintaining a legacy while also ensuring that it is a team effort across all areas of the business. “With regards to people,” Montague says, “we have worked intensively on culture and community over the past few years, especially these past two years when facing the Covid-19 crisis, when keeping in touch with our workforce in various parts of the UK and some in other countries, was vital. We have significantly upped internal communication, and I am continuing my weekly newsletter post pandemic, to maintain that connection. Community groups in each site have been re-formed and interlink with the Live Beautiful groups to develop both group wide and local initiatives to support the work streams (100 in total with priority 20).
With so much emphasis on the brand’s eco credentials – and plans to achieve ambitious goals in the process – it’s all too easy to loose sight on the creative opportunities that these changes to production have made. “Our vision is to bring the beautiful into peoples’ homes and lives,” concludes Montague. “My ambition, 10 years from now, is to be a hub of creative talent, the destination for beautiful home interiors, at home and abroad, as a trusted business partner to architects, designers, and retailers, and a reliable resource for inspiring fabrics, wallpapers and bespoke objects that compliment and bring beauty to a room.” And having seen what I have seen at the Standfast & Barracks factory, and the collaborative nature in which both companies are evolving with meaning, I would say that Montague’s objectives are in reach.
Sanderson Design Group is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
LEDS C4 presents more technical & efficient outdoor lighting solutions
The latest outdoor lighting proposals from LEDS C4 have been designed to provide clients with quality lighting solutions. Let’s take a look…
LEDS C4, which has been in the press recently for its various office lighting case studies, has unveiled its latest cluster of outdoor lighting products that have been designed to blend into the surroundings, and offer a modern and seamless way-finding solution.
The Modis design stands out for its incredibly flexible ball joint – the head rotates 350 degrees to the sides and 180 degrees up and down – which offers total freedom when designing the space, giving you the option to choose the type of light beam, either concentrated or diffuse.
Image credit: LEDS C4
Image credit: LEDS C4
The collection includes an extensive product range, offering integral outdoor project solutions. Available as a projector, wall fixture, ceiling light, beacon or lamppost.
The smart version allows users to personally and remotely control each light fitting and manage the lighting level as required, enabling you to save energy. Modis has great blow resistance, excellent protection to stop the entry of dust and pressurised water and it can even be installed in seaside settings thanks to the cataphoresis treatment applied before painting.
REK, meanwhile, allows you to fully illuminate a road using a smaller number of bollards than if you go for other conventional models, thanks to their optimal inter-distance between bollards of five metres. This helps achieve greater energy savings, with 35 per cent less consumption. Apart from the obvious savings in the total cost of the project, this means that the landscape is not altered so noticeably and greater architectural integration can be achieved.
The Rek beacon can be managed remotely using the Casambi app and can perform a range of functions, including programming switch-on/off according to set times.
Image credit: LEDS C4
And finally, Rack is a new and extensive outdoor, decorative and functional collection. Thanks to its customisable design and professional light quality, it’s the perfect fixture for all kinds of outdoor applications. It adapts to all aesthetic needs without sacrificing the high performance required, for example, by the retail or hotel industries.
The Rack collection is presented with a common aesthetic in the eight available options, both in the table, wall, floor and beacon versions, with the aim of achieving an attractive uniformity across the environment. In all cases, it has decorative side covers, an interchangeable top cover with two popular finishes available: wood and cement and a choice of different colours in its finishes — black as standard and the rest on request. In addition, most versions are compatible with a spherical opal glass diffuser to recreate a more subdued light.
Image credit: LEDS C4
Rack is a new and extensive outdoor, decorative and functional collection. Thanks to its customisable design and professional light quality, it’s the perfect fixture for all kinds of outdoor applications. It adapts to all aesthetic needs without sacrificing the high performance required, for example, by the retail or hotel industries.
The Rack collection is presented with a common aesthetic in the eight available options, both in the table, wall, floor and beacon versions, with the aim of achieving an attractive uniformity across the environment. In all cases, it has decorative side covers, an interchangeable top cover with two popular finishes available: wood and cement and a choice of different colours in its finishes – black as standard and the rest on request. In addition, most versions are compatible with a spherical opal glass diffuser to recreate a more subdued light.
LEDS C4 is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Sneak peak: Hotel Genevieve sets its sights on a spring 2023 opening
Hotel Genevieve, with a name inspired by the regional Saint Genevieve limestone which is key to local bourbon production, a new property from Bunkhouse Group and the design team at ROHE Creative, is set to open in spring 2023…
Bunkhouse, an Austin-based hospitality company founded on the pillars of design, music, and authentic community-driven experiences, has announced its plans for Hotel Genevieve, a new project in Louisville. The property, with architecture by Memphis-based LLW Architects, is located in the heart of the NuLu neighbourhood, will shelter 122 guestrooms on six floors, along with a restaurant, lush rooftop, mini market, and intimate bar. With a name inspired by a regional type of limestone which is a key ingredient in bourbon production, and Saint Genevieve, a female saint and the patron saint of Paris, thus celebrating both the French origins of Louisville, which was named after King Louis XVI of France, as well as the women involved on the project. Louisville, named for King Louis XVI of France and known as Strike City, definitely has French origins, but is a decidedly American city with a legacy peppered with rebels and revolutionaries.
Image credit: Hotel Genevieve / ROHE
Bunkhouse is partnering with ROHE Creative, a female-owned and operated design team based in Philadelphia, on the interior design of the project. As the city is much more layered than simply being about bourbon and horses, the design represents the nuances that make Louisville a destination for all. An intersection of unexpected opposites, the hotel dives into Strike City’s history. The lobby and restaurant’s signature bold colours, playful furniture, and vivacious art program will all lend themselves to the rebels and revolutionaries that have come from Louisville. The Parisian-inspired rooftop restaurant and bar will include French nods to the city’s namesake, King Louis XVI, and will heavily feature Louisville’s vibrant local flora. Corridors and guest rooms will offer a feminine touch with curves found in paint details and custom furniture. Kentucky’s quilt culture also became a muse, including modern quilting patterns in the corridor carpet and bedroom throws. This myriad of inspiration culminates in a design that is effortless, vibrant, and, in the best ways, a bit over the top.
Image credit: Hotel Genevieve / ROHE
“Our commitment to the communities we enter is genuine, and we intend to celebrate the character of the NuLu neighbourhood, which we love, across cultural programming, ingredient sourcing for the menu, and the selection of regional makers and products in the retail mix,” said Amar Lalvani, Executive Chairman of Standard Hotels and Bunkhouse Group. “We could not be more thrilled with the collaborative team we’ve created to introduce Bunkhouse to Louisville.”
Image credit: Hotel Genevieve / ROHE
As Bunkhouse’s first hotel in Louisville, it will aim to provide the amenities that the NuLu neighbourhood and community need, which will lead to a number of Bunkhouse firsts, including a mini-market offering curated grocery staples, which will feature fresh local produce, snacks, and beverages. The hotel will also feature the brand’s first rooftop restaurant and bar, a magical enclave providing city views in an opulent garden setting. Bunkhouse will continue to lean on the brand’s values and sense of community by collaborating with local vendors, sourcing furniture in town, and hiring Louisville-born staff. The neighbouring Rabbit Hole Distillery is partnering with Bunkhouse and Mountain Shore Properties, the Charleston-based developers of the project, to create an art garden that will help facilitate access as well as enhance connectivity to the distillery from Market Street.
Living the vida Locke: checking in to Buckle Street Studios
Stepping out of the underground and into the concrete oasis of calm that is Buckle Street Studios by Locke felt like a great way to combine a busy London trip with experiencing the hybrid design concept of flexible hotel space first hand – all those buzzwords made tangible. Pauline Brettell writes…
Located in Aldgate, East London, you already feel more like a local and less like a tourist by opting for a studio space in The Buckle Street Studios, and that is precisely the point. The small-but-perfectly-formed studio spaces have been designed by the creative talent of Grzywinski + Pons, to provide visitors with that hybrid mix of hotel, home and studio that allow you to work, play and relax in a space that you can make your own. There is an immediate sense of this being a place to lay your hat.
Image credit: Buckle Street Studios / Grzywinski + Pons / Nicholas Worleyrs
Stepping off the busy London street and into the public areas, Buckle Street Studios does feel more curated gallery than hotel lobby, with light flooding in through industrial-sized glass frontage, well-designed corners, hard edges and soft seating, along with a minimalist concept store style display that catches the eye, and piques interest. The Makers Space in the lobby is a feature that underlines the brand ethos of locality of space, with the makers on display all predominantly based in and around the area. The dramatic suspended floral arrangement is a focal point that draws your attention up and creates an interesting contrast to the hard edges of the exposed structure. Again, these spaces, despite the double volume, have a sense of intimacy and you do feel like you can step in and rearrange the seating to suit your purpose, from quiet conversation to a more formal meeting.
“Buckle Street Studios is the cherry on top of an exceptionally busy year of new openings across Europe for Locke. The project is another masterstroke in design by Grzywinski+Pons, and an example of how hotels as spaces are evolving to become increasingly hybrid and versatile,” said Eric Jafari, Chief Development Officer and Creative Director, Locke. “The concept store and Makers Space is a particularly exciting project for us, and we hope that it will enable guests and locals to discover some of the most talented emerging creatives in the UK.”
Image credit: Buckle Street Studios / Grzywinski + Pons / Nicholas Worleyrs
Moving from the public space into the lift, again there is the sense of location and community in the details, with a notice for a yoga class in the evening, and the monthly book club meeting on the mezzanine. It all goes back to the brand notion of ‘finding your tribe’, of community and connection, an antidote to the anonymity of travel, and an answer to the flexibility afforded by remote working.
Image credit: Buckle Street Studios / Grzywinski + Pons / Nicholas Worleyrs
Opening the door into the studio, home for the night, everything was in place for a comfortable working visit. There is a suggestion of the Le Corbusier ethos of a space being ‘a machine for living in’ in the studios, with functionality being at the core of the design. Space is maximised without being crowded, and for this to be achieved it must work hard below the surfaces. In fact, the surfaces within the design create an interesting juxtaposition with a lot of hard edged concrete housed within the unapologetically industrial exterior, all softened with round upholstered edges in soft calm colours and velvety textures.
With just enough time to offload my suitcase and, for those more organised than me, to make use of the ample storage to hang clothes and stash a bag, I was able to make myself a strong coffee while checking my emails, all while admiring the urban landscape view from the window. Again, that trademark mix of functionality and comfort with practical surfaces and economic shapes all softened with softer notes of luxury in the pared down palette of soft neutrals and sophisticated pastels.
Image credit: Buckle Street Studios / Grzywinski + Pons / Nicholas Worleyrs
Image credit: Buckle Street Studios / Grzywinski + Pons / Nicholas Worleyrs
Lighting is given the same attention as the furniture and fittings, with bespoke details designed to maximise the space along with its multi-functionality. In a space that is required to be bedroom, boardroom and living room, lighting needs to address all of these functions, and the plan within the studio space maximised natural light, something often overlooked in hotel design, while including the more focussed and functional options in a user-friendly format.
Image credit: Buckle Street Studios / Grzywinski + Pons / Nicholas Worleyrs
While there is ample work space within the studios, should you get tired of your own company, there is of course the more communal option in the public and mezzanine area downstairs. This area feels like an extension of the private studio space, with the same quiet and understated scheme, along with all the facilities required for a functional workspace – and of course there is that great display of biophilic glory in the rafters to calm your senses and connect you to nature despite being in the centre of the city.
With Buckle Street being more apartment block than hotel, the hotel offering in Locke Leman is adjacent with its shared facilities available to all guests. If you aren’t staying long enough to stock up the fridge in your studio or simply need some refreshment and respite from your routine, The Shaman coffee shop and restaurant is perfect for a flat white and croissant en-route to the station. If you are concerned about not getting your step count up to speed, not usually a problem for visitors to London, there is also a communal workout space which guests at the studios have access to.
Finally, going back to that buzzword of ‘hybrid design’ and the concept of flexible hotel space that is being discussed across the hotel design boards at the moment – Buckle Street Studio delivers on all fronts. It is that merging of function and blurring of lines on offer here that presents guests with some very stylish and contemporary solutions in the heart of London.
Main image credit: Buckle Street Studios / Grzywinski + Pons / Nicholas Worleyrs
Standing tall at 51 stories in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, is the first-ever W Hotels Worldwide and Element by Westin dual-branded hotel development. Having announced the opening of W Philadelphia in Q4 of last year, with new interior images hot off the press, it’s time to take a closer look at the design and the details sheltered within…
The dual branding of this project in the centre of Philadelphia has allowed for two distinctive styles and experiences to be developed through design and offered to guests. W Philadelphia is a luxurious custom brand that disrupts the status quo, and Element, an extended stay brand, increases guests’ awareness of sustainability. Marriott entrusted award-winning architecture, design, and strategy firm NELSON Worldwide to lead the architecture of the new dual-branded W/Element hotel to meet the demands of today’s travellers.
Image credit: Marriott International
Early on in the project, the interior design firm designstudio ltd, established the design narrative for the W Philadelphia as ‘Ring Free’. This concept focused on the collection of the city’s rich history, including the birthplace of democracy, the first planned gridded city, and the origin of horticulture in North America with a region rich in public gardens and parks. Throughout the property, this narrative is woven into both the architecture and the interior design.
Now the tallest hotel building in Philadelphia, W/Element makes a striking impact on the existing city skyline. The cascading vertical LED lights and stepped private terraces at the top of the glass tower pay homage to the local Wissahickon Valley Falls and the Schuylkill River cliffs. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows fold in and out of the façade, mimicking the rock outcroppings of the Wissahickon while providing sweeping views of central Philadelphia from each of the guestrooms and suites.
Image credit: Marriott International
Image credit: Marriott International
At the base of the tower is a seven-story stone and precast podium housing the public spaces showcasing the masonry and historic context of the neighbouring limestone structures. The street is lined with many uniquely designed entrances that provide a separate identity for each brand, as well as the restaurant, retail and employee entrances. The façade encompasses a mosaic of textures and patterns of stone, metal, and glass, giving tribute to the city’s diversity. They represent the layers of history and culture that are interwoven into Philadelphia’s social fabric. Paying homage to Penn’s planned city, a patterned interlayer grid is set into the glass canopy and the vestibule at the W entrance. A vertical ornamental metal screen separates the masonry base as a nod to its main entrance while simultaneously drawing your eye up to the tower above. Fortifying the historical aspect of Philadelphia, the metal grid extends into the entrance, directing guests as they approach the lobby. Once inside, guests recall the patterned grid throughout the interior, including its use as decorative screened walls and ceiling features.
Image credit: Marriott International
Inside the W are many standout elements that enhance the materiality and colour story by drawing inspiration from Philadelphia’s parks, gardens, music, and nightlife. The Living Room, inspired by the sunken gardens and tree lined urban parks, features banquettes that act as hedge walls, a serpentine-inspired sofa, and a variety of bright-coloured accent pillows that complement the outdoors-in aesthetic. Staying in line with the brand, the design team incorporated a rich bronze tone throughout the space.
Image credit: Marriott International
Playing on the connection to nature, the seventh floor outdoor deck encompasses an outdoor heated pool with intricate tile work inspired by French parterre patterns, which influenced the formal gardens of Philadelphia. This section of the hotel is lined with mosaic tiles imported from Italy, giving the hotel an amplified, luxurious feel. Floral patterns are sprinkled throughout the outdoor WET deck and connect guests to the WET Bar inside. In addition to the bar, guests can enjoy a drink in one of several outdoor cabanas near the pool, gather around the fire pit, or relax in front of the outdoor fireplace. Social events include a night in the secret garden, defined by topiary hedges, containing illuminated busts of Maria Antionette and Ben Franklin, who spent time in Versailles when he was the ambassador of the United States, as a twist to formal landscaped gardens. This floor also includes an AWAY Spa, and two fitness centres, one with an outdoor deck for yoga and stretching.
Image credit: Marriott International
In addition to the provocative design experience of the W brand, the 460 guestroom Element is an extended-stay hotel designed for today’s active travellers looking for clean, light, and airy guest rooms with sustainability-focused philosophy, in-room kitchens, and spa-inspired bathrooms. Guestrooms are equipped with Westin Heavenly Beds addressing the wellness and balanced lifestyle expectations of the guests. Pets are also welcome with their own beds, treats, eco-friendly clean-up supplies, and more. The second level of the podium includes a fitness centre, common lobby, business centre, and dining area for healthy breakfast and evening receptions. A Bike-to-Borrows programme is also provided.
Balancing sustainability and luxury were top of mind for both hotel brands as the W/Element hotel is seeking USGBC LEED Certification. The building includes many sustainable design features, most notably is the use of infrared sensors in each guestroom to reduce energy consumption when rooms are vacant. Other factors include LED lighting throughout, low flow water faucets, toilets and showers, and a green housekeeping policy. Greater than 12 per cent of all building materials include recycled content, more than 20 per cent were sourced locally, and in addition, all interior building materials have low VOC content.
Wynn Las Vegas has unveiled plans for new luxury accommodations with a new look and extensive design evolution led by Todd-Avery Lenahan that will transform more than 2600 guestrooms. Here’s what we know…
Wynn Las Vegas has unveiled details of a new room concept that will transform its luxury guest accommodations across Wynn Las Vegas and Wynn Tower Suites. Currently under construction and scheduled to be completed by June 2022, the project is the largest and most extensive design evolution ever made to the tower’s 2,674 guestrooms, suites, elevator lobbies, and resort tower corridors.
“Wynn sets the standard for luxury experiences and unparalleled service by continuously evolving to meet and exceed the needs of our guests,” said Brian Gullbrants, President of Wynn Las Vegas. “Our thoughtful and intuitive new room design provides a more integrated in-room experience, giving guests greater control and choice over how they wish their room to function as they relax, enjoy, work, and entertain during their stay.”
Image credit: Wynn Las Vegas
At its heart, the new guestroom design intends to give travellers a sense of escapism that feels instantly comfortable and familiar. Rooted in a polychromatic palette of soft hues, layers of pattern and texture abound. Each room is highlighted by wood accent walls, a range of functional and atmospheric illumination, luxurious textiles and linens, and accents of natural stone, decorative metal, and original artwork.
New furniture, fixtures, lighting, and artwork – all exclusive to Wynn Las Vegas – were either custom designed by Lenahan or commissioned from a diverse collective of global master artisans. Focal points include a dramatic four poster canopy bed exclusive to the Wynn Tower Suites, a collection of commissioned artworks consisting of refined, modern pieces, as well as a lighting design created to enhance the ambient experience both day and night.
Image credit: Wynn Las Vegas
“As guests’ needs and tastes evolve, we are constantly advancing details that not only meet but exceed their discerning tastes,” said Todd-Avery Lenahan, President and Chief Creative Officer of Wynn Design and Development. “Our redesigned rooms are equal parts warm and dramatic, intimate and sophisticated. The guestrooms are meant to be your personal space while we are hosting you and are designed to be a respite, an exhale at the end of your day.”
Image credit: Wynn Las Vegas
Each guestroom, from the standard 59 square-metre Wynn Resort King to the 169 square-metre Wynn Tower Suite Salon, offers a retreat-like environment and features a bespoke iteration of the new theme, which is decidedly more residential. Although individual touches have been created to suit differing room layouts, the most notable changes include a reconfiguration to the washroom in the standard guest room to introduce separate vanities and double the storage space; an expanded dressing area with mirrored walls and upgraded closet with new wardrobe; and an extended multi-purpose table in the main living room for working and dining. Additional power and data ports and advanced touchless in-room technologies complete the project.
Image credit: Wynn Las Vegas
Under the direction of Todd-Avery Lenahan, the new guestroom design propels the resort’s signature style ethos of elegance, artfulness, and comfort into a new era of artistic expression. Over the past months, Lenahan debuted original designs including the instantly iconic supper club, Delilah at Wynn Las Vegas, a lavish cinematic masterwork; The Cocktail Collection on the Lake of Dreams, including Overlook Lounge, Aperitifs & Spirits, Bar Parasol, and Aft Cocktail Deck; and the resort’s newest restaurant, Casa Playa, an energetic confluence of coastal Mexican architecture and timeless cultural iconography.
Case study: CTD Architectural Tiles adds flavour to new London restaurant
CTD Architectural Tiles has partnered with Natalie Weavers Interiors to create a tasteful design scheme for a new Lahpet restaurant in London’s vibrant West End…
CTD Architectural Tiles worked closely with interior commercial designer Natalie Weavers Interiors on the new project which will provide a second outlet for Lahpet, a popular restaurant offering authentic Burmese cuisine. The interior design scheme is naturally inviting, with light wood and concrete finishes complemented by the warm pink hues of the walls and the use of green foliage. The commercial tile package features options from the Tint, Traffic and Medley by Ergon ranges, and was devised to provide both aesthetic appeal and durability to meet the demands of a busy London restaurant.
Image credit: CTD Architectural Tiles / Kathrin Werner
The classic matt finish of the rectangular Tinte tiles gives the walls of the restaurant a striking textured feel and has been specified in shades of soft pink and dramatic black. The larger format, unglazed porcelain Traffic tiles in dark grey provide further contrast and interest to the broad wall areas. The floor of the restaurant has been styled using the Rock tiles from the Medley collection. As well as offering excellent slip-resistance, the stylish tiles offer a contemporary interpretation of a classic Venetian Terrazzo design.
CTD Architectural Tiles is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Main image credit: CTD Architectural Tiles / Kathrin Werner
Cove expands in Europe with new properties in the Netherlands
Next generation serviced apartment brand Cove has announced its expansion into Europe, beginning with the Netherlands, with the opening of ‘Cove – Centrum’ situated in The Hague, and a conversion of Amsterdam-based serviced apartments ‘The Wittenberg’ to ‘Wittenberg by Cove’…
With the changing work-life balance, Cove has emerged in response to the need for a different kind of accommodation and a new way of being. The trademark spacious apartment concept combines thoughtful design with future-facing technology, embodying the notion of flexible living to enable life in all modes. Since launching in 2021, Cove, an edyn brand, has continued to grow its portfolio of properties, proving its place as the next generation serviced apartment brand. With locations across key cities in the UK including Liverpool, Nottingham, Manchester and Cardiff, openings in the Netherlands will follow its November 2021 opening of Cove – Landmark Pinnacle, the brands flagship location in London’s highly sought-after Landmark Pinnacle development in Canary Wharf.
“We are thrilled to announce Cove’s expansion into mainland Europe so soon after its launch in 2021,” said Stephen McCall, CEO, edyn. “The opening of ‘Cove – Centrum’ and ‘Wittenberg by Cove’ conversion is a great milestone in our journey that signals both our intent on the continent as well as further investment in our belief that guests are increasingly looking for flexible, thoughtfully designed accommodation – regardless of whether they’re travelling for work or leisure.”
Image credit: Cove
Designed to cater to the always-on traveller, Cove’s expansion into Europe will build on the brands success in the UK, with ‘Cove – Centrum’ offering 121 thoughtfully designed apartments, while ‘Wittenberg by Cove’ will provide 115 one- and two-bedroom apartments, all of which include private Wi-Fi, fully fitted kitchens and living rooms, as well as large kitchen tables to accommodate work and leisure.
Image credit: Cove
Image credit: Cove
Located in the heart of The Hague, ‘Cove – Centrum’, the brands landmark property in mainland Europe, opened last month. Comprising 112 studio apartments, six large studio apartments and three accessible studio apartments, ‘Cove – Centrum’ serves as a base for business travellers, as well as leisure guests and families seeking more spacious, comfortable accommodation. This new opening also includes a 250 square metre lobby that features a stylish lounge and co-working space, 24-hour reception, as well as a communal laundry room, car parking and bicycle hire.
Situated in the city’s busiest shopping district of Grote Markstraat, ‘Cove – Centrum’ is only a stone’s throw from a host of great restaurants, a local market and is a short bike ride away from the city’s most popular beach. Housed in the iconic De Passage building, designed by architect Bernard Tschumi, the interiors reflect the brand’s contemporary sophisticated aesthetic, with soothing colour palettes, walnut floors and bespoke furniture featured throughout.
Image credit: Cove
Initially launched as an independent extended stay brand within the edyn umbrella in 2018, The Wittenberg has been brought into edyn’s Cove brand. Situated in the green and tranquil Plantage district of Amsterdam’s east side, known as the cultural garden of the city, the properties peaceful canal-side setting is ideally located just a 15-minute walk away from Amsterdam’s main train station and a short walk from the local museums and parks, as well as the many bars and restaurants that line the canals crisscrossing the area. Located in a historic building, dating back to 1722, the property has been tastefully converted into modern residences while still preserving the ethos, charm and character of the original building.
Image credit: cove
Image credit: Cove
All the 115 apartments have beautiful canal and courtyard garden views, and ‘Wittenberg by Cove’ offers studios with non-compromised functionality, one-bedroom apartments with striking traditional Dutch interiors, two-bedroom apartments with elegant minimalist design and three-bedroom mezzanine apartments that embrace and enhance the building’s timeless features. The property also provides communal spaces in the form of an honesty bar, gym, co-working area, two courtyards and a large garden. Possessing stylish yet practical interiors that work with the unique features of the building, the finished design is a comfortable, homely and light-filled space.
Meeting in London’s leafy Richmond Park ahead of 60-mile bike ride around the Surrey Hills, Editor Hamish Kilburn and Dale Atkinson, Founder, Rosendale Design discuss blurring boundaries in hospitality, the new meaning of wellness and the value of relationships in interior design…
Holding a dictaphone while trying to maintain an aerodynamic position while on a road bike is a first for me. But when interior designer Dale Atkinson, Founder of Rosendale Design, and I both discovered cycling as a common ground/hobby, when we caught up recently at MEET UP London, it was only ever going to be a matter of time before we would both find ourselves in the saddle and fighting for slipstreams while confronting epic climbs.
That glorious day came sooner than I thought. As April creeped into May – on a balmy spring morning, I arrived in Atkinson’s hometown of Richmond with the ambitious aim to conduct an engaging interview on two wheels. “I love exploring this area. Despite the fact that I live here, I am always taken aback by how much there is to be inspired by,” Atkinson said warmly as we clipped in to start our 60-mile adventure. “Seriously, it has it all. The architecture of old stately homes, such as Ham House – and Petersham Nurseries is on our door step. The blossoming Isabella Plantation, with its vibrant colours! And Kew Gardens is just around the corner. [As a designer], I can find inspiration everywhere I turn.”
Image caption: In 2014, Dale Atkinson founded Rosendale Design. Since then, the interior designer has worked on many hospitality and residential projects that eloquently and meaningfully challenge conventional approaches to design. | Image credit: Rosendale Design
Aware that interviewing Atkinson on busy roads while cycling would be a unwise idea – even by my standards – I challenged myself to get the full low-down from the interior designer – from his time at Foster + Partners and other studios to now nurturing his very own success story of a studio – in the time it took us to complete our warm-up laps around Richmond Park, which if you didn’t know is a cycling haven where the traffic obstructions largely consist of wild deer and other cyclists. And there was no better place to start our interview than in the present moment. As we made our way past Richmond Gate, I wanted to learn more about Atkinson’s most recent project.
Hamish Kilburn: Having seen some of the photos of your work at Hamptworth Golf Club, how and why is it becoming acceptable to blur the boundaries in design between hotels, members clubs and even residential?
Dale Atkinson: I think nowadays, it is not acceptable, but necessary, for country clubs, members clubs and hotels to be able to offer as many amenities as possible to retain the customers within the property and extend their time, and thus spending.
Image caption: Render of the new arrival experience at Hamptworth Golf Club. | Image credit: Rosendale Design
Image caption: Render of the new F&B experience at Hamptworth Golf Club. | Image credit: Rosendale Design
Members clubs have for some time provided their members with spaces to work and have meetings from, but they also provide great socialising facilities and in some cases rooms to stay overnight. But not everyone has access, or can afford, to join these clubs. Now, many establishments, including hotels, want to follow suit and provide these facilities with a similar ambiance.
With many working from home, the pandemic really kick-started an onslaught of home improvements, and many wanted to recreate environments where they can escape.
“Each project gives me a new lease of energy.” – Dale Atkinson, Founder, Rosendale Design.
HK: Honestly, what’s been the highs (climbs) and the lows (descents) since setting up your own studio in 2014?
DA: Undoubtedly, the pandemic would take top spot for the low point, as it would for many! But I must confess, in retrospect, it also gave me the opportunity to learn how to be more malleable as a company. We really did have to carefully navigate issues daily.
The high point, to be truthful, happens with every new project! Each project gives me a new lease of energy. For me, it is all about the people and I love working closely with, especially our clients, and getting to know them as people. Right now, we are again working with Badrutts Palace, in St Moritz, and they are such an amazing team to work with. It is an honour to know we pleased them so much with our first collaboration just before the pandemic. Most of our clients are returning and some recommend us to friends and family. For me, the personal aspect is always far more fulfilling, it is why I do what I do!
HK: Considering where we are and what we’re doing (speeding down Broomfield Hill at pace), it would be remise of me not to bring up wellness. In your eyes, how has this mega trend taken on a whole new meaning since 2020?
DA: Well, I think there has always been a focus on physical wellness or mental wellbeing but in the last couple of years a wholistic approach has really come to the fore. This has also reinforced our connection with nature, which is also driving sustainability. Those buzzwords get mentioned a lot, but they are all so tightly interwoven.
With most of us experiencing 2020 in the confines of our houses, the first lockdown in particular was a real shock to the system, and mental wellbeing was highlighted.
HK: Your portfolio is glued together by the solid relationships you form with your clients. Just how important is that element of your business?
DA: I really love what I do, and I consider myself very fortunate, but this is solely because of the amazing people you meet along the way.
I keep in contact with many clients long after the project completes. For example, I have known Michelin-star chef and restauranteur Jason Atherton and his family for 10 years. This decade-long relationship developed into an understanding and, ultimately, a trust that he bestowed onto me when he asked me to design his family home.
After completing Atherton’s house, we were approached by the CEO of Burberry to design their home. The family are very down to earth and wanted a space that was a family hub and one where they could entertain friends both inside and out in the expansive garden.
Image caption: One of Dale Atkinson’s passion projects, among many, has been designing the CEO of Burberry’s house. | Image credit: Rosendale Design
HK: What’s been the biggest lesson you have learned since starting your own business – and knowing what you know now in this industry, would you do anything differently if you could turn back the clock?
DA: The biggest lesson I have learned is the value of relationships, not only with clients, but the building team and even design team. If everyone is onboard working together and enjoying themselves then you get to the end and feel so much better. I hear stories of some people who believe taking a hardline keeps people on their toes and increases productivity, but I don’t see it. I’m far more willing to go above and beyond for someone I respect – I think it is human nature.
The other lesson I learned, and is just as important, is to believe in yourself and your instincts. Listen to the small voice inside – its there for a reason. Also, there are times you really need to sell an idea to a client that you believe in. If they see your belief and determination then nine times out of 10, the client will trust you. Once they sense a lack of belief, it can all unravel.
Image caption: The guestrooms inside The Stafford Hotel were designed by Dale Atkinson and his team, following the studio’s sucess
DA: One thing I learned about you recently was that you were a lighting designer before becoming an ‘interior designer’. What’s the biggest pitfall designers can fall down when they don’t have the budget for a lighting consultant?
DA: It was always my intention to study the properties of light before setting up on my own. I worked at a lighting design consultancy for a couple years until I was asked to join the team at Foster + Partners.
I do feel that there are many that do not fully understand the properties of light, which is, put simply, one of the most important mediums we work with. When I was studying at the Bartlett, I focussed on this.
In general, lighting designers can help bring a space to life by creating layers within the scheme, considering both artificial and natural light. I feel this sets Rosendale Design aside from the others, as we can provide tailored concepts but the client does not need to hire a lighting designer, and can save a considerable amount.
Following my quick-fire catch-up with Atkinson, it was time to put down the microphone and safely head out towards the countryside, where the climbs were real, to practice what we preached when it came to wellness.
Image caption: Multitasking, Editor Hamish Kilburn and interior designer Dale Atkinson wrapped up the interview and headed out for an inspirational cycle, which took them on an adventure around the Surrey Hills to return to Richmond Park where they soaked up the colourful display inside Isabella Plantation. There are worse ways to spend a Friday.
For me, it was beyond refreshing to speak to an interior designer in their own territory, while doing what we both loved. By taking a bit of risk – I mean, I could have ended up on somebody’s windscreen in the making of this memorable interview and experience – stepping away from my desk and the emails to seek inspiration in nature, I have realised that relationships in this arena can indeed be fuelled by pedal power, banter and a cheeky mid-ride glass of fizz. After all, it’s not all work and no play.
Following NEWH UK Chapter’s Top ID Event, which took place inside London’s Roca Gallery, on March 31, Rita Bancroft explores the wellbeing qualities of networking…
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the World Happiness Report, which uses global survey data to report how people evaluate their own lives in more than 150 countries worldwide. Over a century of research has proven how crucial social connection is for our well-being. One of the most remarkable changes seen during COVID-19 has been the global upsurge in benevolence. In every global region, there have been large increases in the proportion of people who give money to charity, help strangers, and do voluntary work. Altogether the global average of these three measures was up by a quarter in 2021, compared with before the pandemic.
The concept of networking and benevolence is nothing new to NEWH, as these are the building blocks on which the NEWH was founded. The association is a leading networking group for the hospitality industry, providing student scholarships, education, leadership growth, recognition of excellence, and business development opportunities. This year NEWH UK Chapter celebrates its 20th Anniversary.
Christine Granger, Associate at Indigo Art is the new Events Director for the NEWH UK Chapter. The UK’s diary is packed with events designed to raise scholarship funds. Chrissie could not be more excited about the year ahead and said, “now everyone is getting busier, we recognise people are more selective on the events they choose to attend, which is why NEWH has such a diverse programme for the year ahead. There is something for everyone. Whether its hotel visits, a postcard auction, or our 20th anniversary party – there are so many reasons to meet, so we can all feel good and do good.’ Hotel Designs agrees, and were delighted to invite the three 2021 scholarship winners Emily Marzocchi, Bianca Tirca and Gintare Rapoport, to our Brit List awards last year and will be supporting the NEWH throughout 2022.
Image credit: NEWH
The most recent event was the prestigious Top ID Awards, held at the Roca Gallery on March 31 2022. The accolade of TopID is determined by considering both the quality of a firm’s work and the support and dedication they have provided to the NEWH membership and events. Winning practices are celebrated internationally across the NEWH global network. This year’s UK Chapter winners were SparcStudio, THDP and AD Associates.
Each winner recognised the value of designing relaxing hospitality spaces, focussed on enhancing wellbeing, whether that is creating a welcoming ambience, or a new spa and gym space. The annual Top ID Awards also serve to remind us how vital it is we interact as an industry, celebrate design, and create opportunities for the next generation.
Hotel Designs is delighted to support a calendar of events designed to reconnect those of us working in the hospitality industry, and in doing so, support the next generation by raising scholarship funds for students studying interior design and architecture.
SHVO and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts have announced the restoration of Miami Beach’s most storied property, The Raleigh. A landmark in the heart of Miami’s vibrant Art Deco district, the project will feature three distinct components designed by renowned architect Peter Marino…
SHVO, the New York-based, culture-defining real estate development and investment firm, and ultra-luxury global hospitality brand Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, have announced the next chapter of the iconic Miami Beach property, The Raleigh, with a highly anticipated revival and restoration. the three components designed by Peter Marino include a 60-key hotel managed by Rosewood, entirely restored and elegantly modernised with ultra-luxury service and amenities; Rosewood Residences Miami Beach, a newly constructed 17-storey oceanfront tower featuring 44 residences and timeless architecture; and a private member’s club offering beachfront dining and leisure.
“As the steward of Miami’s most iconic property, The Raleigh, I am thrilled to partner with preeminent luxury hotel brand, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, and world-renowned architect Peter Marino to reimagine and secure the rich legacy of The Raleigh, creating a new, unparalleled hospitality experience in Miami Beach,” said Michael Shvo, Chairman and CEO of SHVO. “We are excited to introduce the hotel as well as the residences at The Raleigh, which offer the unique opportunity, for the first time ever, to live on property.”
Image credit: SHVO / DBOX
Acclaimed American architect and frequent SHVO collaborator Peter Marino is helming the design and restoration of the property in collaboration with Miami-based Kobi Karp Architecture, engaging celebrated artists and craftsmen to imagine an elegant and authentic contemporary design. Keeping The Raleigh’s distinct Miami history in mind, The Raleigh’s famed gathering places, the Martini Bar and Tiger Room, will be restored and reborn with an eye for both Miami’s historic Art Deco elegance and its modern roots.
“At Rosewood, we are committed to preserving historical gems that truly embody their destinations, while also breathing new life into the properties,” said Sonia Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of Rosewood Hotel Group. “Our commitment to the local community is to ensure that The Raleigh honours its legacy for locals and visitors to once again relish this long-cherished property.”
Image credit: SHVO / DBOX
Originally constructed in the ’40s by Miami architect Lawrence Murray Dixon, The Raleigh will be complemented with the addition of its two historic neighbours, the Richmond and South Seas Hotels, with each building’s historic Art Deco facade restored and integrated within the ultra-luxury hotel, in line with Rosewood’s guiding A Sense of Place philosophy. SHVO purchased The Raleigh, South Seas, and Richmond Hotels in 2019 with Deutsche Finance America.
Working closely with the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board, SHVO’s comprehensive and meticulous restoration plans are now underway and include Miami’s most iconic swimming pool known for its curvaceous design and tropical foliage, designated the most beautiful pool in America by Time Magazine.
Image credit: SHVO / DBOX
“This fresh, historic restoration and renovation of The Raleigh joins a private beach club with a Latin beat and elegant residences of demure black, white and ivory,” said Marino. “This mixture is the best Miami cocktail that I can imagine.”
The contemporary new tower adjacent to the historic Raleigh hotel will house Rosewood Residences Miami Beach featuring 44 private homes with unobstructed ocean views and prime ocean proximity. The tower’s facade, inspired by Marino’s ongoing architectural commissions for Chanel, features white columns and black mullions that create rhythm and movement while prioritising large windows for maximum light, air, and ocean views. In the interiors, a calm material palette featuring artisan plasters, hand-painted millwork, and noble stones with impeccable detailing create a serene and elegant place for living. The residences are accessible via private porte-cochere and two dedicated residential lobbies featuring art and furnishings curated by the architect.
IHIF 2022: hospitality ready to seize opportunities
The global hospitality industry is ready to embrace opportunities, innovate, improve profitability and take action on sustainability and staffing according to leaders speaking at the opening day of the industry-leading event, the International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF)…
Day one of IHIF 2022 saw the core focus of people, planet and profit covered in a raft of dynamic sessions attended by over 2,400 forward-thinking investors, owners and developers. Although the impact of Covid-19 on the hospitality industry was highlighted throughout the day’s sessions, the key message was that despite the impact of the pandemic the industry is now forging ahead with more resilience, collaboration, creativity and vision.
“We are thrilled to be back in Berlin for such a cerebral global event,” said Alexi Khajavi, Group President, Questex Travel and Hospitality. “IHIF 2022 is a unique platform for staging announcements and launches, brokering partnerships and networking across the hospitality spectrum as well as challenging and inspiring stronger thinking.”
Image credit: IHIF / Simon Callaghan
Questex CEO Paul Miller, who opened the conference in Berlin with Alexi Khajavi, President Travel and Hospitality, said the Covid-19 pandemic had given hospitality ‘fresh perspectives’ on business and that it was in a prime position to move forward after this pivotal time.
In the first discussion – CBRE Capital Talks: Hotel Capital Markets Update – chaired by Kenneth Hatton of CBRE, major investors discussed opportunities presented by the pandemic, such as the increase in availability of office and retail stock. The Ukraine war is also fuelling uncertainty, warned Coley Brenan of KSL Capital who, with fellow panellist Christopher Oka of Angelo Gordon concluded with a plea for the industry to drive sustainability. Further sessions throughout the day made it clear that the industry must drive sustainability with ESG policies now at the heart of many investment and operational decisions.
Image credit: IHIF / Simon Callaghan
In KPIs for ESG in Hospitality Investment, panellists, including Catherine Dolton of IHG and Inge Huijbrechts, Radisson Hotels, discussed the KPIs for taxonomy compliance while Ufi Ibrahim, CEO Energy & Environment Alliance and her fellow panellists in Sustainable Operations: How to Operate Sustainably and Profitably, urged hoteliers and investors to start making changes now.
Ibrahim, who set out to get investors on board with her ESG mission from the start, said: “Regulation is here and we need to take action, but it is important that action is meaningful. The industry has been damaged by greenwashing so don’t promote something unless it is genuinely making a difference.”
Innovation and the need to be different was a key theme running throughout the day’s discussions. At Adjacent Spaces, the think-tank for hospitality’s innovators and game-changers held alongside IHIF, Stephen McCall, CEO Edyn said the pandemic had given operators the impetus to be more disruptive.
“We don’t have data from the last two years but intuitively we do things that feel right,” said McCall. ” Sometimes you have to take a punt and model a future you want.”
This was mirrored by Natalia Kolotneva from La Salle Investment Management in the Adjacent Spaces session Investing in Hybrid Hospitality, as she urged operators to be innovative: “Be proud of the products you are developing and develop products people want to use. Be more nimble, more creative, more forward looking.”
One aspect linking all areas of discussion and the industry was the conversation around ‘experience’, highlighting that customer’s expectations are changing, with new customer groups demanding more transparency, creativity and flexibility – a topic that will be explored further in The Big Conversation – an interview with Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin on Thursday 5 May.
Other highlights to come include an award ceremony and Q&A with IHIF Lifetime Achievement Award winner, former Best Western CEO David Kong and sessions covering people, innovation, investment and more.
IHIF, an event that Hotel Designs is a proud media partner of, takes place in Berlin on May 3 – 5.
Live roundtable: Intuitive and conscious hotel development
Taking the conversation around sustainability and conscious development to the top, Editor Hamish Kilburn, in association with HDR, delivers a roundtable discussion inside The Beaumont Hotel London, to honestly air the challenges and opportunities when it comes to design and architecture’s role in hotel development…
It’s sad that overused ‘buzzword’ terms such as ‘sustainability’ and ‘ethical design’ have become diluted in an industry that has had to battle against a greenwashing culture. For years, I have spoken to designers, architects and suppliers about their passion to design the right way, but have suffered from innovative concepts being thrown out due to them not being deemed feasible.
In 2022, though, the ability to design and develop more meaningfully has become easier, thanks to a collaborative approach adopted by the industry – or forced due to social pressures – as many start to understand the path towards a circular economy. With these real conversations filtering into all elements of hotel design and development, Hotel Designs, in association with HDR, decided to bring together a handful of interior designers, architects and a developer about to start work on a new project, to explore intuitive and conscious hotel development to understand what’s next.
Hamish Kilburn: Are conversations you’re having between designers, architects and clients more open in 2022 than they have been in previous years regarding challenges and constraints during the design process?
Mark Bruce: Absolutely, it’s very open from our experience – and that’s probably the most enjoyable element of working in the hotel design sector is the boundless collaborations, whether that be with the interior designer, the building owner, the operator, the developer and main contractor. No one person can have a great idea, and I think that most of the projects we are working on are examples of that statement, where there have been great minds at the table, with different skills and specialties, from day one.
Over the last few years, some of the projects that are arriving on the market are exceptional, and with more complexities, such as cost and sustainability incentives, that collaborative approach is required. Sometimes, there are up to 30 consultants on a project, which can only result in a positive evolution in hotel design moving forward.
Matthew Voaden: I think the difficulty we always had, working on MEP, is that we were always brought into the project too late to make any changes to the foundations. Now, though, we are having conversations at concept stages, meaning that we can ensure the solutions we put forward are achieved, especially when implementing a cradle-to-cradle philosophy.
Donovan Burn: Even in our office, we ensure that the whole team who are working on these developments – from design to operation and everything in between – sit together in order to encourage a consistent level of communication in order to discuss, early on, the challenges and to come up with solutions together.
HK: Are your clients more aware and passionate about designing consciously when it comes to sustainability and ethics when it comes to specifying products?
Jonny Sin: We can sit here and say ‘yes’ but some of the projects we are working on, sustainability is not the focal point, which is a shame, but this is the reality of the situation. It’s therefore important to respectfully push those aspirations around sustainability and ethical design forward at the beginning of the project to try and steer clients in the right direction.
Image credit: The Beaumont / ZACandZAC
MB: Depending on who your client is, it can be a challenge. However, I would say that, emotionally (taking out commercial interests), clients want to design consciously. I have worked on a few projects now where the client has approached us with perhaps not an understanding but certainly clear aspirations of what they want to attain, which is certainly a refreshing shift.
I was surprised when quite a commercially driven client was adamant for us to achieve the best we could across the board in terms of energy usage and sustainability. It turns out, she had spent the last few years home-schooling her children, and they started to ask her what she was doing with the buildings she is creating to make them thoughtful. The challenge is that everyone has the desire to make these changes, it then comes down to justifying the commercial value, and this is where engineers come in, who can prove the return; spending more money in the construction can significantly increase the full life of the building.
David Mason: There was a lot of greenwashing, at first, from hotels. Everyone now, though, is becoming savvier and there’s a greater understanding across the industry on what that greenwashing looks like. Young consumers, a new generation of travellers, want to see the eco credentials of buildings and businesses, so it’s harder to make claims without backing it up with data.
MB: In the last year, I would say, there has been an evolution among authorities. When you put in for pre-application, there will be questions where there were not before. And that has been useful for our clients to think about things like water usage and energy from day one.
Image credit: Marylebone Lane Hotel / EPR Architects
Another part, I find useful is the investors and the funders who have their own obligations in terms of what they are doing as a business to be more ethical. There are so many other pressures that are putting sustainability high up on the agenda.
Veronica Givone: All of this is much easier when approaching a new-build hotel because there are more tools available on those projects, allowing investors to be more aware of the collaborative ways and solutions put forward by designers and architects.
The problem, in my opinion, is when you approach a heritage building and there is an awareness but there is also a large cost to implement such mechanical elements. This is when we often must reach a compromise, not necessarily respecting what all parties would like, in order to satisfy the commercial aspect of the project. In my opinion, the government should stand in to influence and help developers and investors to preserve existing structures.
HK: It’s interesting, because the perception is that renovating a heritage building is more sustainable than creating a hotel in a new-build property, but that is not always the case when, much of the time, the cost to be fully sustainable in such a project is not realistic. Would you say then that there’s more of a desire, among clients, to work on new-build structures, where engineering and mechanical elements can be easily added in the foundation of the project to reduce energy and water consumption?
VG: There are more surprises along the way when designing hotels in heritage buildings. Even a project that I have been working on since 2018, which is now on site. Last year, when demolishing started, they discovered new and unexpected challenges. These discoveries impact the design, architecture as well as all the processes including mechanical and operations.
DB: As a developer, yes, new builds are easier to manage. The redevelopment side of heritage sites is the unknown – you just don’t know what you’re going to run into, and that has an adverse effect on the design and what you can and can’t do, which leads to delays.
DM: New builds allow you to look at the lifecycle of the building, which is another way to really push the sustainability agenda. We clipped an office building into a hotel and came into various challenges there due to ceiling heights and changing how the building works. More and more, now we are looking at the flexibility of a space, to understand how it could be converted in years to come.
DB: We are about to start on a new project, Dolphin Square in Pimlico. For myself, the location is great – just off the River Thames. The aim of the project is the bring it back to what it was, and there’s something unmatched about doing that. Of course, we expect to run into challenges along the way, but the site’s heritage will become its strength.
MB: From an architect’s point of view, we have a healthy balance between new-builds and heritage buildings. I agree, you must approach each one very differently. You know pretty much everything that’s happening in a new build, whereas heritage sites can lead to adversity. However, what we find is that, commercially, there are pros and cons. For example, in hotel projects sheltered inside existing buildings, the programme becomes smoother because you are not knocking a building down and starting from scratch. Don’t get me wrong, everybody wants a new build to ensure their MEP systems work beautifully, but in a heritage building you’re sometimes able to open the hotel a bit sooner. What we find with projects in the heritage buildings is that you need to have a fantastic team, full of people who know what they are doing.
Image caption: The OWO Whitehall, designed by EPR Architects, which will contain the first Raffles hotel in the UK | Image credit: Grain London
Paul Scriven: The Whole Life Carbon approach is finally driving this. Local Authorities, especially in major cities, such as London are questioning all demolition and new-build projects on a life cycle basis. The embodied carbon, measuring emissions associated with materials and construction processes throughout the whole lifecycle of a building, approach is key to the success of our planet’s future.
VG: This comes back to collaboration and open communication, which makes working on these projects more enjoyable!
JS: And, I would say, getting rid of the blame culture, so that when something comes up, everyone is working on a solution together.
HK: What innovative solutions are being used to reduce energy consumption and carbon used when designing hotels?
JS: I think it is about designing buildings with circular potential. The biggest problem here is that many materials are not suitable for reuse as they were not designed for deconstruction. An approach we always take when designing a hotel is to try and retain as much of the existing building as possible.
Take the Beaumont for example, the façade is Grade II listed which meant we had to retain it, but on the new extension to the building, a project we are currently working with HDR on, the façade is not listed, so there was no requirement to keep it. Technically, it would have been much easier to demolish and re-build, but we made a conscious decision to preserve the façade, which is significantly better for the environment.
PS: Sustainability is at the heart of the design and operation. An integrated design complete with successful delivery via a dedicated Sustainability Champion has proven successful when we are delivering projects. In addition, there’s a heavy reliance on contractors to drive the sustainable agenda especially when considering value engineering.
DM: I’ve heard some calls for sustainable consultants to be part of projects, but we need to understand first how they are measuring this to accurately understand the true data behind the sustainability credentials.
MV: We have these conversations a lot, but our job is to take the discussion into implementation. Every project we work on, we end up providing a shopping list of engineer services we can offer, but you must have the client on board and understanding. Now, I would say that we are still talking a lot more than doing, but hotels are, generally speaking, behind the curve.
DM: Commercial offices have been doing this for quite a lot longer, perhaps because they are rentable spaces, but that sector is clearly setting a benchmark.
DB: Design certainly plays more of a role in hotel development; it’s key in such a wider range than simply aesthetic. The design of anything these days needs to be flexible to accommodate our changed behaviour as consumers.
“In our corner of the industry, looking at MEP, a vast array of technologies are being used and considered.” – Paul Scriven, Energy & Sustainability Director, HDR.
MB: Clients are becoming further informed [from sectors such as commercial offices] about sustainable alternatives, when specified and considered cleverly, don’t have to cost the earth. From a hotel side, the conversation I think we are ahead of the curve on is wastage. Hotels have historically generated a huge amount of waste. Even luxury hotels in central London are having conversations between all departments about how to significantly reduce waste, and the details they are going into is inspiring.
MV: It’s a governance situation as well. In the UK, we use BREAM which looks at how buildings are constructed, but we don’t tend to use LEED, which focuses more on operational cost as well as how the building operates. Those standards have started to creep in thanks to the ESG agenda, and that will hopefully start to determine factors early in the design process to reduce carbon footprints.
PS: In our corner of the industry, looking at MEP, a vast array of technologies are being used and considered. For example, low and zero carbon technologies; mass, form and building envelope optimisation, mixed ventilation, advanced LED lighting and controls, smart rooms, adaptable ventilation, reclaim of waste and innovative heat and cooling systems.
HK: The fact that everyone is talking about this is such a leap forward. The other thing that has inspired me recently, is hearing from experts such as yourselves that no one has all the answers, yet, and only through a collaborative approach can we find solutions.
MB: That is the exciting part. We are all having these conversations much more than we were before. The learning curve that we are all on, is understanding what happens to materials in the future, which has allowed us to make much more intuitive decisions, backed by research.
Inspired by the beauty and simplicity of Japanese craftsmanship, Hilton’s first LXR Hotels & Resorts branded hotel in Asia Pacific, ROKU KYOTO, is honoured for its elegant design concept by Singapore-based interior design studio BLINK. We took a closer look at the elegant resort nestled at the foot of the Takagamine mountains in Japan…
ROKU KYOTO became Hilton’s first LXR Hotels & Resorts branded hotel in Asia Pacific when it opened its doors in autumn 2021. This luxury label is only given to the finest five-star properties in alluring locations around the world, so BLINK had a responsibility to ensure that this project showcased the spirit of the brand and the essence of its destination.
Image credit: ROKU KYOTO / BLINK / Ben Richards
Named after the time-honoured artisan tradition of paper making, ROKU KYOTO was inspired by the beauty and simplicity of Japanese craftsmanship. In line with this design ethos, BLINK strived to weave the local aesthetic into every aspect of the resort’s interiors, from the arrival lobby and pavilion-style dining area to the wooden tea lounge, the serene spa and of course, all 114 contemporary guestrooms and suites which range from 50 to 110 square metres in size and all with an inherent sense of minimalistic grace.
Image credit: ROKU KYOTO / Blink / Ben Richards
This tranquil sanctuary also blends seamlessly with its surroundings, which have influenced artists for centuries. By embracing natural materials such as bamboo and wood, and using glass walls and panoramic windows to frame breath-taking views of the forested hills and the Tenjin River from all areas of the resort, ROKU KYOTO feels at one with the environment.
“We are thrilled to win the KOHLER Bold Design Award for ROKU KYOTO, which is one of our most important projects to date,” said Clint Nagata, Founder & Creative Partner, BLINK Design Group.”As the first LXR branded resort in Asia Pacific, we knew that Hilton and the owners were seeking a one-of-a-kind design concept – a resort that would stand out from the crowd while also blending into the landscape. We took inspiration from Kyoto’s rich heritage, organic beauty and Zen philosophy to create a concept that is both authentic and elegant, while also being cutting-edge and contemporary.”
Image credit: ROKU KYOTO / Blink / Ben Richards
The Kohler Bold Design Awards is one of the most prominent design competitions for hospitality, residential and commercial property professionals in Asia Pacific. It serves as a platform to showcase the top talents in their field and the winners are selected by a jury of renowned international designers and independent experts. The ‘Travel: Resort’ award achieved by ROKU KYOTO recognises the project’s positive contribution to hospitality design and the advancement of the guest experience.
Main image credit: ROKU KYOTO / Blink / Ben Richards
James Latham launches cutting-edge digital surface specification platform
With the number of specifiers embracing online design solutions likely to grow over the next decade, James Latham, decided to meet this demand directly by digitally enhancing the selection process with the launch of its powerful new online surfacing specification tool, the Digital Showroom Platform…
James Latham, one of the UK’s leading and most forward-thinking distributors of timber, panels and decorative surfaces, has announced the launch of its powerful new online surfacing specification tool, the Digital Showroom Platform. The Digital Showroom immerses specifiers in a realistic, virtual catalogue of its decorative surfaces range where 1,400 surfaces are brought to life as hyper-realistic 3D, interactive animations.
The digital trend was recently evidenced in NBS’ Digital Construction Report 2021 , which found almost 70per cent of specifiers are now predominantly using digital tools for design tasks, particularly product selection. Following two years of in-depth audience research and back-end development, Latham’s Digital Showroom is directly responding to the architectural and design community’s rapid move to online channels for material selection. Significantly, the platform offers exploration, selection, sampling and direct engagement with Latham’s expert design consultants, all in one location.
“For over 260 years, we’ve prided ourselves on pioneering the very latest innovations to meet the requirements of our customers, enhancing their work and enabling them to deliver exceptional results,” said Andrew Wright, Managing Director at James Latham. “Part of this is continual engagement with our various audiences, understanding their unique challenges and how we can provide the solutions.”
Image credit: James Latham
Latham’s Digital Showroom takes the selection experience to the next level, offering the same experience of visiting a physical showroom, and more. Developed specifically for specifiers, it allows for maximum creativity, enabling users to mix and match almost any scheme, style or palate. Furthermore, with access to hyper-realistic, interactive 3D models of over 1,400 of the distributor’s surfaces and finishes it will take the user on an intuitive journey, to explore every surfacing possibility across a single, or multiple, projects.
Users will initially be greeted by a user-friendly selection process, broken down into three alternative paths:
a Guided Search – refining products by intended use (e.g. kitchen worktop), type (e.g. laminate), colour and finish, a Visual Search – users can scroll through a wide range of decors and then click to view a curated selection of products similar to the chosen theme, and a Quick Find – users can go straight in, building a custom search using a wide range of descriptor tags to hone down a specific product type or brand.
Once a preferred surface has been selected, the user is taken to a dedicated page where they can see the material, colour and finish expertly rendered, as mentioned above, in a realistic, interactive 3D animation. The selected product can be viewed from any angle, under a number of lighting conditions to get an authentic impression of texture or grain. Most importantly, in an increasingly remote-working landscape, specifiers can do all this from any location, at a time which suits them, helping them meet the project brief through seamless, painless material selection. In the evolving age of online specification, the Digital Showroom is bringing James Latham, and its extensive collection of premium surfacing brands as close to the architectural, design and fit-out community as possible.
Despite the wholesale move to digital, James Latham’s market research found specifiers were still keen to receive a similar experience to the physical showroom in an online iteration. As such, beyond the presentation of the distributor’s decorative brand portfolio and its user-friendly sampling service, the Digital Showroom also offers a facility to directly engage with James Latham’s dedicated team of surfacing consultants remotely. Following sample ordering, users will have the opportunity to book a virtual meeting, with a showroom manager, with time slots designed to fit around the busiest schedule. Here specifiers can discuss the samples and their properties with an expert who can advise on the perfect choice, whatever the brief.
Adding further value to the experience, the Digital Showroom also offers regular updates on news and events as well as a compendium of its entire bank of CPD seminars, covering all manner of surface design and specification topics.
The Digital Showroom complements James Latham’s suite of powerful assets including its technical information hub, NBS Source integration, CPD seminars and Carbon Calculator, as well as its physical depots and showrooms.
James Latham is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
5 minutes with: Eric Jafari, CDO & Creative Director at edyn
With IHIF currently taking place in Berlin, Hotel Designs took the opportunity to catch up with Eric Jafari on a slightly less formal note, looking beyond the brand in a quick-fire round of questions…
Eric Jafari along with edyn, has made an indelible and undeniable mark on the hospitality and hotel design scene, with a strong design message and a mission of connectivity and locality. With IHIF providing the more serious backdrop, Jafari will be taking the knowledge and insight from his experience in building brands under the edyn banner to the stage, in the Pitch your Brand panel discussion. In the meantime, this quick-fire conversation was more personal than pitch, and kicked off with a ‘where in the world’ question that led seamlessly into a paradigm shift!
Hotel Designs: If you had to live anywhere in the world – excluding where you live now – for one year, where would it be?
Eric Jafari: I love London and would always pick it, but if London is off the cards, I’d pick Tokyo. I have never been, but I have discovered that the more foreign the environment, the greater my personal evolution. I recognise that for many, one would assume somewhere sunny and tropical but with respect to where I am currently in my personal journey in life, I am more concerned with personal growth than I am in escapism. I am interested in having my paradigm challenged. I have read a fair bit on Japanese culture / design and the premise of ‘ikagai’ and I’m interested in exploring this first-hand over an extended period of time. I would try to summarise what this means but couldn’t do it justice. For readers that are interested, feel free to look it up!
I would also love for my British kids to be immersed in a completely foreign culture like Japanese one. It would be incredibly formative for them.
Image credit: edyn
HD: Biggest bugbear when checking in to a hotel?
EJ: I have many: music, food, design, etc. If I had to pick one, it would be a soulless experience. When I visit a city, I want a hotel that reflects the essence of that locality. I don’t want a cookie-cutter replica of an experience that I have had elsewhere. Staying in a hotel abroad, even for business, is an opportunity for me to be exposed to something different, something foreign, something beautiful – maybe even something uncomfortable.
Anything but bland and predictable.
Image credit: edyn
HD: Where in the world would you like to open a hotel, if budgets/planning was not an issue?
EJ: It would be in Marrakech, Morocco. Marrakech is a sensory wonderland steeped in culture, beauty and history and yet seems to be missing the type of lifestyle resort that one would expect there to be. Gypset hot spots such as Tulum and Mykonos have drawn a considerable amount of design inspiration from Morocco and yet Morocco appears to lack a comparable experience of its own. I would love to one day take my learnings from Locke, birch and my travels abroad and incorporate them all into an immersive lifestyle ecosystem that connects the urban traveller with Moroccan magic. I am hopeful that it’s only a matter of time before this happens.
Image credit: edyn
HD: What was your first ever job?
EJ: My first real job was selling books door to door to put myself through university. During my summers in university, I worked 80-hour weeks to save enough money to take fall quarter off so that I could go backpacking across a foreign part of the world.
It was an incredible experience because I was relocated with other college kids to a different US state (often somewhere rural) and exposed to a different way of life than that to which I was accustomed. I came to the quick realisation that my reality was not everyone’s reality and that one’s setting defined one’s outlook – and that many were prisoners to this outlook without realising it.
By contrasting this foreign setting (in the US) with the foreign settings (China, Peru, etc.) that I was exposed to whilst backpacking abroad, I found that I learned just as much through my work and travels as I did in university – if not more so.
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With Locke Hotels falling into the edyn brand portfolio, Hotel Designs is excited to be hosting MEET UP North, at Whitworth Locke in the heart of Manchester on May 19, 2022. The theme of the event will be ‘development in the North’ in line with the Manchester – and other Northern hotspots, such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham – being hives of hotel development.
The Twenty Two opens its doors on Grosvenor square
Located on Grosvenor Square, The Twenty Two with the help of designer Natalia Miyar Atelier, has reimagined an Edwardian manor and transformed it into a Westside hideaway for the creative and the curious – here’s what we know…
The position of The Twenty Two plays an integral role in the property’s spirit and philosophy. Sitting on the corner of North Audley Street and Grosvenor Square, the hotel is located in one of London’s most central spots, effortlessly becoming a half-way meeting point for East and West London. With an all-day restaurant and private members’ club being part of the destination on Grosvenor Square, speaking to the brand’s core ethos, the hotel aims to become London’s living room for both local residents and international guests alike.
Image credit: The Twenty Two
Drawn to the Parisian feel of the building’s exterior, proprietor Navid Mirtorabi’s realisation of the project began six years prior to opening and has been the driving force for the creative vision from the outset. Mirtorabi chose to partner with Natalia Miyar Atelier to bring his vision to life, on what will be her first hotel. They looked to 18th century classical French design to inspire the property’s interior, reinterpreted for the modern-day through rich, playful textures and custom upholstered pieces. This has influenced choices at every level; minor details such as gold fringing and velvet piping to statements like bevelled mirrors that dance with both gleaming natural daylight and warm reflections in the evening glow.
Image credit: The Twenty Two
“My ambition for The Twenty Two was to create a space where the creative and the curious, in London and globally, can come together and feel welcome; a living room of sorts where guests feel inspired and at home in their surroundings.” said Navid Mirtorabi, Proprietor of The Twenty Two.
Image credit: The Twenty Two
The Restaurant, open to the public, presents an all-day menu of British classics with a Mediterranean twist, spearheaded by Executive Chef Alan Christie, previously of Arbutus and restaurant group Picture. Christie has developed breakfast dishes to be an interpretation of modern-day classics as well as lunch and dinner menus that will change seasonally and feature a variety of dishes, boasting of the best seasonal produce.
“I wanted to create a restaurant where the menus flow harmoniously from breakfast to lunch to dinner,” said Alan Christie, Executive Chef at The Twenty Two. “A menu made up of dishes that evoke a subtle, comforting familiarity, some light and fresh, some indulgent, but all executed to the highest standards and with the best quality, seasonal ingredients.”
The private space of The Club is split across the ground and lower ground floor and features four exclusive spaces, reserved for patrons and hotel guests only: The Living Room and outdoor terrace overlooking Grosvenor Square, The Dining Room, The Music Room and The Vault Bar.
“Our vision is to instil a more playful side to Mayfair,” said Darius Namdar, Managing Director. “We want everyone who passes through The Twenty Two to experience exceptional service, be greeted with a smile and, most importantly, feel welcome and accepted, whilst enjoying the best hospitality London has to offer.”
Image credit: The Twenty Two
In addition to the public restaurant and private club spaces, the beautifully designed and reimagined Edwardian Manor shelters 31 guestrooms and suites, including a Mews house. With its design for the creative and the curious, and inventive mix of public and private spaces, The Twenty Two looks set to make its mark on the burgeoning boutique scene in London as it opens its doors as a new luxury lifestyle destination.
Exclusive report: circadian lighting and its effects in design
The latest Hotel Designs LAB report, sponsored by Franklite and powered by Arigami, explores circadian science and recent technologies that are enabling a new chapter in wellness and hospitality…
Hotel Designs has released a report that contains an investigation into the positive wellness qualities of circadian lighting. The 14-page document, entitled Circadian Lighting Design, includes analysis and comments from leading experts from in and outside the parameters of hotel design and hospitality.
The contributors were Professor Charles Ceizler from Harvard University; Ari Perala, Founder of Arigami; Paul Robinson, Project Manager at Franklite, Wojciech Miiller, Laboratory and Technical Supervisor at Franklite; Dr Helga Schmid, Author and Founder of Uchronia and artists Sara Bozzini and David Kepron.
The research looks into how colour temperature can be used in hospitality settings to improve moods, increase or decrease energy and optimise sleep performance. In addition, the study highlights the latest technology in lighting design and LED testing. Decorative lighting brand Franklite, which won Best in Tech at The Brit List Awards 2021, contributed to the research, publishing its knowledge on tunable lighting, while also allowing researchers to explore the brand’s very own in-house testing equipment.
Read the full report here:
Driven by science and new research, the aim of the report is to offer interior designers, architects, hoteliers, technologists and hospitality brands the confidence to include circadian lighting in their designs. Using several lighting case studies and examples of ‘next-level design thinking’ around the wellness benefits of circadian lighting, the research is intended to be a meaningful resource that will help the industry steer itself forward as wellness mega trends evolve.
Franklite is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our recommended suppliers – and/or sponsoring a wellness report, please email Katy Phillips.
That philoxenia feeling: checking in to xenodocheio Milos
xenodocheio Milos has opened as the first luxury boutique hotel falling under the banner of renowned Greek restaurant, estiatorio Milos. The 43-key hotel, in the centre of Athens, has taken the brand’s baton as it prepares to carry the inspiring Milos story into its next chapter…
You cannot escape history when in Athens – as you walk through the city, your path is punctuated by small yet perfectly formed churches and cobbled pavements, not to mention the odd slightly weathered-looking Doric column. But what is also evident is that there is a lot more to Athens than the Acropolis as the city displays a vibrant combination of the traditional and the contemporary. It is this unique mix of local and international, simplicity and luxury, traditional and contemporary that the architects and designers of the recently opened xenodocheio Milos explored at every level. Following its arrival, the hotel invited Hotel Designs to step inside and enjoy a curated and well-designed Athenian ‘home from home’ experience.
The thread running through the brand ethos as well as the hotel design is the concept of philoxenia – the sacred art of making a stranger feel at home – and it is the attention to detail and individuality within each space that allows for a personalised experience, which surely is the ultimate luxury. By embracing the neo-classical bones of the original structure, and then layering elements of design that both reflect and elevate the location, the designers have translated the estiatorio Milos philosophy from the menu onto the moodboard, making for a cohesive experience throughout both the hotel and the restaurant as a destination.
Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
With Syntagma square to the side and the Acropolis on the horizon, xenodocheio Milos has made its mark on what is arguably the perfect city-centre location. And it’s not all ancient history. The hotel is within striking distance of a thriving contemporary cultural scene with more than its fair share of boutiques and galleries – not to mention a fabulous Greek pastry shop that was irresistible despite a hearty hotel breakfast – that is fast making Athens a designer destination.
It is this comfortable juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern that has been translated by the architecture studios A1 Architects and Divercity Architects from the facade of the hotel though to the layers and lighting within. With a footprint spanning two sympathetically restored buildings, the gap between the buildings is bridged with a subtle, contemporary glass fronted structure. This design reference is again replicated on the additional floors, and makes a reflective statement of its own.
Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
There is a boutique intimacy from the moment you walk in, and that concept of Greek philoxenia that is again becomes apparent. Journeying out of reception, a space punctuated by bold graphic splashes of blue and understated design, and into the 43-key hotel, your journey through the hotel is directed by contrasting levels of light. From the double volume of the entrance and the restaurant both with dramatic statement lighting, to the more cocooning and subdued passageways which finally open into guestrooms filled with natural light. All the guestrooms have been designed facing onto the front of the building to maximise the natural light of the city, and as you step out of the public space into the privacy of the room you are greeted by the sunshine which not only lights the room and but shifts design gears throughout the day.
Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
With interiors by Divercity Architects and Carole Topin, the guestrooms and suites all reference the location primarily through the use of materials, championing locally sourced marble and wood. While the colours of the Aegean inform the palette, the minimal lines avoid any cliches. Again it is about juxtaposition; simplicity and luxury, minimalism and comfort through attention to detail. Detail which extends to the individuality of all guestrooms and suites, each with its own configuration and flavour.
Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
There is an inherent generosity in the design – the underlying feeling of the entire xenodocheio Milos experience is that it is about optimising space and comfort rather than room numbers. You can walk into the shower – beautifully clad in the locally sourced white Dionysus marble – with room to dance, should that be your thing. In contrast, the guestrooms are full of bespoke textures and the warmth of wood. The classic lines of the Greek oak table in the room allows for workspace, if you insist, but it is also the perfect place for a private dinner along with a lighting setting that provides restaurant ambiance in the privacy of your room.
Again lighting is a key feature running through the room design with an inordinate attention to detail, from task to ambient through to statement feature lights ensuring that guests can easily – functionality being key to good design – apply mascara, read a book, or sip on a glass of Greek wine!
Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
In addition to the 43 guestrooms, the hotel shelters a spa and a fitness centre, both of which deliver the quality and understated luxury that fits seamlessly with the rest of the design. The spa provides a restorative respite after a day in the city, and rather than being about trends or wellness gimmicks, is about the power of the personal interaction in combination with locally sourced product and attention to detail.
In addition there are private spaces both within the hotel and on the terrace for events and meeting should guests require. A private dining space on the mezzanine level of the restaurant is on the agenda, where guests will be able to enjoy both the privacy of the space along with the trademark Estiatorio ambiance.
Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
Having explored the city and restored the body, it is time to feed the soul in what is essentially the design axis of this hotel as xenodocheio Milos has positioned itself as a gastronomic hotel experience in the heart of Athens, with the ground floor and mezzanine home to the newest fine dining destination restaurant in the estiatorio Milos portfolio. With restaurants in seven locations spread across two continents, chef Costas Spiliadis’ culinary legacy has returned to its roots in Athens, and with its focus on culinary excellence, unparalleled service and premium Greek wines, guests are in for truly authentic epicurean adventure at this luxury destination in downtown Athens.
Image credit: Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
The light and the volume of the design underpinning the restaurant makes a strong statement, paired with a unique design narrative where the values of hospitality, authenticity, and precision are celebrated. The space has been designed to hero the food, a beautifully designed backdrop for the simple yet extraordinary gastronomy to excel. Again lighting is integral to the design, with a combination of strong statement and natural light bouncing off the white reflective surfaces and textures. On entering the restaurant your eyes are immediately drawn up to the bespoke ceiling artwork by the Greek sculptor Dimitris Fortsas – always look up!
Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
Inspired by the timeless minimalism of the Cycladic art and the lightness and rhythm of the harp, a sculptural staircase – a key feature designed by Divercity Architects, links the ground floor to the mezzanine. The grandeur of the height, the strength of the architecture all in combination with that white on white palette clearly references the historical architecture of Greece while allowing the food and inimitable xenodocheio service to be the hero.
Image credit: xenodocheio Milos
xenodocheio Milos has opened its boutique doors onto what can only be described as a burgeoning boutique scene in the city – Athens is coming out of a period of financial crisis which was swiftly followed by the pandemic, but is emerging from all of that as a creative power with a vibrant design culture. It is a city that is standing up and getting noticed as a destination rather than a stop over to a designer island holiday. It is within this ongoing narrative of the boutique hotel scene in the city that xenodocheio Milos is making a bold statement – one that is all about considered luxury, about embracing the whole while elevating the elements, it is about creating that Athenian home-from-home imbued with the spirit of philoxenia..
Jumeirah Group has further expanded its international portfolio with the debut of its first stunning, contemporary resort in Indonesia. We stepped inside Jumeirah Bali for a closer look…
World famous for its captivating beauty, Bali is often referred to as the last paradise on earth due to its breathtaking natural surroundings, and now Jumeirah Bali has opened its doors, inviting guests to experience its tropical modernism amid lush greenery and exquisite Indian Ocean vistas. Located in the Pecatu region at the south-west of Bali, the all-villa luxury resort sits gracefully on the beach area of Uluwatu – one of the most coveted locations on the island. Inspired by Hindu-Javanese culture, the spectacular resort provides an unsurpassed destination for anyone seeking to reconnect and find inner balance, while soaking in the stunning natural surroundings.
Image credit: Jumeirah Group
Sheltering spacious villas perched atop the limestone cliffs, the resort offers 123 villas in one- and two-bedroom configurations, as well as a four-bedroom Royal Water Palace, all featuring sublime tropical views of the Indian Ocean and mesmerising lush green natural beauty of Bali. Each villa features a private pool and outdoor living area with an open pavilion overlooking the sunset horizon or a landscaped tropical garden for guests to indulge in a spiritual, secluded, and soulful experience. The resort also provides guests with exclusive access to a private beach framed by the natural landscape offering a quiet enclave to relax.
Image credit: Jumeirah Group
Reminiscent of Geoffrey Bawa’s ‘tropical modernism’ style, Jumeirah Bali’s indoor-outdoor architecture is designed to create a seamless flow between the architecture, interior, and landscape, blending indigenous building materials with contemporary and luxurious comfort, to transport guests to an authentic Balinese haven of understated elegance with an opulent touch.
Building on Jumeirah Group’s reputation for providing exceptional dining experiences, guests can indulge in three signature restaurants and bars overseen by Master Chef Vincent Leroux, each offering awe-inspiring views across the island’s crystal blue waters and sunset panoramas. Hugging the dramatic terrain, again with those views, is Akasa Gastro Grill which is scheduled to open in June, and will present guests with a unique culinary experience using ancient cooking methods and techniques. A resident DJ and specialist Mixologist complete the scene, providing the perfect spot to relax and enjoy those spectacular sunsets over delicious creations. Located on the ocean front, all-day dining spot Segaran focusses on Balinese and South-East Asian cuisine with a ‘farm to table’ philosophy. Finally, Maja Sunset Pool Lounge will serve as an ideal evening spot to enjoy an end of day cocktail by one of the infinity pools overlooking the vast ocean.
Image credit: Jumeirah Group
With an array of wellness activities to help guests on their quest to find inner-balance, Jumeirah Bali will also welcome Jumeirah’s award-winning Talise Spa. Currently the resort has two private treatment rooms in operation and will be launching the full spa experience, complete with the only traditional Turkish hammam on the island, in July. Talise Spa offers world-class treatments by expert spa therapists, including holistic facials, healing and energising massages, cleansing scrub treatments, and stress-release therapies based on ancient Balinese techniques and traditional herbal preparations.
Guests can also choose to participate in guided meditation and Yoga classes for an all-encompassing holistic retreat hosted by Jumeirah Bali’s resident Master Yogi, utilise the modern fitness centre or enjoy invigorating hiking experiences to immerse themselves in the splendid natural surroundings.
Jumeirah Bali is committed to sustainable practices, featuring the most advanced desalination system in the world. The resort also supports the local community through the Jumeirah Uluwatu Foundation, dedicated to the wellbeing of the Balinese people.
Silversea Cruises has unveiled the latest insight on its fleet’s 11th ship, Silver Nova – scheduled for delivery in 2023 – and built with a revolutionary asymmetrical design…
The asymmetrical design of Silver Nova will be a first for the cruise line, with the ship offering guests a new level of outdoor space for an unprecedented openness to the destination. This, along with a reimagined and outward-facing pool deck, an al fresco dining area and a sky bar that offers panoramic views from the ship’s aft, takes cruise ship design up a notch.
“Silver Nova represents the next iteration of Silversea’s unique take on luxury, with an entirely new design approach that will enhance our guests’ cruise experience,” said Roberto Martinoli, Silversea’s President and CEO. “With her outward-facing, asymmetrical layout and her all-new outdoor venues, Silver Nova will offer our guests a brand new way to connect and engage with each destination. Moreover, with her groundbreaking environmental credentials, Silver Nova will strengthen our position at the forefront of sustainable cruise travel.”
Image credit: Silversea Cruises
The Pool Deck on decks 10 and 11 will be the primary outdoor areas in which guests can relax, refresh and socialise, with ample space for the 280 sunbeds. The horseshoe-shaped pool area will occupy a generous space on the starboard side of the ship, giving unobstructed views onto the destination from the swimming pool, the adjacent pool bar, and the sunbathing areas. At 130 square metres, the main pool is larger than any previous ships, and is reimagined with a new layout, wide entrance steps, and more shallow waters in which guests can sit. Deck 10’s pool bar offers a centralised hub for socialising, day and night. Silver Nova’s uppermost level, deck 11 forms an amphitheatre-shaped structure with the deck below and will offer guests a quieter, more intimate space for relaxing, again with expansive views over the destination and out to sea. At its centre, overlooking the ship’s port side, extends an all-new infinity edge whirlpool, aptly named The Cliff Whirlpool.
Image credit: Silversea Cruises
The design includes the introduction of two new food and drinks venues on deck 10. The Marquee is the first of the pair, positioned towards the ship’s aft on the port side and enjoying views out to sea. The al fresco dining venue will welcome up to 220 guests, incorporating The Grill and Spaccanapoli, two of Silversea’s existing signature venues which offer guests the cruise line’s trademark ‘hot rocks’ culinary concept and arguably the best pizza at sea, respectively. Due to its proximity to the swimming pool, The Marquee will welcome guests in a relaxed atmosphere, serving casual fare by day and offering dinner under the stars by night.
The second of the two new food and drinks venues, The Dusk Bar is a brand new open-air sky bar that provides an elegant space for up to 70 guests to enjoy a drink, with 270-degree panoramic views from Silver Nova’s stern.
Image credit: Silversea Cruises
Among her eight dining venues, Silver Nova will offer guests a selection of Silversea’s signature restaurants on decks three and four, albeit enlarged and reimagined with enhanced designs. The largest of the restaurants, La Terrazza will seat 340 guests and will feature a vibrant new colour palette. Floor-to-ceiling windows will surround the restaurant’s interior space, offering dramatic views to connect diners with the destination, while its outdoor terrace will be larger than ever. A guest favourite, Atlantide will seat 270 guests on deck three as the ship’s second largest restaurant, complete with a new interior design. Silversea’s signature French restaurant, La Dame, will be more spacious than ever on deck four, with an enlarged capacity for 70 diners and higher ceilings. Taking inspiration from the world’s best sushi restaurants, Kaiseki will maintain its minimalist, sophisticated aesthetic, welcoming up to 40 guests on deck four. More information on Silver Nova’s extensive culinary offering will be released soon.
As well as incorporating a new design approach for the industry’s leading cruise line, Silver Nova will push boundaries in ultra-luxury cruise travel with pioneering sustainability credentials. She is set to become the world’s first low-emissions cruise ship with advanced hybrid technology that utilises fuel cells, emitting zero harmful emissions while in port, which is an industry first.
With Greece continuing to lead the pack when it comes to hotel openings this month, May sees the full range of hospitality offerings; from bijoux island resorts to boutique city getaways, along with an impressive Frank Gehry designed multi functional development in Los Angeles…
As summer feels tantalisingly close, it is difficult not to be distracted and focus entirely on sun loungers and sand, but looking beyond that particular horizon, there remains a lot of movement on the boards with new openings, seasonal openings and re-openings. Having identified some key trends in the industry earlier this month when discussing the changing shape of public areas, the importance of making an independent and unique design statement, even within an umbrella brand identity, is clearly born out in this months offerings.
Lesante Cape – Zante, Greece
Image credit: Lesante Cape
Shining a luxurious spotlight on the isle of Zakynthos, Lesante Cape is located within the historic Akrotiri village, yet uniquely with access to a private beach. The village-style resort will comprise 55 suites and 10 villas inspired by the traditional architecture of yesteryear, whilst neutral colours, natural fibres and local art will be at the heart of the soothing interiors. Sheltering three restaurants headed by Greek culinary marvel Aggelos Bakopoulos, the resort promises to be a culinary destination as much as an island retreat. For those who are seeking complete tranquillity during their holiday, Armonia wellness centre will provide a relaxing refuge for treatments and therapies harking back to ancient Mediterranean healing practices, whilst a dedicated Agora is the heart of the village with its artisanal shops, taverna and cultural museum.
WunderLocke – Sendling, Munich
Image credit: Locke Hotels
Opening with the aim to disrupt the Bavarian capital with a hospitality concept unlike any other in the city, WunderLocke will feature 360 spacious studio apartments, a large co-working area, meeting and event spaces, workout studio and outdoor heated swimming pool. In addition, the hotel will shelter four food and drink destinations conceived by the founders of revered local Michelin-starred restaurant, Mural. The new concept – Mural Farmhouse – will include an urban farm that will supply fresh herbs and vegetables to a farm-to-table concept, and rooftop cocktail bar with panoramic views of the Bavarian Alps.
WunderLocke will be a destination for locals, holidaymakers, and business travellers alike, providing a new creative hub in South-West Munich for the city’s burgeoning undercurrent of artists, creatives, and tech entrepreneurs. The hotel has been designed by acclaimed studio Holloway Li, which also completed Bermonds Locke in London, in September 2020.
Conrad Los Angeles – Los Angeles, California, USA
Image credit: Conrad Hotels & Resorts
The new Conrad Los Angeles will be part of Related Companies’ mixed-use development, The Grand LA, designed by Frank Gehry, and located in downtown Los Angeles. Expanding the Conrad portfolio in America, The Conrad Los Angeles will be stamping its designer footprint within The Grand LA – located in the heart of Grand Ave. Arts, this multi-functional mixed use development is set to become a paradigm-shifting place to live, stay and visit.
The Grand LA will include more than 5,000 square metres of retail and dining space, more than 400 residences and a large, vibrant public plaza with a series of landscaped, open terraces that will host free arts programming throughout the year, including live concerts. The 28-storey hotel will shelter 305 contemporary guestrooms with bold design, as well as a spa, elevated indoor/outdoor lobby with sweeping views of the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a 16,000 square foot rooftop terrace complete with a private pool deck overlooking downtown LA.
Aman New York – New York, USA
Bar & Terrace
Designed by Jean-Michel Gathy, Aman New York celebrates Aman’s philosophy of creating sanctuaries beyond commonplace notions of luxury, whilst paying homage to the building’s striking architecture and significant history.The hotel will shelter 83 guestrooms, as well as restaurants, a garden terrace and bar with 7000 square feet of outdoor dining space, private members club, three-floor Aman Spa, Jazz Club and Wine Room.
Housed in The Crown Building, a landmark in Manhatten since 1921 – and formerly the first home of Museum of Modern Art – the building has undergone a monumental transformation, which has seen it fully restored to its original splendour and imbued with the spirit of Aman.
Nous, Santorini – Santorini, Greece
Nous Santorini is a luxury resort hotel with unique character which is expressed through both the interior design and exterior landscape, which blends the island’s history with contemporary flair. It aims to be a move away from mass and speed, towards space, experiences, connections and slowness. It also marks the first move out of the city and onto the islands for YES! Hotels, and will showcase what has become the brands trademark boundary pushing design in which art plays a pivotal role. While the design is in a large part inspired by the local landscape and ancient culture, it will include bespoke art from contemporary artists. At Nous Santorini, design and luxury is about creating a contextual experience for guests by embracing and presenting the local topography, produce, arts and culture. The design draws on local architectural genres with the suites built in a characteristic staggered style which fits seamlessly into the local landscape.
ON Residence Hotel – Thessaloniki, Greece
The lights at the historic Olympos Naoussa have been turned back on as Thessaloniki welcomes, not only a legendary restaurant that brings back the glamour of a bygone era, but also a unique hotel that aims to redefine luxury hospitality in Greece’s co-capital. A true seafront jewel in the heart of the city, with unobstructed views of Thermaikos bay, ON Residence marks a new chapter for the TOR Hotel Group, one of Greece’s most established hospitality firms, operating since 1925. The iconic restaurant, Olympos Naoussa, was the heart of Thessaloniki’s jet-setting society for decades, acting as a favourite hangout for celebrities and politicians such as former prime ministers George Papandreou and Constantine Karamanlis, Giscard d’Estaing and many more, until its closure in the mid-90s.
“Now, Olympos Naoussa returns to the city of Thessaloniki. Our vision to revive the historic restaurant, and together with the Tornivoukas family, to create a hotel destination of unparalleled beauty and a high level of service is close to completion,” said George Chryssikos, CEO of Grivalia. “We are certain that all visitors will love and embrace it, as we did from the first moment.”
Six Senses Loire Valley, France
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
Just more than a 90-minute drive south of Paris is the breathtaking Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage region renowned for historic chateaux, medieval towns, fine wines, great food and unspoiled landscape. At the heart of the region sits the village of Saint-Laurent-Nouan, which will be home to Six Senses Loire Valley. Made up of 88 guest suites and villas, accommodations are clustered as enclaves in the woodland landscape and built alongside streams and waterways. In addition, provision is being made for 70 residential villas, which will be offered for private ownership.
With both food and wellness being key to the brand, a Six Senses Spa will be an integral part of the resort and in addition to the menu of signature specialties, this is also the setting for a medicinal garden where plants and herbs will be grown for inclusion in locally-inspired treatments and Alchemy Bar workshops. Adjoining this will be the main organic kitchen garden and Earth Lab, the centre for guests to learn about the resort’s conservation initiatives.
Jumeirah Bali
Image credit: Jumeirah Bali
The Jumeirah Group has announced the opening of this all-villa luxury resort, Jumeirah Bali, located in the stunning Pecatu region at the south-west of Bali. The resort sits gracefully on the beach area of Uluwatu – one of the most coveted locations on the island. Inspired by Hindu-Javanese culture, the spacious villas perch on the limestone cliffs, all overlooking a private beach framed by the natural landscape. The resort shelters 123 villas in one- and two-bedroom configurations, as well as a four-bedroom Royal Water Palace, all featuring inspired tropical views of the Indian Ocean and the mesmerising lush green natural beauty of Bali. Each villa features a private pool and outdoor living area with an open pavilion overlooking the sunset horizon or a landscaped tropical garden.
Reminiscent of Geoffrey Bawa’s ‘tropical modernism’ style, Jumeirah Bali’s indoor-outdoor architecture is designed to create a seamless flow between the architecture, interior, and landscape, blending indigenous building materials with contemporary and luxurious comfort, to transport guests to an authentic Balinese haven of understated elegance with an opulent touch.
The Twenty Two
Image credit: The Twenty Two
Sitting on the corner of North Audley Street and Grosvenor Square, the hotel is located in one of London’s most central spots, effortlessly becoming a half-way meeting point for East and West London. With an all-day restaurant and private members’ club being part of the destination on Grosvenor Square, speaking to the brand’s core ethos, the hotel aims to become London’s living room for both local residents and international guests alike.
Drawn to the Parisian feel of the building’s exterior, proprietor Navid Mirtorabi’s realisation of the project began six years prior to opening and has been the driving force for the creative vision from the outset. Mirtorabi chose to partner with Natalia Miyar Atelier to bring his vision to life, on what will be her first hotel. They looked to 18th century classical French design to inspire the property’s interior, reinterpreted for the modern-day through rich, playful textures and custom upholstered pieces.In addition to the public restaurant and private club spaces, the beautifully designed and reimagined Edwardian Manor shelters 31 guestrooms and suites, including a Mews house. With its design for the creative and the curious, and inventive mix of public and private spaces, The Twenty Two looks set to make its mark on the burgeoning boutique scene in London as it opens its doors as a new luxury lifestyle destination.
And finally for the month of May, having started this list in Greece it feels appropriate to head back there with the final offering on our list of VIP openings…
Casa Cook Samos, Greece
Image credit: Casa Cook Samos
Casa Cook Samos is the newest hotel to join the Casa Cook collection. This 128 guestroom adults-only retreat, will offer the Casa Cook trademark laid-back luxury in one of the Mediterranean’s most historically-rich surroundings. Inspired by traditional Greek houses, or Kamares, found in Samian villages, the architecture is down-to-earth and inclusive. The historic concept of a Grecian village has been embodied in the modern space, where the hotel’s infinite swimming pools act as the town centre of each small ‘neighbourhood’ within the hotel.
The earthy textures and colours that make up the space are inspired by the local land and its organic elements: the abundant greenery echoes the island’s fertile vegetation with palms, pines, agave and wild olive trees; while the endless pools of water throughout mimic the landscape’s countless waterfalls, rivers and shores. Natural, unrefined tones from local leather, wood and stone melt into more contemporary elements like smooth terrazzo to create a modern-luxe space that is still an ode to the land’s roots.
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UNILIN Panels continues to add both new designs and improved delivery options,ensuring that the HPL collection and MFC range can be accessed with ease…
UNILIN continues to provide furniture manufacturers and fit-out companies with surfaces suitable for both horizontal and vertical applications. The versatile collection offers a fine mix of natural and contemporary looks, ranging from the strikingly authentic Master Oak, through to the daring new Weave design, with a perfectly on-trend suite of Unicolours included along the way.
“The UNILIN Decorative Range offers furniture producers, fit-out specialists and interior designers an unrivalled depth of offer,” said John Bradley, UNILIN Panels. “Whatever the project in hand, there’s plenty of scope to create interior spaces which are beautiful yet innovative, with long-lasting and hardwearing surfaces. Through Panelco, we’re ensuring that this great looking collection can be accessed with ease, backed by the excellent customer service of one of the UK’s best panel suppliers.”
Panelco provides next day delivery and a range of services including bespoke machining and quick and easy samples. Through a fleet of over 50 vehicles and a centrally located 1,000,000ft2 warehouse in Stoke on Trent, it serves customers right across the UK.
UNILIN Panels is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
With the industry-leading event the International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) taking place in Berlin on May 3-5, the countdown to IHIF 2022 starts, and we give the lowdown on the key areas being covered by the event…
With a core focus of people, planet and profit, this year’s conference brings together forward-thinking investors, owners and developers from over 80 countries to discuss hospitality’s current state. With this as a framework, there are five key areas being covered by the event.
“Our powerful programme of events, talks, discussions and networking opportunities is all set to be delivered at IHIF 2022,” said Alexi Khajavi, Group President, Questex Travel and Hospitality. “I am thrilled to be welcoming hospitality professionals from around the globe to communicate and learn and I know that our delegates and supporters are equally excited about attending what will be a valuable experience for all.”
Take it from the top: IHIF is the place to meet and hear from hospitality’s global leaders. Find out what makes them tick, the major trends they’re watching and the challenges they face in unmissable sessions, including The Big Conversation: Experience, Innovation, Profit with Accor Chairman and CEO Sebastien Bazin on Thursday 5 May, and How to Break All the Old Rules with Lifelong Hotelier David Bowd, Founder and Chief Executive of Salt Hotels on Wednesday 4 May. Later that day, hear from Federico J. González Tejera of Radisson Hotel Group, Dillip Rajakarier of Minor International and Larry Cuculic of Best Western in CEO Panel: Leadership for the Future.
Help solve the skills crisis: With hospitality in the midst of a talent shortage and ‘people’ one of the core themes for IHIF this year, it will be tackling the challenges head on through the session The People Issue: Addressing the Talent Shortage on Thursday 5 May.
“I am looking forward to a fruitful discussion on how the sector can make itself more appealing as a career choice to people, including what is needed from the industry in terms of education, training, and other in-work benefits,” said Dimitris Manikis, President for Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA) at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, who will speak with Mark Essex from KPMG, Andrea Belfanti from ISHC, Chris Mumford from Cervus Leadership Consulting and Laura Benoumechiara of Louvre Hotels Group.
Get the inside track: Learn about the latest hotel opening and innovations from around the industry from those implementing them. New hotel management agreements being signed at IHIF include Yiti Nikki Beach Resort, Four Seasons Muscat and YOTEL Lisbon. Meliá Hotels International will also be talking about its recent openings in Vietnam and its new Gran Meliá luxury hotel, Villa Le Blanc in Menorca while aparthotel operator YAYS will talk about its expansion with the recent opening of YAYS Opera Antwerp.
IHIF Tech Hub Sponsors Cloudbeds, will showcase their new book More Reservations, Happier Guests: The Ultimate Guide for the Modern Hotelier, to give hotel owners and operators valuable insights and strategies to increase reservations, streamline staff operations, and create better guest experiences.
Stay ahead of the latest trends: From investment opportunities to implementing new ESG policies (tapping into those profit and planet themes) IHIF is a hotbed for the latest trends. Discover what the business of hotels will look like in 2022 and beyond in Decoding the Data: A Deep Dive on What the Future of Hospitality Investment Looks Like on Wednesday 4 May, while Finnbar Cornwall of Google looks at the key trends informing current traveller behaviours in a session on Thursday 5 May.
Trading in a more sustainable fashion is the aim of many hotel owners and operators today, making the session How to Operate Sustainably and Profitably, led by Maribel Esparcia Pérez, Founding Partner of the European Sustainable Hospitality Group, essential for anyone wanting to put the planet first. Those seeking further insights should seek out patron sponsor Cheval, who will also be sharing the results of its hospitality future survey at IHIF.
Check out the alternatives: Running alongside IHIF on Wednesday 4 May is Adjacent Spaces, the think-tank for hospitality’s innovators and game-changers. Taking place at The Pullman Hotel Berlin Schweizerhof, the event will discuss adjacent concepts, including co-living, co-working, student accommodation, serviced apartments and senior living, and explore the opportunities they present for investors and the wider industry. Sessions include Investing in Hybrid Hospitality; Serviced Living: What’s Next for Aparthotels, Student Accommodation & Co-living and Live, Stay, Work. Trends and Innovations.
IHIF, an event that Hotel Designs is a proud media partner of, takes place in Berlin on May 3 – 5.
Main image credit: Four Seasons Melbourne / Beulah
New York-based design firm Stonehill Taylor has unveiled the new interiors for the recently opened Marriott Knoxville Downtown which pays homage to the city and embraces the local surroundings…
The recently opened Marriott in Downtown Knoxville, owned by Rockbridge, has been re-imagined and designed by Stonehill Taylor, bringing – and reflecting – renewed energy to the city. The exciting makeover of the property, a former Holiday Inn, includes a newly painted exterior with accents of colourful murals, new expansive guest room windows, all with a focus on shining a spotlight on Knoxville’s maker culture by showcasing the work of local artisans.
Image credit: Stonehill Taylor / Joe Thomas
In refreshing the hotel’s entrance sequence and lobby, Stonehill Taylor punched up the existing ceiling by applying pyramid-style tiles and introduced a woodblock feature wall to reference the careful hand of the maker. A re-clad large format tiled double-sided fireplace and strategically placed metal portals create architectural moments, drawing the visitor further into the reception area. To the left of the space is the great room, arranged with a host of seating groupings and communal tables.
Image credit: Stonehill Taylor / Joe Thomas
Beyond the reception area, a statement metal and glass door lead to the hotel’s concierge level M-Club which continues the handcrafted experience. Inside the lounge, an open pantry and kitchen concept features custom touches, like Carrera-inspired porcelain walls and slate blue gray millwork. An interior window brings in natural light to the M-Club.
Image credit: Stonehill Taylor / Joe Thomas
A grand staircase leads to pre-function areas and two ballrooms that offer more than 13,000-square-feet of event space. The bigger ballroom is outfitted in a traditional fashion, while the smaller one features expansive windows and doors leading to the patio outside for views of The World’s Fair Park. This light-filled space conveys an industrial aesthetic, with concrete floors and semi-exposed ceilings.
Image credit: Stonehill Taylor / Joe Thomas
As guests walk to their room, they encounter artwork and carpeting in the corridors that reference the glassmaking process. Inside the guest room, they are greeted by headboards and casegoods that contrast dark and light wood tones, and dark blue carpets with motifs and textures that pick up on glassmaking tools and patterns. As they slide open the barn door to the bathroom, they’ll discover an accent wall covering that’s reminiscent of the wavy, moire-like appearance of old glass.
In characteristic style, hospitality-focused architecture and interior design firm Stonehill Taylor has taken a contextual approach to the design of this hotel, referencing inspired and distinct reflections on the project’s location, space, history, and culture.
Main image credit: Marriott International / Joe Thomas
GROHE X: taking communication experiences beyond the screen
A year after successfully launching the first digital content platform created by a brand in the sanitary industry, GROHE has expanded its brand experience into a hybrid format, creating GROHE X to inspire the design community of the future by curating inspiration and information…
The pandemic saw many of us accelerate digitalisation; it was essential to help us stay connected. Taking this onboard to create a virtual environment with GROHE X, allowed GROHE to continue interaction with customers and beyond. However, it remains fundamental that relationships are built on in-person connections, by learning from one another and experiencing new things together. Now, with people eager to engage in physical encounters again, GROHE X has expanded, and GROHE are delighted to introduce the GROHE X Brand and Communication Experience Centre in Hemer, Germany, combining a virtual event location, showroom and five state-of-the-art studios for training and content production.
Image credit: GROHE
Equipped with the latest technology, the new studio is perfectly primed to create all forms of content from practical how-to installation videos to insightful panel talks aimed at industry professionals. Bringing the industry and partners even closer together, are the GROHE X Motion Trucks, acting as mobile satellite studios bridging the physical and digital world. Complete with a stage and large LED screen, each truck enables local content to be pre-produced or streamed live to the digital GROHE X platform, truly bringing together all avenues of experience.
In its first year, GROHE X amassed around half a million visitors online, demonstrating the value a digital communication platform brought to the audiences, and received multiple awards from renowned experts in the communications and marketing industry, including the Red Dot Award for Brand & Communication Design 2021 in the category “Digital Solutions”, amongst other accolades.
With the launch of the new Brand and Communication Experience Centre, GROHE X now has a physical home. Hybrid events and experiences are on the rise and an important way to keep communication open; it’s an opportunity to create something which is far-reaching yet closely connected.
GROHE is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Editor checks in: ‘suite’ juxtapositions in hotel design & travel
Editor Hamish Kilburn has taken the rough with the smooth this month to explore the attraction of opposites in hospitality – and how these situations can influence evolution in hotel design…
I touched down in Florence with a rocket full of energy flowing through my body – since being able to legally board flights again, I haven’t quite managed to shake off the novelty of international travel. So, claiming my boyfriend as hand luggage, or my editorial assistant (depended on who asked), I arrived in Tuscany to review COMO Castello del Nero, a hotel sheltered inside a 12th century castle that I had intended to check in to in 2020, before I even knew my partner existed. And, like all quality things in hotel design, and in life that I am reluctantly realising, it was worth the wait.
“You might say that it was a well-earned break for someone whose job over the last two years largely consisted of finding the loopholes from country to country to keep the pulse of our hotel reviews flowing throughout that dreadful time that hospitality history, I hope, will forget.”
Image caption: The museum-like bedroom in one of the few heritage suites that are sheltered inside COMO Castello del Nero. My review of the hotel goes live in May. | Image credit: COMO Hotels & Resorts
We arrived, and both instantly fell in love with the hotel’s pace, its people, the food and of course the design, which was yet another masterpiece from Italian designer, Paolo Navone. The significance of the hotel’s arrival, with it being the brand’s first property in Continental Europe, was unescapable. So, too, was the experience considering it was mine and partner’s first trip away together. You might say that it was a well-earned break for someone whose job over the last two years largely consisted of finding the loopholes from country to country to keep the pulse of our hotel reviews flowing throughout that dreadful time that hospitality history, I hope, will forget. Between 2020 and 2021, it was all trial and error, to be honest. And by that, I mean establishing who in my black book of contacts from around the world qualified as a ‘journalist’ and who would most likely use the opportunity to drink the minibar dry.
Days after arriving back in London, following our long weekend exploring new running trails in the Tuscan hills in-between getting acquainted with the sommelier – minibars are over rated – I found myself head locked in a day full of back-to-back meetings. Before charging through the underground barriers to get to my next engagement, I checked my phone and had received an email from the always smiling Ivaylo Lefterov. It read: “You’re good to go with the story!” The big, juicy exclusive that the developer was referring to was to unveil that Six Senses Hotels & Resorts had been confirmed to operate Svart, the world’s first energy-positive hotel, positioned at the foot of a glacier in Norway that is slated to open in 2024. The press release was scheduled to be sent out a day later, but Six Senses had given Lefterov the nod 24-hours prior. Knowing the value of the story, which we have been following from concept, I made the decision to make myself late (late) for the next meeting, and I sat in a corner of Bond Street, laptop on thighs, to publish the article – they can’t say our job is all glamour and no substance – which became the story of the week, perhaps even month!
Image caption: Just a few days ago, Six Senses Hotels & Resorts was confirmed to operate Svart in Norway, which opens in 2024. | Image credit: Snøhetta Plompmozes Miris
My point is that much like my role, hotel design is, too, full of pre- and often misconceptions. From what I hear, and what I’ve personally experienced, designers are not divas (well, the majority of them at least), and they don’t all order champagne at every meeting (just on Thursdays and when the job completes). And, as far as I’m aware, there’s often a seamless relationship between designer and architect – and whoever else is collaborating on a project. I love watching alliances form, innovation amplified and unconventional ideas form to shape this industry. These three factors fuel the people who are leading it forward. Our recent podcast episodes, panel discussions, roundtables and Hotel Designs LAB reports, within which we have explored the new era of luxury, sensory design’s role in hospitality, sustainability beneath the surface,modern design in heritage buildings and the science driving circadian lighting, I hope, are published examples of how people within our industry are really helping to score these topics into formally unwritten narratives.
> While you’re here, why not listen to the latest episode of DESIGN POD?
Life working in this arena is varied, subjective and full of a plethora of solutions to any one problem. It’s true, no day – even hour – on the editorial desk is ever the same. Any member of our team can be checked in to somewhere fabulous one morning and by lunchtime they are in a different city, far from home, exploring a factory to understand how products from the hotel they’ve just come from are made, which happened to me this month and created a completely different perspective over the project.
Leaving April fondly behind us, we at Hotel Designs are now focusing our attention on May, and the many events on the horizon, including MEET UP North, IHIF and Clerkenwell Design Week. Bounded by drinks and the canapés, we will find the time to explore what is arguably the ultimate juxtaposition in hotel design; indoor and outdoor spaces working in harmony. By doing so, we aim to unlock new conversations around wellbeing and wellness in hotel design and uncover how projects’ challenges and differences can in fact become their greatest strengths. After all, opposites can indeed attract.
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Panel discussion: sensory wellness in hospitality design
With the theme ‘Inspiring Creativity’ given centre stage at the recent MEET UP London, Editor Hamish Kilburn and panellists Tom Middleton and Ari Peralta challenged pre-existing concepts and inspired new ideas around sensory wellness in hotel design…
It was both significant and optimistic that the first MEET UP London to have taken place since 2019 – hosted by Hotel Designs at sheltered inside the Minotti London showroom – was themed ‘inspiring creativity’. With the world recharging its engines, following two of the strangest years in hospitality history, it feels as if innovation is travelling faster through the industry than ever before. The wellness and wellbeing mega trends inspired the topic, and the installations, that Hotel Designs put in the spotlight ahead of the networking event.
Before more than 300 industry professionals were taken on their very own sensory journey at MEET UP London, with the aim to demonstrate the power of sound, colour and smell, I caught up with sound architect Tom Middleton and wellness expert Ari Peralta, both of whom where unable to make the event in person to explore their installations and understand the power of sensory design in 2022 and beyond.
Middleton, an award-winning composer, wellness architect and sensory design technologist, discussed and demonstrated the mood-enhancing and wellbeing properties of spatial sound, combined with scientifically designed imprinting scents to elevate interior design, by delivering a personalised sensory arrival experience.
Meanwhile, Peralta, who is Founder of Arigami, showcased the power of colour on our emotions using cutting-edge, deep learning technologies and generative graphics. Peralta unveiled the ‘colour bath’ in a corner of the showroom, with the aim to reset the senses.
Image credit: MEET UP London / Hotel Designs
Image credit: MEET UP London 2022
MEET UP London was full of energy, sound and conversations unlike any other. The dates for MEET UP London 2023 will be announced shortly. Time is running out to book your tickets for MEET UP North, which takes place in Manchester on May 19.
The Munich-based Ruby group recently opened its first hotel in Geneva, Ruby Claire. It is the group’s second hotel in Switzerland, following the opening of Ruby Mimi in Zurich last year…
Less than a month old, Ruby Claire, the newest design hotel of the Munich-based Ruby Group, has been taking its guests on a journey around the world. The hotel concept has taken its inspiration from Geneva’s significant historical role in the cooperation of peoples, with more than 100 international organisations based there, including one of the four United Nations headquarters. The hotel reflects the richness of world cultures throughout by including diverse design references through the inclusion of elements such as pottery and weaving in the hotel’s public areas.
Image credit: Ruby Hotels
“There are many five star hotels in Geneva, but so far no real lifestyle hotel,” said Nicolas Sabatier, Manager Ruby Claire. “I am therefore pleased that we are now closing this niche with the Ruby Claire, and see us as a game changer.”
The 24/7 bar on the seventh floor is decorated with countless lamps and lanterns of different styles. Two rooftop terraces surround the lounge, providing a tranquil green oasis above the hustle and bustle of the pedestrian mall in the middle of Geneva’s old town.
Image credit: Ruby Hotels
Image credit: Ruby Hotels
The 211 guestrooms sheltered in the new Ruby Claire extend over six floors, at 4,200 square metres above the Passage Malbuisson, between Rue du Rhône and Rue du Marché. For the first time ever, Ruby has combined three buildings, which were built between 1900 – 1993 and previously used as office space. The guestroom come in a range of sizes with appropriately descriptive labels, starting with the smallest NEST which has approximately 14 square metres of space, moving into LOVELY and larger WOW options, with the spacious LOFT guestrooms of up to 28 square metres being the most generous. The rooms of Ruby Claire also feature the open washstand, the glass rain shower, fresh white walls, and wall panelling made of cherry wood. A unique design element is the macramé above the bed.
The hotel also follows Ruby’s Lean Luxury philosophy: a location in the heart of the city, top design, and high-quality amenities with the essentials. And it does so affordably by consistently dispensing with the superfluous and non-essentials.
Cala, a new project by House of Form in Scottsdale Arizona, is located in the Senna House, a Hilton Curio Collection. The restaurant is designed to complement the cuisine as it transports you out of the desert and onto a beach in the mediterranean…
Named after a tiny beach cove street, Cala Road in Mallorca, with impressive views of the Mediterranean Sea, Cala is the dynamic vision of Clive Collective, a hospitality and lifestyle concept that works on a combination of a love for cutting edge design, unique architecture, and memorable experiences. The restaurant, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, has an interior aesthetically designed to complement the modern coastal cocktails and cuisine.With celebrity chef, Beau MacMillan, at the heart of the concept, and interiors by House of Form, this space is set to become both a design and a gastronomic destination for locals and travellers alike.
Image credit: Kevin Brost
House of Form, a boutique hospitality design firm, specialises in creating memorable spaces and meaningful experiences through the design process.With this project, a F&B space sheltered within Senna House, the team at House of Form has created a space that will transport guests as soon as they walk in. Using layers of tones and natural textures,the interior both reflects its Arizona location, and immerses guests in the mood of the mediterranean.
Image credit: Kevin Brost
Image credit: Kevin Brost
The space was designed to reflect the merging of two worlds: the sanded, textured desert and the fresh and airy coast. To complement the chef’s fresh cuisine, the design incorporated lighter wood tones, neutral textures and materials that reflect its location and the coastal environment. The lime wash walls give the space a subtle depth without making the space feel busy or overwhelming. The handcrafted terracotta pots, native to Arizona, are displayed in repetitive and elongated limewashed arches at the entrance,feeling as if you are stepping from a southwestern desert onto a European beach.
The largest Pullman in Europe unveils 4-year transformation
New additions to the recently reopened Pullman Paris Montparnasse include a fresh style, a ‘power fitness’ room and Europe’s first Skybar and the highest open-air rooftop bar in Paris, towering above the city at 115 metres high…
The flagship property within Pullman Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio, Pullman Paris Montparnasse, has reopened following a four-year renovation. The hotel, which is sheltered inside a 115-metre, avant-garde skyscraper designed by Pierre Dufau in 1972, is the brand’s largest property with a total of no less than 957 guestrooms and suites.
Image credit: Arnaud Laplanche
Image credit: Arnaud Laplanche
Design duo Benjamin Clarens and Yann Martin, the founders of CUT Architectures, were the masterminds behind the reimagining of the hotel, to emerge from under its dust sheets as a modern and innovative place. The design scheme consists of an open-plan environment that is decidedly different from the straight, linear architecture of the Montparnasse neighbourhood.
Image credit: Arnaud Laplanche
The studio’s vision has created concentric spaces, where areas intended to facilitate interaction alternate and interact with places meant for relaxation. And it’s this approach that is evident in all corners of the hotel – from the lobby with its circular ceilings to the detail of each guestroom lights and the large structure in the Grand Ballroom.
Image credit: Arnaud Laplanche
Spanning the eighth to the 32nd floors, each guestroom and suite offers a spectacular view over the city. Accessible via long corridors with retro-futurist lighting, make full use of their generous dimensions. Inside, the studio has achieved a weightless feeling of freedom and fluidity. The assemblage of bespoke furniture, using materials such as terrazzo and walnut veneers, paired with an earthy colour scheme brings the hotel up to date.
Image credit: Arnaud Laplanche
Elsewhere in the hotel – 115 metres above the city – is Europe’s first Skybar, which is the highest open-air rooftop bar in Paris. Meanwhile, closer to the earth, the hotel shelters two culinary concepts: Umami Burger, which occupies the second floor, and Fi’lia, which is described as an honest, authentic and generous take on Italian dining.
Image credit: Arnaud Laplanche
In collaboration with Bergman Design House, the 200 square-metre fitness studio is as innovative as it is design savvy. With plans to add a spa in 2023, the space is currently kitted out with high-tech urban equipment, the wellness space has been designed to reference a cross-fit studio layout, with a mini athletics circuit, rack of weights, skipping ropes, punching bars and stationary bikes.
Image credit: Arnaud Laplanche
The hotel, which stands as the brand’s flagship property in and among more than 140 properties worldwide, now features a design scheme that can deliver an inspiring, energising and enriching experience for modern travellers checking in.
Breaking ground on Populus: America’s first carbon positive hotel
A collaboration between real estate developer Urban Villages, and architecture and urban design practice Studio Gang has started construction on Populus, a hotel in Denver Colorado that plans to be both an architectural landmark and a milestone for sustainable travel…
Real estate developer Urban Villages is at the forefront of sustainable hospitality at a time when consumers around the world are recognising and standing up to environmental challenges that impact our lives and economy, and travellers are increasingly wanting to positive difference to the places they visit. To design Populus, Urban Villages partnered with architecture firm Studio Gang, due to their shared commitment to sustainability and inspiring approach to creating spaces that connect between people with each other and their environments.
Slated to open in late 2023, the 265 key hotel will include a rooftop restaurant and bar offering spectacular views of the mountains and city skyline, distinct retail destinations and event spaces, and an iconic Aspen tree-inspired design by Studio Gang. Urban Villages is developing Populus to be carbon positive thanks both to its sustainable design and construction features as well as a substantial ecological effort offsite, including an initial commitment to planting trees that represent over 5,000 acres of forest – offsetting an embodied carbon footprint and removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Image credit: Studio Gang
“To truly impact our earth, carbon neutral developments are no longer enough. Populus will be entirely carbon positive starting with its construction and continuing through to its ongoing operations while acting as a vibrant social centre for locals and visitors,” said Grant McCargo, Urban Villages’ Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Environmental Officer, and Partner. “Not only will Populus be the country’s first carbon positive hotel, but it will be a stunning architectural landmark by Studio Gang that will forever alter Denver’s skyline and contribute to the architectural legacy of the entire Mountain West.”
With real estate’s impact on the environment intensifying, and buildings in the United States currently accounting for 45 per cent of greenhouse emissions in the country, which includes the development of new hotels, Urban Villages is responding to this immediate crisis, in part, with Populus, which will surpass its carbon footprint by implementing green practices derived from extensive research and scientific studies. Urban Villages has calculated the carbon footprint of Populus and made a long-term commitment to be carbon positive. Instead of purchasing untraceable carbon credits as many others do, Urban Villages is accomplishing Populus’ carbon positive status by proactively planting and growing trees to make a tangible impact.
Populus will also minimize its carbon footprint in the development stage using low-carbon concrete mixes, high-recycled content materials, maximising structural efficiency, using fewer finish materials, minimising waste, and more. This considers every stage of the building process, beginning with the origin of materials, as well as the carbon footprint of creating and transporting them. Populus’ ongoing operations will also be carbon positive, so that the hotel’s overall use (operational carbon) along with every guest stay will be offset in addition to the building’s embodied carbon.
Image credit: Studio Gang
Inspired by nature, Studio Gang’s design for Populus was informed by studying the characteristic patterns found on Colorado’s native Aspen tree – Populus Tremuloides – an instantly recognisable symbol of the state. The building’s distinctive windows echo the ‘Aspen eyes’ while also designed to perform efficiently in Denver’s varied climate. The texture and rhythm of the façade is optimised to the program inside, with ‘lids’ over each window extending slightly outward to shade the interior of the building and improve energy performance. These ‘lids’ also neatly channel rainwater to keep the façade of Populus looking continually clean and bright.
Image credit: Studio Gang
“Improving the resiliency of our cities has never been more urgent—and it includes reducing carbon emissions as well as strengthening community bonds,” said Jeanne Gang, founder of Studio Gang. “We’ve designed Populus to be a new destination in downtown Denver that combines these environmental and social ambitions. With its distinctive aspen eye windows, the building cultivates a lively pedestrian scene in its neighbourhood, while simultaneously connecting you with views of the natural wonders beyond the city limits. The windows and façade are also tuned for high environmental performance—self-shading, insulating, and channeling rainwater—as part of the architecture’s larger green vision.”
On the interior, the windows changes in size to reflect the public or private nature of various spaces, with windows up to 30 feet high at the building’s base that frame entrances and views into the lobby and amenity spaces. Inside the guestrooms, hotel guests have immersive mountain and city views through windows, which also become occupiable, transforming into seats or desks that further connect occupants with the outdoors. The result is a stunningly beautiful, sustainable design that is deeply connected to nature and its surrounding neighbourhood.
AXOR Futures: a discussion on design & conscious luxury
The second AXOR Futures has gone live, drawing on the experience of creators, designers and philosophers. The conversation between Philippe Starck, Anne Lise Kjaer, Chung-Yi Yang and Rebecca Weigold dug deep into the concept of conscious luxury, sustainability, and its implications for the design process…
Hansgrohe Group’s design brand AXOR recently launched its digital platform AXOR Futures with the aim of promoting discussion and offering insight into new ways into new ways of thinking about societal influences on interior design.
The most recent of these was the second event in the series and addressed long-lasting design and conscious consumption with guests speakers Philippe Starck (Architect, Creator and AXOR Design Partner), Anne Lise Kjaer (Futurist and Founder Kjaer Global), Chung-Yi Yang (Partner ACPV Citterio Viel),) and Rebecca Weigold (Team Leader Green Company Initiative, Hansgrohe Group). The discussion was introduced and moderated by Anke Sohn Head of Global Brand Marketing AXOR.
“Resources here on earth are finite, unlike the multitude of our ideas, desires and aspirations,” said Sohn. ” This also means that our attitude towards design is changing. We want it to be meaningful and long-lasting. Our primary goal is to combine our outstanding designs with excellence in manufacturing and innovative technology to create products that last a lifetime. Promoting conscious consumption and long-lasting design is our contribution to a more sustainable world. And in this spirit, we have always designed beyond time and are entering into a new dialogue with creative minds from around the world.”
Image credit: AXOR
The contributions from everyone on the panel took us through several of the key issues being grappled with in the design world across the board. Introducing the concept, Kjaer, a renowned futurist and author who has lectured at Cambridge university and MIT, and speaks regularly at events such as TEDx, touched on questions of changing values and lifestyle, and how a more considered approach to design can harness these changes into a more long term – and a more sustainable – outcome. “The true value of things will be extremely important” said Kjaer. ” We need better products, not more products”
Taking the conversation more directly into the built environment, partner at the architecture studio, Partner ACPV Citterio Viel, Chung-Yi Yang discussed the need to improve the quality and use of interior and exterior spaces. Looking at sustainability from an architect’s perspective Yang emphasised the importance of water conservation in projects, as well as the regenerative aspects of her discipline. “Building can make the world a better place” stated Yang. ” Architecture and interior design have an enormous amount of regenerative potential, and a resource like water is too valuable not to be used in the best possible way.”
Image credit: AXOR
Designer Philippe Starck has been collaborating with AXOR for more than 20 years, and the first range designed by the designer remains as relevant today as it did when it was launched. Thus the concept of design longevity became central to a discussion on sustainability. This was made clear by Starck who asserted that good design is in fact about creating nothing superfluous. It is about respecting and understanding the function of an object and working in collaboration with engineers and technicians to ensure that all of the functionality is part of the design. Starck went on to discuss his belief in the importance of uniting luxury and ecology with aesthetics—an ongoing process that not only includes his previous work with AXOR, but importantly will remain an important part of all upcoming projects.
Finally the conversation concluded with some input from Rebecca Weigold, an expert in environmental management who works at the Hansgrohe Group, where she advises departments and project teams on implementing social and environmental sustainability. During her conversation with AXOR’s Anke Sohn, Weigold spoke about the brand’s eco-design guidelines and ecological commitments moving forward. Weigold emphasised the need for a holistic business model when taking on sustainability. “Production must be as green as possible,” said Weigold. ” The social perspective of sustainability needs to be considered with social conditions in manufacturing being part of the solution.”
As moderator Sohn drew the conversation to a close, what is clear is that design needs to be both considered and long lasting for it to be sustainable. While these conversations are important, conversations need to inform action, not only of design, but on every level of the manufacturing, marketing and distribution process. Designers, architects, engineers, cannot look at their individual corners of the process in isolation, everything is interconnected, and now more than ever we need to address design holistically.
Hansgrohe is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Blurring the boundaries: tiling the great outdoors
Tiles can offer an inspired solution for transforming outside areas, with a range of applications from flooring to feature walls, and pools to bars. In this article Mark Hillier, specification manager at leading commercial tile supplier CTD Architectural Tiles, discusses the key considerations for using tiles to create a beautiful yet practical outdoor space…
The concept of extending inside living and public spaces to the outside is becoming an increasingly popular design trend, with more and more hotels opting to create a seamless flow between the indoors and outdoors. Indoor-outdoor tiles offer the ideal solution for this design solution; whereas in the past separate tiles would be required for the different spaces, these tiles can be used in both environments. With a varied range of these indoor-outdoor tiles available, the Matter collection by Zyx in particular is proving popular thanks to its range of applications, colours and shapes.
Image credit: CTD Architectural Tiles
When designing for public spaces like hotels, safety plays a key role in choosing flooring. Selecting outdoor floor tiles is no exception to this, and it’s vital to select a product which offers a minimum anti-slip rating of PTV36 (Pendulum Test Value) to ensure minimal risk. There is now a huge variety of anti-slip outdoor floor tiles available on the market, suitable for any project, style and budget – meaning there’s no need to compromise on safety or aesthetics.
Choosing outdoor floor tiles with a high slip resistance is particularly important for areas likely to be regularly exposed to wet conditions, whether that’s an outdoor pool or simply an uncovered space likely to be affected by rain. Porcelain-based tiling tends to offer the highest PTV ratings, but it’s always best to discuss ratings for specific tiles with your representative. As well as providing maximum safety, porcelain tiles are not affected by the elements, making them the ideal material for those outdoor spaces and ensuring that they will be enjoyed by guests for many years to come.
Image credit: CTD Architectural Tiles
Whether it’s for a luxury pool, bar area or feature wall, tiles are the perfect way for a hotel to make a real design statement. Outdoor swimming pools tend to be a natural focal point, but that doesn’t mean the space can’t be taken to the next level. Tiles can elevate a leisure pool when the designer opts for visually interesting tiles rather than the traditional plain blue, with collections such as Matter, Aqua and Nubia guaranteed to turn heads.
Bar areas and feature walls are another great way to incorporate tiles into an outdoor space designed to impress guests, with almost endless options when it comes to shapes, colours and patterns.
Image credit: CTD Architectural Tiles
With many guests likely to be escaping the stresses of everyday life during their stay, creating calm spaces within a hotel is becoming an increasingly important design choice. This principle can be applied to a hotel’s outdoor areas, and tiles can be a valuable tool in evoking a sense of calm. The soothing effect of being outdoors can be emphasised through choosing neutral floor tiles designed to look like concrete or cement, while calming shades of blue and green are a popular choice for outdoor feature walls.
Similarly, the use of wood-effect floor tiles is a great way to create a serene outdoor environment thanks to its links to nature. CTD Architectural Tiles recently started supplying the Cortina collection, which comprises wood-effect tiles inspired by the use of timber in the Alps and Dolomites – and what makes this collection stand out even further is that the tiles can be used both indoors and outdoors, creating that sense of calm that flows from the inside out.
CTD Architectural Tiles is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
BREAKING: Six Senses to operate Svart hotel in Norway
The highly anticipated hospitality project at the foot of a glacier in Norway that will become the world’s first energy-positive hotel, known as Svart, will be operated by Six Senses. Having followed the project closely since early concept stages, here’s what Editor Hamish Kilburn knows…
Standing ‘weightlessly’ at the foot of a striking glacier – and with its aim to become the world’s first energy-positive hotel and in the process setting new standards in carbon-neutral transformative travel experiences – it’s unsurprising that much has already been written about the highly anticipated opening of Svart, which until now we were under the impression would be stand as an independent hotel. Well, dropping somewhat of a plot twist, Six Senses Hotels & Resorts has confirmed that it will be the official operator of the hotel – and rightly so, considering the brand’s unapologetic stance on sustainable tourism and conscious hospitality.
“Building a unique environment through cutting-edge design and superior craftsmanship comes with clear obligations,” Ivaylo Lefterov, Svart Development Director, told Hotel Designs. “Creating a sustainable destination through an optimised resort operation requires us to collaborate with the right partner. “Six Senses shares the same ethos and ambition, to redefine bespoke travel through technological innovation, carbon-neutral approach, ground-breaking design, and an exceptional guest journey.”
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
Designed structurally by Snøhetta, the 94-key Six Senses Svart will combine a futuristic design, led by interior design studio, Space Copenhagen, and technological innovation with earthy, organic materials that will use the latest embedded energy.
The hotel, which will be poised on poles above the crystal-clear waters of the Holandsfjorden fjord, at the base of a glacier, aims to raise awareness of the possibilities of regenerative travel and the importance of the polar region, in partnership with the local community. Innate to this project, and an integral part of its DNA, is the commitment not to compromise the fragile and pristine glacial surroundings or the property’s beauty and quality. The major design pillars of Six Senses Svart are environment and nature, sustainability, technological innovation, wellness and mindfulness, which have been integrated in tandem because they all directly impact each other.
Taking its cue from the ‘fiskehjell’ (an A-shaped wooden structure for drying fish) and the ‘rorbue’ (a coastal fisherman’s cabin), Six Senses Svart will be constructed on poles, dissolving the boundary between land and fjord, ensuring minimal land impact and seabed disruption. The circular form is tactile, creating a feeling of openness and perpetual consciousness of nature as it gives the building a transparent appearance. The happy side effect is its ability to collect energy from the roof and offer panoramic views and privacy with the expanded distance between rooms.
Superior craftsmanship will bring nature inside to form the modern and sustainable Scandic interiors, with corridor space filled with fun and quirky artwork, artefacts, and landscape follies, charting local heritage and creativity to bring a smile to the face.
Pioneering wellness is central to the Six Senses DNA, and this is an opportunity to innovate further, with each guest room becoming a wellness concierge through the Svart Touch concept. Non-invasive, touchless technology will adapt the room to the guest’s state of mind and health, providing intuitive options to evoke a deeper sense of wellbeing.
The hotel is the first building to be designed and built after the highest energy efficiency standard in the northern hemisphere. It will harvest enough solar energy to go back into the system, covering the hotel, adjacent operations, boat shuttle, and the energy needed to construct the building – rendering it independent from the power grid. Such energy-positive buildings could deliver 89 per cent of the 45 per cent decrease in emissions required to reach the scenario where global warming is limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. As such, Six Senses Svart is the northernmost implementation of the Paris Agreement, demonstrating that carbon neutrality can be not only feasible in a sophisticated development at an eco-sensitive site, but can also be profitable.
It will also be self-sustaining, complete with its own waste and water management, recycling, and renewable infrastructure. The team will work with existing sustainable fishing and farming operations and engage local like-minded suppliers for the restaurants and bars.
“To enhance the vision of Svart, we have established a Net Zero Lab, a vehicle for developing and take to market the technology created by us in joint effort with Six Senses to reach the common goal for net-zero travel,” added Jan-Gunnar Mathisen, CEO of the project’s owner and developer. “This means the guest journey will have zero environmental impact from start to end. The mission is to achieve common ground for all stakeholders pushing the technology to the next level to benefit Svart and the industry at large.”
The concept of a ‘stay’ will be redefined from a passive or static experience to an immersive and purpose-driven journey. There is a two-way expectation as truly reciprocal wellness and sustainability cut both ways. Guests are welcomed into breathtaking nature to enjoy unplugged exploration and signature standards such as Eat With Six Senses, Sleep With Six Senses and Grow With Six Senses, the brand’s edutainment program for younger guests created around the six dimensions of wellness.
Image credit: Snøhetta Plompmozes Miris
Image caption: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts was confirmed to operate Svart in Norway, which opens in 2024. | Image credit: Snøhetta Plompmozes Miris
Guests can lounge in the Experience Center, where materials will be light and raw, with local fabrics to tie ”the space to the place”. The Alchemy Bar will highlight the rich history of regional healing techniques by turning local flora and fauna into pampering scents and scrubs. As a centre for engagement and innovation, the Earth Lab will serve as the sustainability outreach space, showcasing “lifecycle living” initiatives on and off the property. There will also be a Svart Design Lab, which will act as an incubator for innovation and education, for guests to understand how new technologies can bring the sector closer to carbon neutrality as part of a cradle-to-cradle hospitality offering.
The Marketplace will be the anchor, zero-waste dining venue, where the lines between food storage, prep, and dining are blurred to create an inviting and active environment. No one will bat an eye at anyone catching and cooking their own fish. Six Senses filters and bottles its own drinking water throughout its properties, and Six Senses Svart will offer water and more to the door to reach its plastic-free goals.
Wellness at Six Senses is not confined to the four walls of the spa or fitness centre. It is part of an integrated experience. It is something that is always present, and nothing that guests have to engage in, if they choose not to. Instead, experts will guide guests on the path to well-being, however far they want to go. From effective fixes from compression boots to vitamin IVs in the biohacking lounge to all-round fitness in the sensory treatment suites. Six Senses Svart will cover the full gambit of integrated wellness, with state-of-the-art equipment and wearable technology assimilation, integrating a specially developed “Svart Touch” concept that will further elevate the brand’s pioneering wellness approach.
On summarising the project’s mission, Ivaylo Lefterov said: “Six Senses Svart is redefining the travel experience through technological innovation, ground-breaking design, and exceptional guest wellness journey by creating a carbon-neutral visionary destination where we can showcase the core pillars of what modern hospitality design and operation can achieve.”
While we have to wait a little longer than expected for Svart to finally open its doors – having given the industry a lesson is teasers over the last few years – the power of collaboration and meaningful hospitality development – from operation to design and architecture – is what is fuelling this project to go down in the history books as a timeless example of exemplary hotel design, and we will continue to follow progress eagerly as Six Senses Svart emerges from its drawings and flourishes into a unique fixture on the international hotel design scene.
Main image credit: Svart Development/Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
Product watch: 4 new collections from Christopher Hyde
With the aim to launch innovative products that sensitively reflect the brand’s DNA, Christopher Hyde has unveiled four new collections that will make a statement in any interior design scheme…
Having excelled at manufacturing luxury luminaires for an extensive range of interiors for more than 25 years, lighting brand Christopher Hyde has showcased some of the finest designs within the eclectic classic and contemporary collections, with a specific focus on the Middle Eastern market – think statement lighting. Not only has the brand unveiled new ranges, ideal for this market, it has also invested in a new sales manager in the region. Cue the arrival of Tiziana Greco, with 20 years’ experience in various high-level roles who has managed many projects in the Interior Design industry working with high-end, luxury lighting and furniture brands within the GCC and Far East markets.
Back to the products, though, the St James chandelier is a 20-light oval centre piece with a crystal cut vase in the centre. Finished in antique french gold with clear bohemian crystal drops. A luxury reception or living area would be the perfect space for a chandelier of such grandeur.
Image credit: Christopher Hyde
The Empire Collection, meanwhile, is ideal for the more classic and ornate design style. The collection includes a crystal wall sconce and flush ceiling fitting on superbly cast solid brass frames finished in french gold. The finely detailed arms and wreath are hand cast using a traditional ‘lost wax’ method.
The Lucerne is a contemporary statement luminaire suitable for any contemporary interior. This pendant is manufactured with adjustable satin brass arms and bubble glass. With the option to alter the pendant’s height prior to installation clients can customise this luminaire to suit any ceiling height.
Image credit: Christopher Hyde
And finally, the Kamakura is a beautiful, cultural wall light finished in polished brass and is perfect for all interiors. The unique design of this wall light lends itself to that of a piece of art.
Christopher Hyde Lighting is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our recommended suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Conrad arrives in Sardinia, marking brand’s debut in Italy
The highly anticipated Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia has opened, marking the luxury brand’s debut in Italy – combining a pristine natural location with high-end interiors by Studio Marco Piva to create an exclusive oasis on the picturesque Sardinian coastline…
Situated on a prime location along Sardinia’s coastline, Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia overlooks Chia Bay and is nestled between the golden sands of both Monte Cogoni Beach and Dune di Campana Beach. Sheltering 107 guestrooms, the resort offers a secluded retreat for travellers seeking total ease and relaxation along with exclusive guest amenities and privileged access to all that the larger Chia Laguna Resort has to offer. The hotel opening is significant. Not only does it mark the brand’s inaugural opening in Sardinia, but it also marks the brand’s first hotel in Italiy, and also represents Conrad’s expanding global portfolio of distinctive hotels and resorts.
Image credit: Conrad Hotels & Resorts
“We’re thrilled to introduce Conrad Hotels & Resorts in Italy as the latest marquee opening for the brand following notable openings in Shanghai and Tulum early this year,” said Dino Michael, Senior Vice President and Global Category Head, Hilton luxury brands.”Located in a destination famous for its turquoise coastline and picturesque mountainous views, Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia will provide our highly discerning guests with authentic, impactful experiences through Conrad’s renowned purposeful and passionate service.”
Perched on the southern-most tip of the Mediterranean island, the resort is surrounded by all the awe-inspiring natural beauty Sardinia has to offer. Sand dunes, coastal flora and fauna and pink flamingos give way to both Monte Cogoni and Dune di Campana, renowned as Italy’s most beautiful beaches and found on either side of the resort. These spectacular vistas with hues of natural green and blue are visible from every corner of the property, with guestrooms, suites, restaurants and pools all boasting panoramic views across the iconic bay and lagoon. Chia is a protected habitat to wildlife and is home to countless species as well as wild herbs such as mint, rosemary and thyme which often fill the coastal air with their aromatic scent.
Image credit: Conrad Hotels & Resorts
The surrounding natural beauty is reflected in the property’s interior thanks to a unique design concept by Studio Marco Piva – Milanese masters of hospitality design. Inspiration comes from the hotel’s elevated coastal location above the bay with natural materials and neutral tones featured throughout resulting in a harmonious blend of elegance and Mediterranean simplicity. The approach combines contemporary design with local materials such as Sardinian ‘Biancone di Orosei’ marble, a calcareous rock derived from ancient coral and fossils that has a subtle sandy hue. These locally sourced rocks were used to create terraces, seamlessly blending the resort into its surroundings. The hotel lobby features elements of the Sardinian culture, inviting guests to fully experience the location’s cultural background with details such as wall coverings of traditional Sardinian fabrics and furniture decorated with ropes, representing the destination’s nautical roots.
Image credit: Conrad Hotels & Resorts
The hotel is designed to offer something for families and couples alike, with the guestrooms divided into two areas to reflect this, with dedicated swimming pools, private gardens and pathways alongside two restaurants to suit every palette. La Terrazza serves a menu of Mediterranean and international cuisine in an interactive setting where guests can observe the cooking process alongside panoramic views from the al fresco terrace. Sa Mesa is set in an olive grove, and features local specialities with a contemporary twist, offering foodies an authentic experience under the twinkling Mediterranean night sky.
The hotel shelters an on-site Conrad Spa which serves as calm haven with an extensive treatment menu and a rooftop solarium with breath-taking views overlooking the entire resort and surrounding landscapes can be enjoyed from a series of pools.
Expanding the Conrad portfolio in America, The Conrad Los Angeles will be stamping its designer footprint within The Grand LA – located in the heart of Grand Ave. Arts, this multi-functional mixed use development is set to become a paradigm-shifting place to live, stay and visit. The Grand LA will include 176,000 square feet of retail and dining space, more than 400 residences and a large, vibrant public plaza with a series of landscaped, open terraces that will host free arts programming throughout the year, including live concerts. Additionally, within walking distance of Conrad Los Angeles are some of the city’s most prominent cultural venues, creating a natural synergy with the neighbourhood’s art destinations including The Broad, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Museum of Contemporary Art, Grand Park, Colburn School and The Music Center.
Image credit: Conrad Hotels & Resorts
“The Grand LA is thrilled to host Hilton’s first Conrad property in California,” said Rick Vogel, Senior Vice President at Related Companies. “Conrad is one of Hilton’s high luxury brands for the Epicurean traveller in search of culture, arts and dining, which is aligned with The Grand LA’s landmark destination as the epicentre for arts and culture in LA. We look forward to welcoming Conrad Los Angeles’s first guests when The Grand LA opens in 2022.”
Image credit: Conrad Hotels & Resorts
“Conrad Hotels & Resorts is the ideal brand to complement the suite of offerings at the Grand LA with our promise of bold design and exceptional, passionate service, aimed at creating memorable experiences for our guests,” said Nils-Arne Schroeder, Global Brand Head, Conrad Hotels & Resorts. “We look forward to elevating the level of luxury hospitality in the destination next year with the opening of our first Conrad hotel in California and seeing the immersive cultural experiences at Conrad Los Angeles come to life for travellers and the local community.”
Image credit: Conrad Hotels & Resorts
The 28-story hotel will shelter 305 contemporary guestrooms with bold design, as well as a spa, elevated indoor/outdoor lobby with sweeping views of the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a 16,000 square foot rooftop terrace complete with a private pool deck overlooking downtown LA. Guests will enjoy locally inspired culinary experiences through dining outlets featuring expansive lounges and outdoor amenities that embrace California’s outdoor culture, all while staying true to Conrad’s commitment to wellness and sustainable travel. The luxury property will also offer 12,000 square feet of meeting and event facilities with integrated technology capabilities as well as a state-of-the-art fitness room for guests.
DesignLSM unveils renovation details from Heythrop Park
With Heythrop Park Hotel set to open in the summer, award-winning design agency DesignLSM is well underway with its latest project: renovating the front of house and F&B areas at the prestigious Grade II listed property…
Set within 440 acres of parkland, Heythrop Park, recently acquired by Warner Leisure Hotels, is set to open later this summer with a completely evolved aesthetic celebrating the historic architecture and founding owners of the estate. Appealing to the existing loyal Warner guest as well as attracting new visitors, DesignLSM has undertaken a strategic and creative position on the vast project, focusing on three key principles to enhance the overall guest experience – relaxation, exploration and entertainment.
Image credit: DesignLSM
Renowned for its beautiful architecture, stunning gardens and rolling rural estate, Heythrop Park, located on the edge of the Cotswolds, was originally built for the 1st Duke of Shrewsbury in 1706-1711 and was one of the first estates to marry the interior with the exterior, ensuring that it captures the remarkable vistas on offer. Paying homage to the baroque era, but keeping the modern traveller in mind, DesignLSM have created a distinctive design narrative for the property that runs across the sprawling estate, taking influence from the Duke’s Grand Tour in Italy and his close working relationship with his architect Thomas Archer; alongside design inspiration woven in from the subsequent owner – Thomas Brassey.
Image credit: DesignLSM
Having a wealth of experience, most recently designing Gaucho’s new Glasgow restaurant and The Al-chemist’s Spinningfields Bar , with Searcys’ St Pancras Champagne Bar refurbishment amongst many others currently in hand, the DesignLSM team have bridged the gap between the Grade II listed 18th century charming manor house and the contemporary extension – creating an engaging aesthetic that runs through the whole Estate; including The Orangery, six lounges, three restaurants, two bars, a ball-room and theatre. Each space has its own design identity that encourages a journey of discovery for guests.
Image credit: DesignLSM
The Market Kitchen restaurant with its soft colour palette, fresh biophilic patterned upholstery and wall paneling was inspired by the traditional kitchen garden, while the Brassey Bar, echoes Thomas Brassey’s love of engineering and background in the railways, housing traditional industrial patterns and materials – think dramatic beamed structures, metal detailing, rich leather banquettes, and intimate lighting.
“This has been a tremendous project for DesignLSM,” said Holly Hallam, Managing Director of DesignLSM. “We have worked closely with Warner Leisure Hotels from the very beginning – offering our strategic expertise to curate the proposition, creating and defining several new F&B concepts as well designing a new narrative and an immersive interior design across all of the front of house rooms in this grand Estate – influenced by, and respecting its historical roots, whilst bringing it forward into a new era of enjoyment and adventure.”
Each space, while having its own unique design DNA, compliments the architectural language of the property as a whole, delivering atmospheric and inviting spaces with a contemporary feel and elegant grandeur – encouraging a sense of welcome, comfort and continued exploration. Being the latest in a stunning series of design achievements, Heythrop Park looks set to be a forward thinking and vital edition to DesignLSM’s groundbreaking hospitality portfolio.
Kohler introduces AR experience in its latest launch
Moving beyond the boundaries of the showroom, Kohler has launched a limited edition creative AR experience, immersing architects and designers in its latest launch which celebrates the new Statement & Anthem showering collection...
Bathroom brand Kohler has launched a hybrid concept that, in true Kohler fashion, extends boundaries using meaningful design and technology. The concept will allow designers to experience the showroom virtually, by offering digital and physical touchpoints through a Statement & Anthem sculpture, which reflects the colours and finishes of the new collection. With an accompanying QR code, designers can be transported to a virtual world.
Sounds great, but how does it work? To facilitate this process, and putting the R(eality) into AR, gift boxes containing the sculpture, product codes and portal QR code have been sent to members of the architect and design community. Once the sculpture is configured and the QR code scanned, the user is transported to a virtual world where they can explore different spaces of wellbeing inspired by the stunning design cues of the new Statement Showering Collection and Anthem Digital & Mechanical Controls. The physical pieces create an immersive experience for architects and designers, and encourage Kohler’s creative audience to touch and feel the various materials, admire the unique shapes and forms, and build their own configurations.
Image credit: Kohler
Image credit: Kohler
Image credit: Kohler
The spatially-aware, mobile and webAR browser experience enables participants to step inside a 360° virtual space to explore three beautiful landscapes that showcase Kohler’s products. Within these landscapes, participants can find and interact with a life-sized, animated, abstract sculpture inspired by the physical sculpture, as well as rotate, pinch and zoom in to examine the details.
Architects are also able to leverage their own physical environments and transform them into interactive playspaces by virtually walking around, examining the product from all angles, and taking in their surroundings. Each sculpture is accompanied by high-quality product cards containing imagery and helpful specifying information.
“We understand our audience of global architects, designers, developers and hoteliers gains so much more from an experience that can be seen, felt, and appreciated in the context of a physical environment,” said Angela Zahn, Kohler Kitchen & Bath Group Director of Global Campaigns and Channel Marketing. “Therefore, the creative team landed on a concept that was both transportive and grounded, while embracing the constraints of a remote setting in a thoughtful, sophisticated, and innovative way.”
Through this immersive hybrid experience, architects and designers can discover the endless ways Kohler products can bring a sense of harmony and revitalization into their designs and create their own spaces of wellbeing.
Kohler is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Product watch: Vintage Camelia & Delta Geometric from Skopos
Skopos Fabrics has launched two new designs this month, as it continues its celebrations to mark its 50th Anniversary…
Skopos, the fabric brand that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, has just dropped two new designs; Vintage Camelia and Delta Geometric.
Camomile Lawn, first launched in 2006, was the perfect blend of classic glamour and contemporary sophistication launched under the Jamasque Label. The label was inspired by historical themes, floral imagery, archive prints and weaves. Timeless designs, including florals, vines, a decorative paisley scroll and soft striped designs, partnered in the original pattern book, with sumptuous accents, portraying the romance of English country life. The collection comprised of 5 printed and 1 woven design, all linked together by colour. ‘Camelia’ was inspired by a surface printed floral wallpaper document dating back to the late 19th Century. The original design was larger in scale and was interpreted for flatbed screen printing using hand separation techniques.
Revisiting this design, Skopos has decreased the scale and looked at an interpretation which marries vintage colours and contemporary tones. Vintage Camelia has been developed for our Anniversary collection. The design is now digitally printed, therefore in alignment with the original surface print technique, allowing the graphic block-printed outlines to remain. Vintage Camelia has also been re-imagined in a modern colour palette, ideal for today’s trend for maximalist interiors.
Image credit: Skopos
Delta was an early Skopos geometric design, originally launched back in the mid 70s. Known as ‘Design Number 14’, it was part of a range of large-scale geometric designs, appearing in a brochure, aimed at the hotel and leisure market.
Originally screen printed by hand, in a single colour, the design has been reduced in size from the previous Delta design, translated into a soft tonal, two-colour design and digitally printed on our upholstery velvet, Varese, giving a luxurious twist to the original drape fabric.
Designs for April are available on any of the brand’s standard print base-cloths. Both designs are being offered in two colourways for immediate order.
Skopos is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
The Pinch, a new luxury boutique hotel in Charleston
Developed and designed by Philadelphia-based hospitality company, Method Co.,in partnership with New York-based Morris Adjmi Architects, The Pinch has opened its doors, continuing the brand’s mission of blending high-end, boutique hotel experiences with modern conveniences…
Located in the heart of downtown Charleston on the bustling intersection in the Ansonborough neighborhood, The Pinch is situated in a prime location just steps away from high-end retail shops, a vibrant dining scene, the College of Charleston and close to historical attractions. With a rich history, Charleston today is a beautifully preserved architectural and historical treasure, home to a thriving hospitality spirit that can be felt throughout its welcoming, romantic neighborhoods, preserved architecture, and the resurgence of a thriving cultural and art scene. Taking cues from the existing building’s architecture, which are part of the National Register of Historic Places, The Pinch draws inspiration from the building’s rich past and city’s preservation efforts over the years, establishing a place that elevates hospitality through soulful design, and cultivates a deep respect for heritage.
Image credit: MethodCo / Daniel Olosovsky
Image credit: MethodCo / Matthew Williams
Housed in two original Victorian-style structures dating back as early as 1843, alongside one newly constructed building, the new property has been thoughtfully transformed into a boutique hotel experience, featuring 22 luxury guestrooms and suites, and three residences that are available for stays of 30 days or longer. Each of The Pinch’s luxury accommodations are a mix of king and loft rooms, one- and two-bedroom suites, and residences. While there are subtle variations and unique configurations in each room, including private balconies and a landscaped terrace, all feature a full kitchen with marble or black walnut countertops, Italian marble farmhouse sinks and unlacquered brass taps by deVOL, BlueStar ranges, and custom cabinetry.
Image credit: MethodCo / Matthew Williams
The bathrooms all feature unlacquered brass Waterworks fixtures, hand-painted terracotta Moroccan floor tiles, luxurious walk-in showers with Clé Zellige tiles, and black walnut vanities with honed Arabescato Calacatta stone. All rooms, suites, and residences include washers and dryers and ample closets. The Lequeux-Williams House penthouse residence features an open concept, separate king bedroom, spacious living and dining area with a working fireplace, as well as a private veranda overlooking Ellis Alley.
Image credit: MethodCo / Matthew Williams
Image credit: MethodCo / Matthew Williams
Built to age gracefully, bespoke finishes layer the minimal, soulfully designed rooms, including lighting from Santa & Cole, Original BTC, Allied Maker, and handmade open-fired raku style ceramic glazed lamps by Aaron Poritz. Artwork throughout The Pinch includes etchings, graphite, and paintings by Lucas Reiner, lithographs by David Salle and Kelsey Brookes, paintings by Fausto Rossi, in addition to a collection of photography and artwork by various artists.
Image credit: MethodCo / Daniel Olosovsky
Image credit: MethodCo / Matthew Williams
Furnishings in the hotel are an eclectic mix of classic and contemporary, and include armchairs from Lawson-Fenning, lush velvet sofas by Interior Defined, and a collection of custom pieces by Aaron Poritz & Morris Adjmi through their FurnitureWorks studio. Wallcoverings throughout are by Lewis & Wood and Farrow & Ball, and vintage rugs were curated in collaboration with Old New House. Throughout The Pinch is an assortment of vintage found objects, living plants and books.
Image credit: MethodCo / Matthew Williams
The hotel will feature two restaurants coming later this summer: a cozy oyster & cocktail den, and a full-service destination restaurant with a vibrant outdoor cobblestone courtyard. Both restaurants will showcase beverage programs that feature quality-driven craft cocktails along with a curated list of local beer and an extensive wine selection with a focus on French and European producers.
The Pinch is the second hotel to open outside of Philadelphia for Method Co., the visionaries behind the hospitality concepts of Wm. Mulherin’s Sons, HIROKI, ROOST Apartment Hotels and Whyle. The Pinch will continue the brand’s mission of blending high design, boutique hotel experiences and the extended stay model, along with creating thoughtful and distinct culinary concepts, to bring a new level of service to Charleston’s hospitality scene.
Inspired by the city’s imperial history, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of Rosewood Vienna. Slated for the summer, the opening marks the luxury brands fifth European property, and is a collaboration between A2K Architects, BEHF Architects and interior designer Alexander Waterworth…
Making its mark in the heart of one of Europe’s most historic cities, Rosewood Vienna is set to provide visitors with an authentic, original, and personalized travel experience inspired by the destination’s local culture and international spirit. The hotel is surrounded by Vienna’s best shopping, restaurants, and some of its most significant sites and attractions. In keeping with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ A Sense of Place philosophy, guests at Rosewood Vienna will be immersed in the timeless grace, elegance and imperial flair that has been the hallmark of Vienna for centuries.
Image credit: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
“I am very excited to welcome Rosewood’s dedicated family of guests to Vienna and showcase all of the beauty and history that our city has to offer through the unique Rosewood point of view,” said Alexander Lahmer, Managing Director of Rosewood Vienna. “Rosewood Vienna is a tribute to the Viennese way of life and will be the focal point of the city’s vibrant and ever-evolving hospitality scene—where culture, cuisine and cosmopolitanism meet. As with all Rosewood hotels, we are committed to the philosophy of honoring the time-honored sensibilities of Vienna’s spirit while also incorporating a modern feel and best-in-class amenities.”
Situated in a historic 19th century building, Rosewood Vienna is a collaboration between A2K Architects, BEHF Architects and interior designer Alexander Waterworth. The end result is a hotel that marries historic charm and European Belle Époque architecture with modern interiors and timeless sophistication. The property’s 99 guestrooms and 27 suites have been designed with a thoughtful combination of lush textures, artistic touches, and the latest technological conveniences.
Image credit: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
Considered the crown jewel of Rosewood Vienna, the property’s 1,800 square foot Presidential Suite offers the ultimate in luxury, featuring unparalleled dazzling city views, a master bedroom, a separate living room, kitchen, entertainment area, and eight-person dining room. Each room has its own individual character, yet they are all united by a harmonious, neutral colour palette accented by subtle colour contrasts, reflecting the property’s style of mixing the old and the new. Every detail has been meticulously selected to create an optimal experience for entertainment and relaxation. Using a skillful interplay of different materials such as marble, wood, brass fixtures and patterned fabrics, the design nods to the imperial glamour of Vienna’s past while speaking to the tastes of today’s affluent explorer.
Image credit: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
The hotel will shelter a variety of dining options which will pay tribute to the culinary roots of the Austrian capital while incorporating Rosewood’s brand-standard levels of service and modern culinary interpretations. The property’s light-filled top floor offers fine dining menus showcasing both European and Austrian cuisine in a variety of spaces. Soon-to-be announced concepts include a casual atmosphere in the property’s ‘show kitchen’ and an upscale brasserie in the property’s main dining room, which includes an adjacent terrace and garden oasis. The property’s food and beverage offerings also include a private dining room, which can be booked for intimate gatherings or used as an event space for larger groups. Classic cocktails with an innovative twist will be served in the hotel’s intimate rooftop bar, designed by interior designer Kroenland.
Image credit: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
An elegant event space inspired by a grand apartment once located in the heart of the city, Rosewood Vienna’s Pavilion is home to a spectacular space with versatile amenities and a capacity of up to 120 people for social events and business meetings. The Pavilion includes three lounges that feature state-of-the-art technology and flexible floor plans with natural light that showcases the building’s splendid architecture. Rosewood Vienna looks to establish itself as the leading setting for both private and professional occasions in the heart of the Austrian capital.
On the wellness front, Sense, A Rosewood Spa, that will present intuitive, locally inspired offerings that promote the well-being of both the body and mind. With an unparalleled view of Vienna, the spa offers five treatment rooms, a ‘social suite’ and a hydrotherapy relaxation room, as well as an extensive selection of treatments and therapies. The spa’s design features clean architectural lines, stone and carved wood elements, and a soothing color palette chosen to convey a tranquil experience.
Image credit: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
The new Rosewood Vienna, situated on Petersplatz, one of the most famous squares in Vienna’s Old Town, will be the brands first flag in Vienna. It joins the portfolio that includes iconic properties such as Rosewood London, Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, and Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel.
IHIF puts conscious hotel development on the agenda
With the biggest names in hotel ownership and investment set to descend on Berlin next month for the International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) there is one area that will be high up on the list of discussion points – ‘conscious hospitality’…
The focus on environmental and socially-conscious business practices is growing, so it is hardly surprising that many hotel companies are keen to develop new and existing brands in a more conscious and intuitive way and are paying greater respect to the environment and communities they operate within. So while investment certainly remains at the event’s core, a number of sessions will further the conversation around ‘conscious hospitality’ at next month’s IHIF.
IHG Hotels & Resorts, which will be supporting the forum in a number of ways, says caring for its people, communities and planet has been ‘at the heart’ of what they do for many years. Last year it launched Journey to Tomorrow – a 10-year action plan of clear commitments to drive change – and has adopted many sustainable practices. Conscious development is certainly at the heart of its growing brand Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants which has implemented over 100 practices to make its hotels, restaurants, community and world a better, more sustainable place.
Image credit: IHG/Kimpton Hotels & Resorts
While Kimpton is expanding at pace, with 75 open hotels and a 35-strong pipeline, it treats every property it opens around the world as an individual brand. It taps into the elements of each property’s design and the brand’s design ethos to offer guests ‘a richer, more authentic and playful travel experience’ while drawing inspiration and respecting its location to ‘inspire a more meaningful, heartfelt stay.’ Kimpton Mallorca, due to open this summer, for example, has been built with materials sourced from the island, including the local Zarci stone, while the company has worked with local architects, suppliers and artists to bring its inspired design to life.
A similarly thoughtful approach has been adopted by Hyatt International, whose president and CEO Mark Hoplamazian is speaking at IHIF on Wednesday, May 4 in a session titled Reflections on Hospitality Investment, Mergers and Acquisitions. For Hyatt, it is about open conversations with all parties and ensuring everyone’s needs are met. This holistic approach extends to design also.
“We take a flexible and thoughtful approach to working with our owners and franchisees, forming meaningful relationships to, firstly, create hotels which modern travellers are looking for and, once open, to maximise the financial outcome at each hotel,” said Peter Norman, SVP Development EAME/SWA at Hyatt International EAME, LLC. “Our international teams of experts are there to support our owners and franchisees as they move into pioneering projects in the areas of sustainability or food and beverage, and our dedicated design unit helps them to implement intelligent design and technology whilst keeping the guest experience front and centre.”
This conscious approach is not only being led by hotel companies. As Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Meliá Hotels International, which created a pioneering in-house carbon footprint measuring program in 2007 and is aiming to achieve the ‘A’ level in the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) Climate Change in 2024, says, guests will come to expect these conscious moves.
“Changes in society and in travellers’ habits and expectations will make it critical for companies to adapt to the new ecosystem: more sustainable companies and destinations and digital immersion, not only regarding digital distribution, sales and marketing, but creating a digital or hybrid guest experience at the hotels as well,” said Escarrer. “I also think that travellers will demand brands that have ‘soul’ and strong links with destinations, too.”
A number of sessions will further the conversation around conscious hospitality at IHIF, and linking sustainable practice with investment is the focus of the panel discussion on Wednesday 4 May; Deep Dive: KPIs for ESG in hospitality investment, where Catherine Dolton, chief sustainability officer and vice president, Global Corporate Responsibility, IHG and Xenia Zi Hohenlohe, chief executive, Considerate Group will be among those providing insight.
Debunking one of the most significant perceived obstacles for stakeholders, Maribel Esparcia Pérez, Founding Partner of the European Sustainable Hospitality Group will be leading a session on How to Operate Sustainably and Profitably. This session precedes another pivotal discussion on Wednesday 4 May on Green Finance, a concept that looks at the prospect of how cheaper debt financing for sustainable hotels could create value.
IHIF, an event that Hotel Designs is a proud media partner of, takes place in Berlin on May 3 – 5.
Updating brassware can have a huge impact on the design of a bathroom and adding colour takes this a step further. To respond to a growing demand for coloured bathroom brassware that will stand the test of time, Roca has expanded its range of finishes…
Ona is Roca’s latest launch, a complete bathroom collection inspired by the Mediterranean. One of Ona’s most striking elements is a tap with a distinguishing look, conceived by Benedito Design. It represents the perfect balance between design, technology, and sustainability. The brassware range includes deck-mounted and built-in basin mixers and coordinating wall mounted and built-in options for showers and baths.
Image credit: Roca
Image credit: Roca
The Ona brassware collection is available in chrome and two Everlux finishes – titanium black and rose gold. The sophisticated Everlux finish has excellent durability and is obtained by means of an innovative PVD process. This is where ionization of metals and noble gases are combined to create a fine metallic coating. This coating, based on extremely hard metals such as titanium or zirconium, is uniformly deposited over Roca’s high-quality galvanized chrome plating, resulting in a surface with extreme hardness and extraordinary resistance to scratches, impacts and cleaning agents. Moreover, as this is a purely physical technique, the Everlux finish is developed without using harmful chemicals during the production process thus protecting the environment.
Roca’s T-1000 Round thermostatic mixers are also available in chrome and PVD titanium black. Designed for maximum safety and comfort for everyday use, the collection features a minimalist and modern design to ensure it will blend harmoniously into any setting and pair seamlessly with other Roca PVD coloured ranges. Roca also has matching wastes and accessories to provide a fully coordinated look throughout the bathroom.
Ona brassware is a truly versatile range with its slim body and flat rectangular handle. Also available in a classic matt black finish, Ona provides a full complement of options to suit any bathroom décor. Carelia, also available in matt black and chrome is a smooth-body, contemporary design collection, which features a soft turn handle and pan handle lever in the elegant basin mixer model. Carelia offers a wide range of options, including basin mixers and deck-mounted bath mixers.
To complement the coloured sanitaryware and brassware, Roca also has coloured accessories so designers can achieve a fully coordinated look. The new Ona collection includes a pack with countertop elements (tray, container, soap dispenser and tumbler), available in three colours to perfectly match the furniture. Roca’s Tempo collection of contemporary bathroom accessories is also available in rose gold, titanium black, brushed titanium black and chrome to match the PVD finishes.
Roca is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Going public: 5 trends shaping the design of hotel public areas
With debate around public spaces in hotels ongoing, both on a design as well as a functional level, we take a look at some of the key areas and how they are changing the shape of the hotel experience from the minute we make a grand, or should that be an understated, entrance…
The public space in any hotel is where the designer makes the opening comment. It tells the story of what is to follow behind closed doors, and as such is key to the brand narrative. Theses spaces are influenced by social trends, and in some cases can even lead in breaking established patterns within the hospitality design industry. The key debates broadly within the sector are visibly put into practice in these spaces. We thought we would take a look at some of these conversations and identify how they are being translated into the design and function of the public spaces.
Image credit:
The Arrival experience is all about making a statement, setting the tone. There are increasingly high design expectations, and the public space in a hotel is at the forefront of this. It needs to make an impression the minute a guest steps through the doors, if not before. In some cases the space needs to translate to social media platforms, while in others it might be all about privacy and discretion. As hotels move away from the brand standard approach, fabulous and idiosyncratic design is no longer the realm of the small boutique hotel but is being integrated into designs across the board. The 25hours brand is one example that prides itself on its ‘if you know one you know none’ approach, making each hotel an independent and unique design statement. On the other hand you have luxury hotels EDITION keeping a certain amount of design coherence running through their locations but still providing unique immersive designs.
Image credit: 25hours Hotels
Technology in public spaces can cause division and debate; while for some the more connected and seamless the hotel experience the better, while others want a complete break from the day to day demands of technology that can be overwhelming. In the public hotel realm it is surely a question of balance. The balance between connectivity and connection is key as hotels face the apparent contradictions between technology, and that ever important human contact that can define a hotel experience. If properly harnessed these two views are not as contradictory as it would seem – while technology reduces the need for contact and can make things seamless and even faceless, the flipside of a curated use of technology is the potential for increased space for true public areas. Instead of a large amount of space being taken up by what is essentially admin, this space can be used to connect in real time with real people over a coffee or a cocktail, or, with any luck, both.
Credits: Bergman Design House / Falconer Chester Hall
Getting ready to launch its first hotel in London, The Other House, making bold claims about disrupting the hospitality sector, seems to encapsulate the new attitude towards technology in hospitality. Despite all the noise around the new era of luxury suggesting a paired back, even removed, stance on technology, it is central to The Other House as they will be offering guests a downloadable app that offers personalisation and control through on-demand access to hotel-style services. The software, which, if seamless, meaningful, discreet and easy to use, will become a revolutionary element of the hospitality experience at The Other House. Its all about that balance between connectivity and connection…
Image credit: room2
Sustainability of course needs to be considered on every level, but how does this translate directly into the public spaces of a hotel? As customers increasingly base decisions on shared values , these values need to be visible in, and part of the fabric of the public spaces. With room2 claiming to be the worlds first fully net zero hotel, it is clearly setting the benchmark , and we are sure it won’t be the last. This is a great example of how sustainability has been integrated into the building, the design, the use of space, the materials used to decorate that space, with the entire focus of the hotel being on providing guests with a local hospitality experience, with flexible public spaces, that connect people and invite them in on the basis of shared values and concerns.
Image credit: Yotel
Flexibility and the notion of the wfhotel is another industry buzzword that is making its mark on the public spaces in hotels. These spaces are increasingly becoming places to spend time in, to work, to relax, to socialise, to shop. Because of this, and contrary to what many people thought would emerge from the covid-19 pandemic, we are seeing an increase in the public spaces along with an increase in demand and flexibility.
Image credit: Edmund Dabney
Locke Hotels have built the brand around this notion of flexibility – describing the public spaces as ‘equal parts gallery, lounge, coffee shop, retail concept and living room, the space beckons to the street and is as welcoming as it is inscrutable’.
Looking at how Wellnesstranslates into the public spaces, again the demands of the guest as consumer are high. Not only are hotels expected to put wellness on the agenda and make it available for guests, it is increasingly expected to be embedded into the structure and function of the design with concepts like biophilic design becoming as mainstream as cocktails with a side of kombucha.
Image caption: Render of the rooftop that will open in SIRO Boka Place, designed by Atellior. | Image credit: SIRO
SIRO Boka Place is one of the newest and clearest examples of just how integral concepts of wellness have become, with the entire hotel experience and concept developed around immersive wellbeing. Starting with the name… S-strength I-inclusive R-reflection O-original. With this in mind, the public areas will be designed to emphasise the social aspects of wellbeing, while on a more literal level the design will feature elements like leather bleacher style seating in these public spaces which reference a sport stadium aesthetic. Wellness is considered on every front in this design, and it is not just about jumping onto a state-of-the-art Pelaton, but also about what materials are used, and how they are used.
Taking things onto a slightly more esoteric level, Six Senses Douro Valley explores colour and sensory design in relation to wellness and takes the conversation into relatively unchartered waters. Harnessing colour, gastronomy and technology opens the wellness playing field in the realm of hotel design right up!
Image credit: Lore Group
Now more than ever, the idea of shared values, of community, is being made tangible in the public spaces of hotel. One Hundred Shoreditch illustrates this, as local identity and an immersive experience are the order of the day and brand identity is now balanced on being able to provide locale. The public spaces provide that interface between hotel and community so the shift is no longer to create a barrier but to provide an interplay. Again referencing One Hundred Shoreditch, designer Jacu Strauss has made a point of opening up the public spaces, of blurring of line between in and out. It is important that the hotel is seen to be part of the community. To achieve this, on a literal level the coffee hatch punches a hole in the wall and breaks down the inside outside divide, while on a slightly more subtle note, the public spaces like the restaurant and bar reflect the surroundings and the divide between guest and community shifts
What is very clear is how interdependent all these concepts are, and it is in fact the interplay between them that defines the public spaces and sets hotels apart. Increasingly the demands being made on public spaces in hotel design have all of these within them but it is a matter of emphasis. It is not a question of if, but of how visible – how much technology, wellness, flexibility we see in the public spaces as these boundaries shift and reflect the accelerated changes that we are seeing impact on every aspect of hotel design.
Case study: Bette shower trays star in The Randolph Hotel
The recently launched, The Randolph Hotel by Graduate Hotels in Oxford, has undergone a comprehensive refurbishment with Bette glazed titanium-steel shower trays featured in the hotel’s 151 guestrooms and suites…
Graduate Hotels is a hand-crafted collection of hotels based in dynamic university-anchored towns across the U.S. and U.K. Each hotel pays homage to the heritage of its unique town through cultural nods to the local community. An Oxford landmark in the heart of the city, the Randolph Hotel joins the Graduate Cambridge, to launch as the first UK hotels in the Graduate Hotels collection.
The design details for the Randolph Hotel include bold hues and architectural elements inspired by the hotel’s heritage, and locally inspired art which tells the stories of Oxford’s past. The extensive renovation included all of the common spaces, the lobby and guest rooms, including a spa with treatment rooms, a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.
Image credit: Bette
The bathrooms feature the Bette Ultra shower trays from Bette. They are made from fully recyclable, durable and easy to clean glazed titanium-steel, and are available in a wide range of sizes. To complete the bathroom redesign they were selected in 14 different sizes to suit the individual bathrooms at the hotel.
“The refurbishment of the Grade II listed Randolph Hotel by Graduate Hotels in Oxford called for the guest bathrooms to be fully renovated,” said Karen Van Eeden,Interior designer and Director of Upperworth Studios. “All bathrooms were changed to have walk-in showers instead of shower over baths. The team decided to use Bette shower trays due to their durability and high quality, important for any hotel specification. Although standardisation of sizes was our preferred choice, it helped that Bette shower trays come in so many different sizes, to suit every room type.”
Bette is a specialist in bathroom products that are made of a special metal in a unique manufacturing process: titanium steel sheets are shaped under high pressure and then finished with a thin coating that is related to glass. This composite material is perfect for the bathroom as it is skin-friendly, hygienic, durable and robust.
Bette is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
On fire: how Vakkaru Maldives rebuilt its restaurant in 10 days
Following a devastating fire that destroyed one of the restaurant and bars at Vakkaru Maldives, General Manager Iain McCormack made it his mission – against all odds on a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean and with limited resources – to rebuild the Lagoon Bar in just 10 days. He told Editor Hamish Kilburn how he managed it…
It was the perfect hospitality storm. On December 14, 2021 (nine days before Christmas), in the peak of high season, Iain McCormack, General Manager of Vakkaru Maldives was awoken early in the morning, in London following his return from attending the ILTM travel show in Cannes by a phone call. The wake-up call he received was the news that the Lagoon Bar, which sat on stilts over the water at Vakkaru Maldives, had caught fire. “At first, I thought it was a prank,” he tells me. “That was until I watched the full force of the flames on FaceTime, which quickly caught my attention immediately and I leaped out of bed!”
Image credit: The fire that broke out at Vakkaru Maldives was captured on phones from the hotel’s employees. | Image caption: Vakkaru Maldives
Vakkaru Maldives lies within the UNESCO biosphere reserve of Baa Atoll. It’s a secluded reef island that boasts powder-soft white san, deep-blue holes and house reef with unique marine biology. Prior to the fire, the Lagoon Bar, just one of many F&B facilities on the island, was a vital organ for the hotel; a stylish overwater venue with an open-air lounge area. It featured a Teppanyaki table where the chef would prepare dishes from, as well as demonstrating an exciting experience of flying knives and flames. It also sheltered a sushi and sashimi bar, which offered an array of fresh fish – many from the Maldives waters. McCormack describes the atmosphere as “sophisticated yet laid back.”
Image caption: On December 14, 2021, a fire broke out at the Lagoon Bar at Vakkaru Maldives. | Image credit: Vakkaru Maldives
In short, the hotel is a paradise island; the perfect destination for travellers to escape to over the holidays, which only made the event that year more devastating for McCormack and his team, who were trained to handle such unfortunate events, but never thought they would have to action the protocol, as McCormack explains. “We have a fire team at the resort as well as our own Island fire truck at the station. We take fire safety very seriously with our team carrying out regular training sessions.
“This was the first time the team have had to control a fire of this magnitude. The head of Security and Management were called immediately and took action according to our procedures. The priority was to evacuate all guests and team members as the fire broke out during our lunch service. The fire team moved quickly and the hoses had started in no time.
“The resort released a statement to guests, partners and to the general public, assuring that there were no injuries and that the situation was under control.” – Iain McCormack, General Manager, Vakkaru Maldives.
“There was a good sense of team effort from the restaurant staff who tried to contain the fire using extinguishers, reducing the spread and damage. Many other team members rushed to assist with several climbing onto the walkway roof section to remove the dry thatch which was the main cause for the intensity of the fire.
“Their quick thinking and heroic actions helped save the Sushi and Teppanyaki sections of the Lagoon Bar. Thankfully, we had no injuries and everyone involved is safe and well.
“The MNDF (the Maldives National Defence Force) was notified of the fire and came straight away to carry out their investigation. The following day a representative arrived from the Insurance Company and conducted their own independent investigation and damage assessment. The resort released a statement to guests, partners and to the general public, assuring that there were no injuries and that the situation was under control.”
Once the fire had been extinguished, and the situation with guests managed as best as it could be, McCormack’s focus turned towards rising from the ashes with an ambitious plan to restore the restaurant as quickly (and safely) as he could. “First, I immediately arranged an emergency meeting with all head of departments via Zoom, as I was still at home in the UK, he says. “My priority was to have minimum disruption for our guests. The Lagoon Bar was our main focus as that was where guests meet and arrive for pre-dinner cocktails, sunset drinks and enjoy a night cap whilst listening to the sounds of our resident DJ, DJ Anna.”
Image caption: The new Lagoon Bar features unique lounge areas, and has a ‘laid-back luxury’ vibe. | Image credit: Vakkaru Maldives
McCormack instructed the team to set up Vakku Beach as the temporary sunset cocktail bar in order to minimise guest disappointment – and introduced a complimentary cocktail hour at 18:00 as a gesture of appreciation to guests for their understanding.
“The next thing was to book myself on the next flight back to the Maldives, having to arrange a fast-track rapid test – just to complicate the normally easy process,” he adds.
The next morning, McCormack arrived on the island and immediately went to inspect the Lagoon Bar. “The general consensus was that we wouldn’t be able to repair the damage during the high season and would likely have to keep the area closed until our low season in May,” McCormack shares. “However, I felt strongly that we’d be able to reconstruct the damaged buildings quickly and hopefully operate again as normal as soon as possible. We already had a construction team at the resort who were completing a roof extension on another restaurant. Along with their team leader, we assessed the situation and I asked if it was possible to clear the site of the debris and re-build within the next 10 days… You should have seen his face!”
All that was in front of the team was a completely burnt down restaurant. “The entire roof, structure and supporting pillars were all destroyed, McCormack adds. “The bathrooms were in ruins. The kitchen, gone. The bar, non-existent. The flooring tiles, destroyed. The front deck area, charred.
“Being optimistic, I said: ‘If they can build a hospital in China in 48 hours, we can rebuild a bar and restaurant in 10 days!’ The contractor said he would do his best – looking back, he had an amazing ‘can-do’ attitude! He split his force into two teams; team A working 08:00 – 20:00 and team B, who worked 20:00 – 08:00.”
Image caption: The fire destroyed the restaurant’s structure, including its thatched roof, floor and furniture inside. | Image credit: Vakkaru Maldives
McCormack arranged for a structural engineer to fly to the resort the following day to carry out an assessment for pressure testing, making sure the actual structure was in-tact and safe. Everything was given the green light and they were able to start the re-building immediately. “The first thing was to erect a screen so guests from the Amaany Restaurant and the beach could not see the fire damage and the re-building works,” McCormack explains.
Despite the optimism, McCormack was also realistic and knew that all the will in the world would not enable him to re-build the restatuant exactly as it was. “It would have been impossible to re-build a fully-equipped kitchen as this requires at least three to four months,” he says. “So the plan was to re-open the Sushi/Sashimi bar and the Teppanyaki table, offering a reduced but good selection from our normal menu.
“For the bar, we had recently built a ‘service bar’ at Vakku Beach so we simply moved this over in order to reduce the time of rebuilding a new bar. Instead of replacing the charred floor with new tiles, I opted to fill the area with sand to create a beach feel which worked really well.”
It was during this time, every hoteliers’ worst nightmare, that allowed McCormack to witness the power of collaboration, as he explains. “The engineering team were fantastic, working hand-in-hand with the contractors, helping to install new wiring for all the hotel electrics, building new panels and cabinets, installing lights and re-building the new service area, wash/store room and a new guest bathroom.
“The contractors did an impressive job building a new roof and bar area, connecting it to the existing restaurant area. The overall finish was exceptional, especially based on the timeframe. You would never have known that there was a fire here.”
Image caption: Vakkaru Maldives is a lush tropical habitat located within the crystal clear waters of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Baa Atoll. | Image credit: Vakkaru Maldives
One of the most testing elements of this process was the logistical pressure. The hotel’s attraction from travellers – it being a far-flung destination cut-off from the outside world – became its weakness. “We were fortunate to have a good number of materials on the island already as we were just about to build a new Yoga Pavilion on Vakku Beach,” McCormack explains. “I decided to postpone this project and shifted all the materials and the construction team to focus on the Lagoon Bar re-construction. Equipment that needed replacing such as glassware, cutlery, crockery, lights, speakers, amplifiers were all flown in from Dubai. Other equipment such as refrigeration units and electronics for our IT system were found in Male and all other construction materials were locally sourced. Being creative, I also collected some furniture from other outlets and areas around the island to set up the Lagoon Bar, until the new furniture arrives in May.”
In 10 days, following a huge commitment among engineers, contractors and staff of the hotel, the Lagoon Bar had been rescued and by December 27, the restaurant and bar was back in full action. “Agents and guests – especially those who were with us when the incident happened – were amazed at how quickly the Lagoon Bar was rebuilt and re-opened. In fact, I did very well out of this as I had bets with several guests that it would be re-opened and we’d be serving them cocktails on 27th!”
Image caption: The hotel has authentic interior design characteristics throughout the property, which combine local charm with contemporary touches | Image credit: Vakkaru Maldives
The reconstruction was intended to be a temporary fix in order to get the hotel through the high season, with the plan then to rebuild the bar with a refreshed style and design to improve it from what it was before. “The issue I have,” McCormack explains, “is that the so-called ‘temporary re-construction’ was built to such a high standard that it would be a shame to demolish it and re-build again. So now we are looking at ways to maintain what was built and create something even more special. We’d like to have an observatory deck with a high spec telescope for star gazing, add an infinity pool to create a cool beach club feel and hopefully add specially designed Sushi and cocktail bars too.”
What happened at Vakkaru Maldives was a traumatic event that, without the intervention, skills, training, protocols and passion behind its rescue, could have had far-reaching consequences. As McCormack puts its, “accidents are inevitable but it’s how we react, respond and recover that is crucial.” The team at the hotel had several meetings after the incident to air learnings from the fire. “This doesn’t stop with the fire team but for all team members working and living on a remote island,” McCormack concludes. “It’s not too dissimilar to being on a cruise ship – safety for our guests and team is paramount. We have elevated the fire awareness to all team members as well as fire training ensuring they too can respond and react with more confidence to avoid extensive damage and injuries wherever possible.”
Today, the hotel remains on travellers’ bucket list, flourishing as a lush, tropical destination where privacy and personalised service combine to create authentic and one-off travel moments, with a range of accommodation types to suit modern traveller demands.
> Since you’re here, why not catch up on the latest episode from DESIGN POD, the contemporary podcast for all design and architecture enthusiasts?
Product watch: a new seating collection by O’Donnell Design
Dedicated to true craftmanship, O’Donnell Design has recently launched a curated, bespoke seating collection, manufactured to the highest quality standards, incorporating great comfort with beautiful designs...
O’Donnell Design is a fourth-generation family business with over 120 years of experience, and their West Cork Irish roots date back to 1902 when John Reen, great grandfather of the current Managing Director, Aodh ODonnell, made a chair from a local ash tree. The designs adapted with the years, and in the 1970s the company manufactured a range of teak and oak furniture which was exported to the USA, Canada and the UK. During that period the Danish system of furniture making was perfected, which is still the company standard today. For the last 25 years, O’Donnell Design have focused on hotel bedroom furniture and have developed a reputable reputation within the hospitality design field.
Today, the company operates from a well laid out manufacturing facility in Skibbereen, West Cork which is equipped with state-of-the-art technology in machinery and is staffed by skilled craftsmen. Production processes are especially planned, tooled and integrated to answer the need to work with a wide range of materials from solid woods to veneers and inlays, laminates and foils. The factory is often asked to rise to unprecedented challenges by some of today’s foremost designers, seeking solutions to incorporate unusual design details using metal, glass, lighting, marble, granite in the manufacturing process, which is always a challenge the company are ready to rise to.
Image credit: O’Donnell Design
Image credit: O’Donnell Design
Developed using the finest manufacturing practices, authentic materials and a steadfast commitment to quality, the new range is handcrafted using kiln-dried hardwood timbers and the frames are guaranteed for 10 years of lasting assurance. Using old fashion techniques, including mortice and tenoning, rest assured the new seating collection will stand up to the stresses of any contract environment.
As a design inspired, client focused, Irish manufacturer, O’Donnell provides exceptional quality, combined with a value proposition in all their manufacturing projects, whatever the brief or size. It is a brand based on integrity rather than fashion in order to provide a contemporary and balanced approach whilst maintaining the original design request.
O’Donnell Design is a Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Goccia by Gessi makes a strong statement in the bathroom
Italian brand Gessi has collaborated with designer Prospero Rasulo to create the Goccia range – an elegant and innovative bathroom solution…
The relationship between brand and designer has given birth to a range that is not only undeniably stylish, but is also a pioneer of a sustainable message and of a new product concept by Gessi. The Goccia range is characterized by an innovative and sinuous shape that perfectly fits any environment. With its soft and elegant lines and its ecological awareness, it is a pioneer of a new and revolutionary concept of water and bathroom design, as the lines between bathroom and living spaces blur.
Image credit: Gessi
Integral to the Goccia range is an eco-friendly awareness that is expressed not only through its organic shape, but also in the technology incorporated into the design to reduce water consumption by around 50 per cent. The design is characterised by a charming aesthetic which draws on the natural beauty and flow of water that is made visible in its silhouette. Its elegant lines allows Goccia to naturally cross the borders of the bathroom area and seamlessly enter the bedroom and living room spaces by becoming as much a decorative accessory as a functional necessity. Water acquires a modern and relaxing allure, enhanced by the special drop shape that evokes charm and elegance without sacrificing efficiency.
Image credit: Gessi
Image credit: Gessi
All the products in the range are characterised by a natural elegance, which allows them to be stylishly integrated into both private and public spaces. The smooth, familiar shapes of the silhouette make your private wellness area cosy, modern and relaxing. The innovation of Gessi’s creations is not just in the shape, in the lines and in the sustainable message, but also in the finishing process.
Gessi is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
With the ever-increasing demand to transform workplaces into inviting and home-like environments, Moooi Carpets have introduced a carpet tile collection with the aim of bringing the beauty of Moooi Signature designs into the contract market…
Moooi Carpets constantly take on the challenge to explore and challenge the limits of products and materials in design. The new Tile Signature range has developed a range of designs with a unique colour penetration which stands up to wear in high traffic areas, and provides a new carpet solution for the high demands made by the contract market. With a wide range of products – area rugs, broadloom and tiles – available in various unique Signature Designs, clients can now use a versatile mix in design and material, to bridge between hard and resilient flooring. The Tile Signature collection offers even more possibilities than before, and will transform spaces with an incomparable look and feel to suit the required productivity, task, mood and energy of the space and its users.
Image credit: Moooi Carpets
The carpet tile solution allow the exclusive collection of Moooi Signature designs to be used in in high traffic areas , while at the same time, benefitting from the significant sustainable advantages and the versatility of carpet tiles. The result of this collection brings new design opportunities and creates unique Moooi patterns that transform any space into a beautiful, exciting and inspiring atmosphere. The Signature Tile collection contains an extensive assembly of 25 unique and breath-taking designs created by Moooi Carpets’ designers like Marcel Wanders, Edward van Vliet, Front, Kit Miles amongst others. All designs are carefully chosen by Moooi Art Director Marcel Wanders, and tested extensively on the two carpet tile shapes and all different tile materials.
Image credit: Moooi Carpets
The carpet tiles can be ordered in four carpet qualities; a low pile polyamide, a soft yarn polyamide, a structura and a flatweave. Some of these materials are already known and used extensively within the Moooi collections. The introduction of the structura and flatweave provide a new, durable loop pile product, suitable for high traffic areas in the contract market.
Carpet tiles offer a number of practical benefits compared to broadloom. The tiles are easier to install and transport, as the laser-cut tiles are supplied in compact boxes, with each box containing tiles for approximately five square metres of cover. The tiles are also easy to maintain and replace because of the compact tile size. With increased durability, there is also less waste than broadloom at time of installation. The end result is a practical and efficient surface that is permanently antistatic, while being excellent for noise reduction.
Image credit: Moooi Carpets
the carpet tiles can provide a more sustainable solution being durable and hardwearing, and therefore reducing the need for constant replacements. If neccesary, single tiles can be replaced in certain areas, making a more efficient solution which is better for the environment. The tiles are laser cut directly from broadloom carpet rolls minimizing waste and thus reducing the impact on the environment. All Moooi Carpets Tiles are made in Europe using 100 per cent CO2-neutral wind energy, and contain no bitumen, PVC, Latex or other environmentally hazardous substances. Where possible some of the designs are backed with a material made of 100 percent recycled PET material.
Moooi Carpets is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
The St. Regis San Francisco unveils a vibrant redesign
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…
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.”
Image credit: Marriott International / St Regis
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.
Image credit: Marriott International / St Regis
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.
Image credit: Marriott International / St Regis
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.
Image credit: Marriott International / St Regis
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
Changing spaces: the quiet design evolution of the workplace
With the lines between home, work and hospitality becoming increasingly blurred, we caught up with three companies supplying both the hospitality and workplace sectors to find out more about these changes and how they are affecting the products they offer…
Working in cafes with your morning cappucino has always been popular, but this trend has transcended into restaurants where people no longer just come to eat, but also work, meet and connect. Restaurants have responded by creating co-working opportunities during quieter times, for example between lunch and dinner. This evolution of workplaces has had a direct impact on products. Commercial furniture designers Table Place Chairs, report that banquette seating, originally made for the hospitality sector, is now designed with charging points as the cafe becomes the boardroom. Similarly, the Table Place Chairs WigWam table, originally a workspace product due to its collaborative nature and charging points, can now also be found in cafes and hotel lounges.
Hospitality public spaces have long been used by people to catch up on emails, but Table Place Chairs now believe they actively serving as co-working areas where, in some cases you can even find presentation zones to host a meeting. Hotel Brooklyn, Manchester with its clever use of screen and bleachers is a great example.
Image credit: Table Place Chairs
At the same time as hospitality spaces are adapting for work, we can see workplaces such as Co-Space, providing employees with places to relax and collaborate, as employees no longer look for lines of desks, but instead softer spaces like their own homes.
Wallcoverings are ideal for wayfinding and creating continuity between different areas of public spaces. Often these spaces also lend themselves to more dramatic designs and large-scale digitally printed designs to add drama and focal points. Newmor digital wallcoverings can be found in My Lounge, a laidback oasis located in London Gatwick Airport. The clever use of design scale, colours and effects, create a welcoming space contrasting with the sterile airport environment. Different designs and colour palettes separate formal and informal dining and seating options to ensure visitors feel at home. Zoned spaces allow travellers to relax or catch up with work.
Image credit: Newmor
With workplaces going through a huge transition with the growing focus on wellbeing, sanitation, and creating more of a home-from-home environment, Newmor have seen this mirrored in the design process. Wallcoverings can have a huge impact on the atmosphere of different spaces, creating calming break-out areas with biophilic surfaces, reception areas with feature designs and core branding, or inspiring meeting rooms with energising, colourful prints. All the time withstanding high traffic and the daily cleaning and maintenance expected in today’s climate. The social and study amenity space within The Toybox, a new-build, 15-storey student accommodation block in Birmingham is an ideal example of wallcoverings being used to differentiate spaces and zones within a multi-functional space.
Image credit: Newmor
Textile company ILIV has also felt the impact of the remote working model that has taken root, as people spend more time balancing their work and home life, only visiting their office spaces for group meetings, creative sessions and networking events. With this, there has been a shift in the dynamic from a focus on desk seating to the more informal break out and meeting areas. This in turn, has resulted in the interior design and architecture of these spaces adapting to modular seating solutions and brighter colour palettes to inspire and invite create conversations.
Image credit: ILIV
Interestingly this has impacted on fabric choices and trends and ILIV has seen a re-emergence of velvets in the workplace with designers often opting for a more plush and less overtly practical interior aesthetic. The Hampton Collection has recently been extended to a palette of fifty colours spanning architectural tones to brighter more saturated colour. The dual purpose velvet fabric has a brilliantly soft touch with a silken pile making it ideal for breakout areas and office seating in workplace environments.
Voiles are also seen to have more of a presence in workspaces as they have amazing acoustic qualities allowing sound to pass through them whilst being able to break up spaces without having the need to build walls. Sheers and voile weighted fabrics are also brilliant for softening interior concepts whilst allowing ample light into the space, promoting productivity.
As public spaces become increasingly multifunctional, with people choosing different places, from cafes to lobbies and libraries to restaurants, to click on their laptops and connect, design has had to follow suit. The freedom from stereotypical design formats is giving designers greater flexibility to experiment with different designs, patterns, colours and surfaces to create multi-functional spaces with interest and diversity.
Table Place Chairs and Newmor are Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Great Materials for Big Ideas – a Clerkenwell event
UNILIN Panels will launch its 2022-2026 decorative range supported by WGSN, the global authority on change forecasting, at an event at the Gallery Clerkenwell on Thursday April 28…
With more than 220 designs, including 67 brand-new looks, the UNILIN Panels 2022-2026 decorative range offers an extraordinary collection of surface finishes that can be used to bring big ideas to commercial interiors. Launching the collection to architects and designers at a special evening event on Thursday April 28, 2022 at the Gallery Clerkenwell, UNILIN Panels will reveal how its decorative surfaces are ready for today’s work and hospitality spaces in a specially curated WGSN presentation, 2023 Interiors Future Forecast.
Global authority on change forecasting, WGSN has more than 250 in-house trend experts and its forecasts power the most valuable global brands. For UNILIN Panels, WGSN has curated 2023 Interiors Future Forecast, which provides direction for the future of interiors bringing together analysis of consumer behaviour, materials finishes, patterns, colours and shapes across three key themes.
“New trends require new designs,” says product manager, Ann De Blanck. “The Great Materials for Big Ideas launch event at our London showroom will show just how our latest decorative range can let architects and designers respond to future trends, as WGSN reveal the three key themes predicted to influence interior designs in 2023 and beyond.”
Great Materials for Big Ideas will be a unique opportunity to understand how decorative surfaces, including the Master Oak, new melamine faced compact MDF and compact HPL, from UNILIN Panels can be used to bring the latest trends to commercial interiors, while providing a versatile finish that’s durable and easy to maintain.
Unilin Panels is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Case study: CTD Architectural Tiles goes INNSiDE Melia Hotel Newcastle
Located in the historic Quayside area of the city, the new Melia Hotel, designed by architects FaulknerBrowns to complement the industrial heritage of its surroundings, features tiles from CTD Architectural Tiles that combine natural aesthetics with enhanced durability…
Commercial tile supplier CTD Architectural Tiles has helped create a stunning first impression at the new INNSiDE by Melia Hotel, Newcastle’s latest hotel opening in the heart of the city. Tiles from the Realstone Rain range which has been inspired by the look and feel of English Limestone, were specified for use in the hotel’s main entrance area and staircase. To create a focal point, the floor design features the soft tones of the Almond coloured Realstone Rain tiles with the darker Greige tiles installed in strips across the width of the floor.
Image credit: CTD Architectural Tiles
The natural look of the interior design continues into the new Gino D’Acampo restaurant, where tiles from the wood-inspired Treverkever range have been used. Treverkever tiles are ideally suited for use in busy high traffic environments and on this project, have been specified in a stunning dark Musk colour option to provide an attractive contrast with the lighter coloured stone effect tiles of the main reception area. CTD Architectural Tiles also provided the high gloss Savoy Noir black tiles for the walls of the public washrooms and the durable, non-slip Kursaal Neutral tiles as a flooring solution.
Image credit: CTD Architectural Tiles
To complete the commercial tile package, CTD Architectural Tiles supplied white gloss Rectified Ceramic tiles to finish the walls of the en-suite bathrooms of each of the hotel’s 161 guestrooms. The tiling work was completed by Plunkett Tiling for main contractor Robertson Construction.
With far-reaching views of the River Tyne, the stylish new hotel has helped breathe new life into Newcastle’s Quayside and boasts a range of facilities including a fitness suite and conference rooms. As well as needing to complement the natural beauty of its surroundings, the specified tile package also had to meet the requirements of a busy city-centre hotel and so important considerations such as slip-resistance, durability and ease of maintenance were factored in at the outset with specialist advice provided by CTD Architectural Tiles’ specification team.
CTD Architectural Tiles is one of our recommended suppliers and regularly feature in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our recommended suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Product watch: KEUCO’s bright idea in the bathroom
STAGELINE is the new furniture collection from KEUCO, which an elegant series of illuminated furniture, that incorporates a vanity unit and three elegant additional storage units…
There’s a Shakespeare quote from As You Like It: “All the worlds a stage and men and women are merely players,” and yet this could also be the perfect description of a family bathroom. Introducing STAGELINE, the new furniture collection from KEUCO that is the ideal supporting act for the dramas, soliloquies, romance, and beauty scenes that take place with the bathroom as its backdrop.
STAGELINE is an elegant series of furniture, that incorporates a vanity unit and three elegant additional storage units. The unique aspect of this series is the illuminated open storage compartment, the leading light and key feature in both the vanity and tall unit. The shelf or ‘stage’ is illuminated by a warm LED light with 3,000 Kelvin, allowing consumers to creatively display decorative personal items, toiletries, whatever they feel works in this space.
Image credit: KEUCO
Image credit: KEUCO
The look is tonal, the glass front and body of the furniture are a single colour, in natural shades gently restrained, creating a warm environment. Monochrome also has its place in fact there are four shades to choose from white or cashmere glossy as well as Inox or Vulkanit satin. The glass fronts of the furniture bring an additional textural feature offering a highly glossed or velvety matt finish.
The STAGELINE series incorporates practical elements including an integrated power socket along with a USB and USB-C charging point. The attention to detail is key such as the softly curved, gently protruding glass front at the top of the units, which is not only decorative but practical acting as a handle.
The curves echo other elements in KEUCO portfolio such as the rounded PLAN ceramic washbasins which sit elegantly on top of the STAGELINE vanity units. These are available in six different widths, ensuring the stage can be set whatever the size of the bathroom. The vanity units have an option to add drawer partitions – four versions, providing different size options for personal or family use. There is an elegant dark inlay mat with a non-slip to help keep bottles and jars in place.
Depending on the size of the bathroom there are three additional STAGELINE pieces to choose from; this furniture is ideal for larger storage space requirements; the tall unit, single-door unit or the two-door centre unit. The tall unit is elegant with an illuminated shelf in the middle and all cabinets feature soft-close hinges and high-quality, easy-care glass shelves inside.
KEUCO is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
With each design inspired by the characteristics of an extinct animal, Moooi and Arte have launched the Memento Moooi wallcovering collection in a striking range of textures and imagery to stimulate the senses and the imagination…
Referencing five kind and loving extinct animals, the collection is made up of six different wallcoverings, all made from equally original and unexpected materials. Memento Moooi is the third wall covering collection by Moooi in collaboration with Arte, and is scheduled for spring 2022. The collection reminds us to cherish each moment, make amazing memories, and celebrate life for as long as it lasts.
Image credit: Moooi / Arte
The collection comes in a range of different colours and is made with a variety of unusual materials: wood veneer, sisal, gold foil, pleated paper, and textile. Some designs in the collection narrate a story, and others stimulate your senses with imagery and textures. The result? Striking tactile designs that make an impact and breathe life and kindness into your home. The Memento Moooi collection is inspired by the sharing Mimic Moth, loving Dandelion Cranes, social Golden Tiger, fearless Pogo Goats, and peaceful Queen Cobras. A medley of extinct animals that lived and loved like there would be no tomorrow.
Image credit: Moooi / Arte
Image credit: Moooi / Arte
The Mimic Moth Wallcovering is a 3D wallcovering with a soft suede look, inspired by the Mimic Moth’s shape and habitat. The wallcovering’s design comprises embossed Mimic Moths surrounded by its favourite flowers.
The Queen Cobra Wallcovering is made from hand-woven sisal fibres, inspired by the Queen Cobra’s rhythmic curves and grassy habitat. The design comprises round overlapping shapes in a pattern with a hypnotic feel to it.
Image credit: Moooi / Arte
Image credit: Moooi / Arte
The Dandelion Cranes Wallcovering is made from pleated textile, inspired by the Cranes’ unique colouring and fanlike wings. The tactile design comprises overlapping textile pleats placed in a pattern that resembles feathered fans.
The Golden Tiger Wallcovering is made from laser cut wood veneer with gold foil. Golden Tigers couldn’t bear to be parted from their loved ones, so the wallcovering depicts this friendly extinct animal surrounded by his animal friends.
Image credit: Moooi / Arte
Image credit: Moooi / Arte
The Pogo Goat Wallcovering is a 3D wallcovering with a soft chenille fabric, inspired by the goat’s yearly migration. The intricate pattern has us guessing how ambitious the choreography of the dancing Pogo Goats really was.
And finally, the Memento Moooi Medley Wallcovering is a gathering of extinct animals known for their unique kindness and love for life. Each animal knew how to cherish each moment of their lives and lived to make beautiful memories. Depicted amidst the softest of fluffy clouds, they continue their celebration of life. Or is it the afterlife? The Memento Moooi Medley is digitally printed on soft touch textile.
Moooi and Arte are Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh reveals ambitious expansion
Doubling in size and with reimagined design, Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh is ready to unveil its much anticipated expansion and transformation…
Located on a one kilometre stretch of private coastline, the Resort’s palm-filled gardens, mosaic-covered fountains and Arabian architecture are the perfect draw for travellers looking for a combination of mountains, desert and sea. Combined with one of the best house reefs in the region, five swimming pools, a highly acclaimed Spa, and an expertly run dive centre, Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt has long been a Red Sea favourite.
The Resort’s 89 brand-new spacious guestrooms and suites, (starting at 75 square metres) can be found perched in intimate hideaways facing the Red Sea. The expanded accommodation ranges from one and two bedrooms, with a private pool option and large balconies and terraces that provide space to unwind with scenic vistas whilst soaking up the year-round sun. The guestrooms and suites provide modern interpretations of authentic Arabian design elements and Arabesque details that enhance the spaces, including arched windows and shades inspired by mashrabiya screens and are complemented by a colour palette inspired by Sharm El Sheikh’s golden sands and blue waters.
Image credit: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
For those looking for a more palatial escape, The Palace is a regal three-bedroom standalone beachfront residence designed to host royalty, international figures, and high-profile guests. Spread over 565 square metres of opulent indoor space, it is the largest signature suite in the Resort. With a private fitness room, spa treatment room, dressing room, office space and complete residential facilities, this escape offers the ultimate in Four Seasons sophistication. Lush gardens, a large terrace for entertaining with a dining table that seats eight, and two swimming pools just steps from the private beach create opportunities for outdoor living in a space that elevates seaside living to new levels.
Image credit: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Image credit: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
“We’re introducing a new era of seaside luxury to what has been one of Egypt’s most loved resorts ever since it opened its doors 20 years ago,” said Sam Ioannidis, General Manager, Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. “By doubling the property in size, we’ve created new accommodations, recreation facilities and restaurants while the legendary and exceptional Four Seasons service remains the same.”
The expansion of the resort has created a new dining destination, led by Executive Chef Sebastiano Spriveri, a 27-year Four Seasons veteran. Bringing flavours from around the world to Egypt’s Red Sea shorelines, Spriveri and the team take guests on a journey from Japan to Latin America, via the Middle East. “Our restaurants introduce world-class cuisine to Sharm El Sheikh, with the addition of four new concepts that have never been experienced here before,” said Spriveri.
In addition, the resort shelters nine new indoor and garden venues offering a stage for unforgettable events in extraordinary settings. The new beachfront Royal Palm Garden, surrounded by 3,000 swaying Royal Palm trees, with vistas of sky and sea and twinkling stars is a statement backdrop guaranteed to inspire.
Image credit: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
The Resort’s house reef, located directly offshore from the beach, is the perfect introduction to the underwater wonders of the Red Sea, with its year-round warm waters, crystal-clear visibility and varied biodiversity.
Main image credit: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
CitizenM is first hospitality brand to buy property in the metaverse
A few months ago, we predicted that it would only be a matter of time before companies and brands start launching ‘meta’ experiences. Well, citizenM has won the race the become the first hospitality company to buy property in the metaverse…
citizenM was launched with a purpose – to disrupt the traditional hotel industry, and to create a hotel for modern travellers, giving them everything they need and nothing they don’t with the strap line of ‘affordable luxury for the people’ guiding the brand. This ethos remains behind the citizenM move into the metaverse, and having spent the pandemic period focusing on building customer loyalty with the trial launch of subscription products, the brand is now focusing on building loyalty in the online world.
The group has acquired LAND in The Sandbox, a leading decentralized gaming virtual world and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, to begin building a hotel in the Metaverse. This signifies a new movement in hospitality, as citizenM will be the first ever hotel group to purchase LAND in The Sandbox which is a metaverse where users can create and monetize their own distinct worlds and game experiences on LANDs, which are non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that represent virtual real estate in The Sandbox.
As with all of its hotels, citizenM will bring art to the forefront by showcasing and selling future NFT collections that will be commissioned with growing talent in the digital art space. Once the LAND is purchased, citizenM aims to finance the build of a hotel in the virtual world through the sale of an exclusive collection of NFTs with real-world rewards (utilities) attached. Each of the 2000 NFTs will be priced equally, however purchasers will at random be assigned one of three levels: 1500 ‘regular’ citizens, 450 ‘special’ citizens and 50 ‘legendary’ citizens. The utilities will take the form of discounts, free drinks and more with the specifics of the rewards being determined by the level of NFT assigned to the purchaser. Straddling the gap between virtual and reality, the rewards will be redeemable at any of citizenM’s growing portfolio of hotels in the real world.
“We are thrilled to be the first hospitality company to build in the Metaverse,” said Robin Chadha,CMO of citizenM. “As a brand that has always pushed the boundaries and challenged traditional models, this new venture in The Sandbox fits not only with our brand strategy but also the commitment we have to the creative community and to our guests both online and in the real world. We’re excited to further explore opportunities in the Metaverse in the years to come.”
Once the virtual hotel – a location for avatars visiting The Sandbox to Work, Sleep & Play – is built, citizenM will collaborate with an additional roster of digital artists to create and sell NFTs that can be purchased in the digital space.
Eventually, the brand plans to use these profits, as well as the incorporation of a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), to fully finance a physical, real-life property where token holders will vote on the location. In line with the brand’s ethos, citizenM will ultimately build a hotel for the people, by the people.
Unidrain adds contemporary touch to vintage bathroom
With the aim to sensitively marry a contemporary style into a heritage bathroom, designers specified Unidrain’s black framed GlassLine shower screen when creating a new wellness space in a residential block…
Injecting modern style in heritage buildings requires a delicate approach and quality elements. Unidrain products were therefore key in creating a totally new wellness concept in an out-dated bathroom; the only one in the apartment; 12-square-metre and used every day by a family of four – it was in dire need of an upgrade.
The flooring, walls, toilet, and shower had to be stripped out and replaced, it needed a complete transformation encompassing a new colour palette through to designer drains. The family wanted something that felt luxurious and spa-like but with longevity too. Because it was an older, more traditional-style flat, they originally considered a more classic and nostalgic look, but ultimately, decided on a contemporary solution, prioritising exclusive materials and products that are as appropriate for a luxury hotel as they are for a home.
The finished bathroom has high tech solutions such as a programable shower toilet and an anti-fog mirror, but, the undisputed star of the room is the elegant shower screen, GlassLine by Unidrain. Preserving the natural light from the window was a key part of the renovation so the GlassLine shower screen was ideal. It allowed the light to flow through the room helping to create an open, airy atmosphere.
The GlassLine shower screen with a black frame is 10mm of clear tempered glass, available in three sizes: 800mm – 1000mm and a height of 2104mm, the shower screen can be mounted to the left or right and fits tile thicknesses up to 15mm for wall tiles and 20mm for floor tiles. It is installed discreetly and securely without any visible display of fixings, screws, fittings, or joins.
The screen is lowered into a shower base located under the bathroom flooring, before being attached to the wall, creating a secure, stable, and watertight showering space. The black frame sits against the wall covering any edges generating a smooth finish, and the unseen groove-in-the-floor-flange meant that the installation of the colour co-ordinating black line drain was both fast and efficient.
Image credit: Unidrain
Image credit: Unidrain
Colour was important for the overall look and style of the bathroom; the base tone was comprised of dark shades to induce a more luxurious feeling and add to the atmosphere, which combined well with the black frame of the GlassLine screen, However, as shown above a transparent version is available as black does not suit all bathrooms.
Enclosed in black powder-coated metal, the interior panel of each quality glass screen is treated with Cleantech nano-treatment, increasing hygiene standards, and ensuring it is extremely easy to clean and maintain a clear finish.
This colour co-ordination continued with accessories from Undrains Reframe collection including a shower shelf with magnetic wiper, towel hooks, toilet brush and toilet roll holder in black, creating perfect continuity.
Unidrain is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
In true Hard Rock style the hotel is located in the centre of the Hungarian capital, on Nagymező Street, with theatres, restaurants and upscale shopping on the doorstep, and mere moments away from major city hotspots like Buda Castle along the Danube river, the world-famous Széchenyi Thermal Baths and the Opera House.
“After a string of successful hotel openings in Europe, from Amsterdam to Dublin to Madrid, we are excited to unveil Hard Rock Hotel Budapest this spring,” said Jon Lucas, Chief Operating Officer at Hard Rock International. “Our first hotel in the Central European region will introduce our signature entertainment-infused hospitality, set against a new and unexpected backdrop.”
Image credit: Hard Rock Hotels
Image credit: Hard Rock Hotels
The hotel, with architecture by Hungarian Stúdió 100 Építészeti Kft. shelters 136 guestrooms and suites and two eateries and bars. The property blends an old Budapest facade enhanced with a sleek, new design. The historic part of the hotel is seamlessly connected to the newly-built section via interior glass hallways.
Image credit: Hard Rock Hotels
Entering the lobby, guests will discover a social, welcoming space, filled with musical touches and bright pops of colour. A yellow grand piano contrasts against cerulean blue velvet sofas, all framed by an assortment of curated memorabilia. There are over 50 items of musical and entertainment history proudly showcased throughout the hotel including Hungarian legendary singer songwriter, Janos Brody’s leather jacket, a vibrant purple faux fur coat worn by Prince and black sequin dress worn by Beyoncé.
Designed to feel like a private residence, the interiors by Barcelona-based Lázaro Rosa-Violán Studio offer plush seating areas throughout the property complete with a warm fireplace in the lobby. The jewelled tones and tiles found throughout the hotel pay homage to the famous spas and thermal baths of Hungary, offering a local Budapest twist on the signature colourful experience at Hard Rock Hotels’ around the world.
Image credit: Hard Rock Hotels
With music at the core of Hard Rock Hotels, guests will find melodic influences in every corner. Refined, warm woods, akin to those used to make guitars, can be found throughout, as well as metallic accents reflecting the chromatic shades of guitar strings. The Rock Star Suite is the crown jewel of the hotel, offering a private terrace complete with a Jacuzzi, space for private al fresco dining as well as a spacious indoor living area.
Image credit: Hard Rock Hotels
Image credit: Hard Rock Hotels
The hotel is also home to the brand’s popular restaurant, Sessions, and lobby bar, Constant Grind. Sessions will serve a menu created by Chef Tamás Lipták with Hungarian specialties such as Goulash, along with dazzling cocktails by mixologist Zsolt Horváth, that use the finest Hungarian ingredients. Guests can also enjoy dining under the stars on Session’s open-air terrace with a background of live music. Constant Grind is open for all-day, casual dining, a pit-stop for a freshly brewed coffee and homemade pastry in the morning, or a colourful cocktail or craft beer at dusk. Hard Rock Hotel Budapest is also business-friendly, with a combination of stylish indoor and outdoor meeting areas. Roxy Budapest is a rooftop venue with indoor/outdoor spaces and can be booked for private events and celebrations with the city’s lights and iconic buildings as a backdrop.
Image credit: Hard Rock Hotels
Remaining true to brand, signature Hard Rock amenities will bring a range of entertainment and music-inspired experiences to the city. These include a Body Rock Fitness Centre, Rock Shop, Sound of Your Stay and Rock Om, allowing guests to finetune their next trip to Budapest with curated playlists, in-room yoga or an electric guitar to unleash your inner rock star in the privacy of your own room.
Artist Felipe Pantone makes a mark with Poltrona Frau
Poltrona Frau celebrates its 110th Anniversary with a special collaboration with mark-making artist Felipe Pantone for a truly unique armchair reinvention…
Celebrating in true design style, historic design brand Poltrona Frau has chosen to partner with a contemporary mark-making artist on an exclusive limited edition collaboration. Argentine-Spanish artist Felipe Pantone has completely reinvented the Archibald armchair, one of the brand’s most iconic models, in the style of his boundary-pushing art.
Image credit: Potrona Frau
“An important purpose of this anniversary collaboration is to shift Poltrona Frau’s perspective towards the future,” said Nicola Coropulis, CEO Poltrona Frau. “Not only in terms of our first collaboration with an international artist of this nature — but also on the theme of environmental protection. The armchair is made with the innovative Impact Less leather that we have developed to further reduce the toll on the environment. We have created a leather that, in addition to prioritizing sustainability, which has always distinguished Pelle Frau, is now even more respectful of the planet in a unique limited edition armchair.”
Image credit: Poltrona Frau
Image credit: Poltrona Frau
Felipe Pantone, known for his frescoes, murals, paintings, and sculptures that blend an ‘analog past and a digitized future’, is the rare artist that can unify these two seemingly opposing forces, a sensibility that he has applied to a totally reinvented Archibald. The Archibald’s enigmatic form, first designed in 2009 by Jean-Marie Massaud, and Pantone’s hyper-modern artistic style, meet to create a radically new design object that marks a new chapter for the heritage brand.
“I had the opportunity to visit the Poltrona Frau Headquarters to see the Museum, the entire collection, and learn about the Brand’s history which is extensive and very impressive,” said Pantone discussing the collaboration. “We ended up choosing Archibald as the base for my work because of its minimal frame, but also the unique characteristics like the arms of the chair and the details on the backrest. The idea was to use a very minimal and iconic design and to juxtapose it against my graphics, which are very loud and very dynamic.”
Image credit: Poltona Frau
Using Poltrona Frau’s ColorSphere as inspiration, Pantone created a mesmerizing pattern that vibrates across Archibald’s leather surface, a gradient grid of reds, oranges, yellows, whites and blues resembling the cool and warm temperatures of a heat map. The base and slender metal legs of the chair are finished with Multicolor Natural Chrome, leaving a purplish-blue iridescent finish that shimmers under the light. The gradient pattern is printed directly onto the leather using the same type of production usually reserved for small luxury leather goods. This pioneering printed leather technique was developed thanks to Poltrona Frau’s traditional in-depth artisan leather-working knowledge that has kept the brand an industry leader for over a century.
Image credit: Poltrona Frau
The project makes use of Poltrona Frau’s new Impact Less leather, a result of the brand’s ongoing commitment to maximizing sustainability. Impact Less leather is chrome-free, uses less and cleaner water and further reduces the consumption of chemical components of Poltrona Frau’s already sustainable leather, itself a product of the circular economy.
“As they say, opposites attract,” said Leonardo Allasia, Poltrona Frau Global Marketing & Communications Director. “Collaborating with Felipe, whose philosophy of expression through colour as the essence of light, with light being the essence of life, allowed us to explore a theme that strongly resonates with our brand narrative. This project allows us to push the boundaries of how we communicate to an audience that appreciates truly unique, durable pieces that can be cherished as both a masterpiece of artistic expression and Italian craftsmanship as well as a functional solution for comfortable living meant to last generations.”
Image credit: Poltrona Frau
As a nod to Poltrona Frau’s 110th anniversary this year, only 110 pieces of Archibald Limited Edition will be made and available for purchase through e-commerce channels, flagship stores and select dealers worldwide following its digital launch in April. Each armchair will come with a custom-made clutch made of Pelle Frau Impact Less leather, a signed certificate of authenticity as well as a dedicated Pelle Frau leather cleaning kit. In addition, a hand-made miniature scale model of the armchair in leather will be available for purchase to give fans and followers of both Felipe Pantone and Poltrona Frau an opportunity to own a product of this special collaboration.
The Limited Edition armchair and the project can be explored online in April and during Milan’s 2022 Salone del Mobile design week June 7th-12th at Poltrona Frau’s via Manzoni flagship showroom where there will be a physical installation to showcase the brand’s entire 2022 True Evolution Collection, and a dedicated digital installation that will feature the work of Felipe Pantone. The Poltrona Frau Museum in Tolentino will also feature a dedicated display of the armchair coupled with a ‘larger-than-life’ murals created by the artist in celebration of the anniversary.
Poltrona Frau is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Full of striking visuals and architectural details, Häfele has launched its brand new architectural ironmongery brochure…
The specification arm of furniture, fixtures and fittings manufacturer and distributor Häfele UK, has produced the most detailed brochure of the company’s Projects 360˚ team to date. It displays a vast assortment of ironmongery items that have been carefully selected in partnership with manufacturers, architects, designers, developers and subcontractors from across the globe, to provide the industry with a comprehensive guide to the division’s product portfolio.
Image credit: Häfele
Image credit: Häfele
“The finishing touches of a building scheme should be as much a priority as the bricks and mortar,” said Paul Smith, head of specification sales at Häfele UK. “While the space develops, moving from concept to reality, having the support of an architectural ironmongery team ensures the finished solution stands out in a crowded marketplace.”
Häfele’s Projects 360˚ team, made up of over 20 Guild of Architectural Ironmongers, can specify, source and supply any product to suit the functionality and design of a building. This assures customers of the highest standards of modern specification, with a ‘cradle-to-grave’ approach to ensure design consistency across an entire build. As such, the brochure also defines the broad range of services offered to aid the planning, design and functionality of projects from start to finish, connecting architects, designers and contractors with the solutions to meet client requirements.
“Our new architectural ironmongery brochure showcases the comprehensive range of hardware we can specify, source and supply for application in projects across all market sectors,” said Smith. ” Stakeholders can clearly see the vast choice on offer in one place, so they can begin to shortlist options. From there, our qualified consultants will collaborate with customers to determine the best product to suit the functionality and design of the building.”
The new full-colour brochure offers striking visuals and details of the entire architectural hardware range available for specification through Häfele Projects 360֯. Each product entry comes complete with key features, material options and guarantee information, enabling users to identify ironmongery to suit any style or scope of building project.
Häfele is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Is it bird’s nest or a hotel suite that BIG has just designed?
Already known for its imaginative accommodation in the Swedish forest, the Treehotel takes us on another flight of fantasy with its new Biosphere guestroom designed by Danish architecture studio BIG…
The Treehotel in Swedish Lapland, is known for its broad variety of innovative cabins, with each having a distinct identity that reacts differently with the forest, and each pushing design parameters in their own way. Working in close collaboration with Treehotel and Swedish ornithologist Ulf Öhman, the new BIG-designed hotel room Biosphere will bring 350 bird houses to the hotel. Suspended in the Harads pines, BIG’s experiential design is the eighth hotel room on the property, with the aim to enhance the surrounding biosphere through design.
Image credit: BIG
By designing a treetop guestroom with a façade of bird nests, the aim of Biosphere is to decrease the downward spiral of the bird population in the Swedish woods and instead strengthen the biosphere and natural habitat. It also takes discussion on immersive hotel experiences and sustainability to a whole new level.
Image credit: BIG
Image credit: BIG
Biosphere is accessed via a suspended bridge that slopes from the ground to the top of the trees. The interior of the 34 square metre guestroom incorporates rich dark interiors and organic materials inspired by the surrounding landscape, which further serve to reinforce the visitors’ gaze outwards and to focus on the natural beauty of the surroundings.
Image credit: BIG
The interior is simple and pragmatic, yet due to its alternating solid-open conceptual make-up, it allows for a range of experiences within a relatively small space. Visitors have access to a roof terrace – bringing guests even closer to the treetop canopies – that offers a 360-degree views of the forest. By varying the individual sizes of the bird nests and expanding them outwards, and based upon the bird type and frequency in the area, light is able to enter the interior space whilst maintaining the outwards views.
Image credit: BIG
Through wrapping the new hotel room so directly in an ecological habitat, guests are provided the opportunity to experience birdlife in close proximity and are invited into the epicentre of nature unfolding. Surrounded by subtle bird song, balanced by the exterior triple glazing façade, guests are provided with an intimate, immersive nature experience.
Crosswater has expanded its bestselling MPRO and Belgravia collections with a selection of sensor taps, a first for the British bathroom brand…
With touch-less operation becoming a key function in bathrooms and public spaces across the hospitality sector, it is key that designers have access to the technology along with design specifications. Crosswater’s new sensor taps combine expert functionality, award-winning design, and state-of-the-art infrared technology to create stylish taps that require no pushing, turning, or touching. With both MPRO and Belgravia Sensor taps, the infrared sensor is integrated within the spout. In addition to allowing a sleek and streamlined design, this position enable to sensor to detect hand movement swiftly, activating rapid functionality in less than a second.
Image credit: Crosswater
MPRO Sensor taps come in deck mounted or wall mounted designs and are available in four finishes – Brushes Stainless Steel, Brushed Brass, Chrome, and Matt Black. The Belgravia Sensor blends classic styling with cutting-edge technology to bring advanced touchless operation to traditional bathroom designs, and is available in three finishes; chrome, nickel, and unlacquered brass.
Image credit: Crosswater
Image credit: Crosswater
The touch-less operation significantly reduces the transmission of germs and bacteria, making the sensor tap a more hygienic alternative. The infrared sensing technology with customisable automatic shut-off time helps reduce water consumption in intensive use applications, an equally important consideration in all bathroom design. Along with the key benefits of hygiene and sustainability, the sensor taps are easy to maintain and reliable, both key elements to consider for bathrooms in the hospitality sector under so much pressure to perform.
Crosswater is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Drawing inspiration from the eloquence of Greek mythology’s muse Calliope, traditional architecture, and Mykonos’ vibrance, the Cali Mykonos vision is to create a sanctuary nurturing the connections among people, the surroundings, and the future…
Getting ready to make a substantial splash on arguably Greece’s most cosmopolitan island in the heart of the Cyclades, Othon Mourkakos and a talented team intimately connected to Greece, luxury hospitality, and sustainable design are debuting Cali Mykonos, a boutique luxury resort, in July.
“We wanted to create an escape where guests can experience life somewhere else, with the charm of culture and tradition, conscious of a sustainable future,” said Othon Mourkakos, Founder of Cali Mykonos. “Each decision, from materials to methods to team members, is made with this goal in mind. We look forward to welcoming guests into our home and sharing Cali’s Mykonian summer.”
Image credit: Cali Mykonos
Each of the 40 suites and villas have a private pool and spacious terrace, descending from the mountain to the blue waters of Cali’s private beach. The resort’s expansive infinity pool, state-of-the-art gym, restaurant serving locally sourced food, pool bar, and bespoke experiences, such as yacht and luxury boat trips to nearby beaches or neighbouring islands, fashion a new way to experience Mykonos, with its charming marble streets, picturesque blue and white houses, iconic beaches and glamorous nightlife.
Image credit: Cali Mykonos
Image credit: Cali Mykonos
Athens-based architectural firm, STFN Labs, has combined traditional Cycladic architecture with natural features of the landscape. Built using the stone from the initial excavation, each building is uniquely placed along the terrain, resulting in a symphony of structures frozen in dance. Calm, light, and neutral interiors create a continuation of nature, with sleek lines and an array of marbles, whilst flat rooftops are planted with local vegetation, flowers and herbs, insulating rooms and improving air quality. Luxury furnishings, handcrafted in Greece, are constructed from native woods and marbles, and mattresses are all-natural and sustainably made, Coco Mat.
Image credit: Cali Mykonos
Cali Mykonos will shelter a variety of accommodations for all, from couples and friends to families and solo travellers. The premier two-level Villa Calliope, the closest villa to the sea, accommodates eight people with four bedrooms, five bathrooms, an expansive yard and terrace, and three private pools. The three-level Cali Villa, situated at the peak of the property, comprises five bedrooms and bathrooms, each with its own pool, a private elevator, and wrap-around terraces with panoramic 300 degree views.
Image credit: Cali Mykonos
Helmed by Chef Lefteris Lazarou, culinary offerings promise to be exceptional, with the signature Mediterranean restaurant offering traditional Greek cuisine using locally sourced seafood and ingredients. Additionally, private dining can be enjoyed on guests’ terraces for a unique and intimate experience. Lazarou is considered one of the most influential chefs in the country, having prepared meals for political leaders, the Royal Family, and visitors from around the world. Lazarou’s preference for local and sustainable ingredients will reflect in his menus at Cali Mykonos.
Cali Mykonos offers an exclusive range of experiences and amenities, from the intimate gallery with works from established and emerging local artists to in-room rejuvenating treatments. Premier fitness services include a Pilates studio, guided sunrise salutations by the pool, and private yoga. Guests can also enjoy the expansive seawater infinity pool overlooking the sea, while immersing themselves in secluded moments on the busy island.
With a distinctive design narrative reflecting the building’s history while dialling into the rebellious spirit of Soho, Chateau Denmark has opened its doors…
Inspired by Denmark Street’s iconic history, Chateau Denmark mixes creative expression with fine architectural detail. The new and independent brand is set across 16 buildings – with 55 Session Rooms and Apartments – each featuring distinct design narratives reflecting each building’s history. With interiors from the award-winning Taylor Howes – and a captivating art collection curated by ARTIQ – the overall narrative imagines a time where punk rock and vintage gothic meet modern psychedelia with a timeless grandeur.
Image credit: Mel Yates
Operated by Carrie Wicks’ CAW Ventures, Chateau Denmark is inspired by the street where things were never done by half measures. This sentiment is present throughout the design intent, guest experience and attitude. Fluid and spirited, the Chateau’s highly skilled team will effortlessly glide from hosting affairs to facilitating the good times.
Session Rooms in The Now Building, accessed through Denmark Place are tiered in Superior, Luxury or Deluxe categories. Expect gold-trimmed, graffitied signature beds to full-blown psychedelia with bold colours and tactile rounded furnishings. The Deluxe rooms will also feature a ‘kitchenette maxibar’ — inviting Denmark Street’s culture of playfulness and hedonism.
Image credit: Mel Yates
Apartments are located in a collection of Grade II listed townhouses, a mews house and mansion buildings along Denmark Street. Starting from 35 square metres, expect grandeur through illustrative and evocative wallpaper with original timber beams, dark panelling along with a sculpted fireplace opposite the roll-top red-lined bathtub on a marble plinth. With a full size maxi-bar and concealed doorways leading to powder rooms along with paisley patterned headboards, the space is an adventure, with narrow nooks and restricted door heights, retaining each buildings’ heritage status. The largest apartments in the category follow a psychedelia design intent with open-plan layouts, with opulent wallpaper against a rounded orange velvet headboard, a peacock blue sofa and a stand-alone bathtub. Meanwhile, other apartments capture punk accents with an unmistakable raucous energy. Industrial finishes mix with decadent antique furniture, featuring ‘God Save The Queen’ motifs, while the walls are lined with heady artwork.
Image credit: Mel Yates
A number of the Chateau Denmark apartments are housed in some of the buildings that helped change the course of the British music scene multiple times over. Here the Stones recorded their first album, Bowie hung out with Vince Taylor along with Lou Reed plus Chrissie Hynde and Vivienne Westwood passed through. In addition, album sleeve artwork designers Hipgnosis were also located here and worked on Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Pink Floyd albums while one of the buildings was also home to musician hotspot La Giaconda.
Image credit: Mel Yates
The Signature Apartments are located across a number of the buildings, with the unique 51 square metres of ‘I Am Anarchy’, a duplex mews house situated behind No. 6 Denmark Street. In true punk spirit the apartment has been turned upside down with the living space upstairs, featuring Johnny Rotten’s storied caricatures of his fellow bandmates, the Sex Pistols – the mews house’s one time residents. Meanwhile, the Murphy bed and the dj ports make it ideal for forgetting all about sleep. Serving as the epitome of punk prowess and versatility, this apartment features gloss black furniture, tartan blinds and statement graffitied chairs. Set adjacent to Denmark Street, Flitcroft Street, features the Flitcroft Apartments, finished in a vintage gothic aesthetic for those looking for an experience larger than life and featuring a hand carved four poster bed, stand alone bathtub, grand stone fireplace and a balcony. These 93 square metre apartments overlook the St Giles-in-the-Fields Church and are a nod to the location’s poetic beauty.
Image credit: Mel Yates
A reimagined perspective on the traditional butler, or BTLR, means a team of proudly impassioned individuals ready to meet any rhythm. Insiders in every sense of the term their unique character sets them apart, allowing them to measure the mood and match it to the moment. With the intention of never replacing the guest experience, technology at Chateau Denmark brings frictionless service delivery along with unrivalled access. Chateau will also have the capabilities to host press interviews and junkets, for industry talent and producers, welcoming the next generation of the neighbourhood’s artistic industries.
Image credit: Mel Yates
The hotels’s art collection will platform the very best of London’s creative talent, opening guests’ imaginations to the multidimensional history and expressionism of the city’s art scene. Exhibiting a range of artists and creators, including Magnus Gjoen and Radek Husak, the contemporary collection will feature various mediums from paintings and photography to sculpture and illustrations — a trove of handpicked pieces.
The Now Building is the largest of Outernet London’s immersive spaces. Its north-facing public atrium features a 360-degree creative canvas, courtesy of immersive media screens — the largest LED screens anywhere in the world. In addition, The Now Building’s top floor will be home to independent restaurant group Tattu’s first London site. Inspired by traditional Chinese flavours and ingredients, Tattu will offer guests a sensory experience through a fusion of cooking, culinary display and luxury interiors. Additionally, throughout 2022, Denmark Street will see the arrival of Chateau Denmark’s lounge bar and basement club, along with a fitness and wellness space, shops, a recording studio and new venues where guests will have privileged access to view, party, or perform at one the three live spaces, ranging from 360–2,000 capacity.
From the Superior Session Rooms’ bold energy to the gothic drama of the Flitcroft Apartments, Chateau Denmark captures an old-world aesthetic that is undeniably bound with modern times and promises to deliver unprecedented connectivity, whether you’re staying for the night or for the year.
“A statement of style” – checking in to One Hundred Shoreditch
Editor Hamish Kilburn brought with him a video crew to review Shoreditch’s latest hotel arrival. Now open, One Hundred Shoreditch, designed by Jacu Strauss, Creative Director of Lore Group, aptly reflects a matured neighbourhood, with various nods to its unforgettable past (scroll down for full video review)…
Following much anticipation, One Hundred Shoreditch has opened its doors to rave reviews all-round. Lore Group’s second hotel in London, designed by its Creative Director, Jacu Strauss, is a coming-of-age story, to reflect how a culture and neighbourhood has grown-up in the last decade.
One Hundred Shoreditch takes over from what was the Ace Hotel London Shoreditch, which, when it opened in 2013, was among the cluster of hotels that became a new generation of luxury-lifestyle hospitality in East London.
Seven year’s later, though, when Ace Hotels bid farewell to London in 2020, Strauss, began planning his latest masterpiece. His concept for the new 258-key hotel was not to do a sharp 180-degrees turn on its existing style, but instead to use local craftsmen, women and the creative people within his own team to delicately give the building a new lease of life and meaning. “The true spirit of Shoreditch historically has been about welcoming new visitors and celebrating what they bring and leave behind,” Strauss told Hotel Designs. “I feel One Hundred Shoreditch is a hotel that welcomes a diverse crowd, and that to me is the essence of Shoreditch.”
To understand more about the hotel’s unique design narrative, I brought with me a video crew from CUBE to review the hotel, and while there be given a guided tour by Strauss.
As you can see, the new hotel, which has in just a few weeks become a cornerstone in the area, is all about contrasts. The lobby and lounge, which shelter a vibrant arrival experience, capture the energy of Shoreditch, but in a muted and sophisticated manner.
Image credit: Lore Group
The F&B areas, including Goddard and Gibbs, the new restaurant that has been ingeniously reinvented to put the dining experience at the heart of the hotel, have been opened up to street level.
Image credit: Lore Group
Meanwhile, the guestrooms and suites have been tweaked and designed to become tranquil spaces. “I opted for neutral base palettes and textures: white upholstery, natural tones, soft berber carpets, which is something you would expect in a great apartment, not a hotel and generous oversized bedding,” explained Strauss. To create texture and added layers, the rooms feature accents of colour and quirky furniture to cut through the neutrals, and a compelling art collection. “We have used custom tapestries with geometric patterns, and large hand painted artworks by myself and huge oversized white pottery vases, which I also designed.”
Image credit: Lore Group
In fact, all the artwork around the hotel was created in-house. The team are personally invested in each property they curate and there is an artisanal and sculptured touch in several pieces including the totems you have already seen; the tapestries; beaded blankets and tiles found in seed library. “Throughout the property we have used craft ware lamps and vases,” added Strauss. “Everything is very tactile, and we want you touch it and connect with it.” He even hand-painted the side plates and egg cups in Goddard and Gibbs.
Image credit: Lore Group
As I check out of One Hundred Shoreditch, I am impressed with how a hotel can, as well as sensitively reflect a destination’s tone, also subtly help to usher territories into new chapters. With statement hotels emerging in all pockets of London, it will be interesting to see if this approach to hotel design becomes one that is adopted further afield, and explored in new ways. One thing is certain: Strauss is a visionary, and I cannot wait to see what’s next from him and the team at Lore Group.
Located near Vilamoura in southern Portugal, Domes Lake Algarve is getting ready to open its doors. The launch marks Domes Resorts’ international expansion outside of Greece for the first time, as well as the group’s first year-round hotel…
Domes Resorts, part of the Ledra Hotels and Villas group, is amongst the fastest growing luxury hospitality groups in Greece, with a number of new projects in its pipeline. Partnering with HIP on Domes Lake Algarve in Portugal, the group aims to strengthen its presence in Europe, with the repositioning and rebranding of the hotel.
Image credit: Domes Lake Algarve
Comprising 192 guestrooms and suites, the hotel’s interiors are inspired by the surrounding eco-protected landscape. The fresh colours throughout the design, reflect the property’s gardens, pools and lake, which many of the rooms overlook. The hotel also features the hyper-luxury Haute Living Selection, providing a ‘hotel-within-a-hotel’ experience for travellers looking for space, privacy, and a deeper connection with calming nature and local activities.
Image credit: Domes Lake Algarve
With its own private saltwater lake and private access to Praia de Falesia beach, four sparkling swimming pools, all connected with a deck stretching across the gardens towards restaurants and observation pergolas, Domes Lake Algarve is a soothing setting for unwinding in the tranquil environment, as well as trying activities which make the most of its location such as clam and oyster picking, birdwatching, sailing, and wine tasting. For those also looking to soak up the local culture of Vilamoura, the hotel is a short distance on foot to the famous marina, the wetlands, Ria Formosa Natural Park, restaurants, beach clubs, and golf courses.
Image credit: Domes Lake Algarve
For the adults seeking some downtime, the award-winning Soma Spa combines ancient Greek methods and contemporary healing techniques, with results-orientated products from Elemis, as well as Godage Paris which utilises active natural ingredients for more tailored treatments.
Image credit: Domes Lake Algarve
the resort will be home to a selection of unique culinary options which uniquely fuse the Greek heritage of Domes Resorts with iconic Portuguese flavours true to the region’s traditional cuisine. Whether enjoying a cocktail on the lake, award-winning Neo-Greek seafood at Topos, or a 12-course tasting menu with fresh and seasonal produce at Makris On The Lake, with regional wine pairings, there are dishes to please every appetite.
CTD Architectural Tiles unveils its new tile collection
CTD Architectural Tiles has unveiled its new tile collection which has been carefully curated to include the latest on-trend designs and high-performance solutions from some of the world’s most innovative and established manufacturers…
From designer walls to feature flooring and beautiful exterior tiles, the 2022 collection from CTD features tiles from leading manufacturers such as Zyx, Harmony, Cevica and Marazzi. The latest collection encompasses brand new commercial tile solutions as well as updates to established ranges with an extended selection of colours, sizes and finishes.
Image credit: CTD Architecture Tiles
The new collection comprises a multitude of different commercial tile solutions such as Levels, a striking brick-format tile which has been inspired by the artisanal ceramics of the Mediterranean. These wall tiles each emulate six smaller mosaic tiles, with a matt background combined with a transparent glossy finish which can be used either horizontally or vertically to create dramatic feature walls.
Also included in the new collection is Sol, which combines a quality feel and stunning appearance with a vast array of patterns and styles. Evocative of a hand-painted tile and inspired by the natural world, the modern production methods that support this vintage style tile makes it a versatile solution for a variety of design schemes.
Image credit: CTD Architecture Tiles
Another striking new addition is Affrescati. The surface detailing is reminiscent of aged plaster and the appearance of traditional Italian tiles, so much so that one of the most eye-catching designs in the range features a sensual blue and gold star design which pays homage to the famous Scrovegni Chapel in Italy.
Image credit: CTD Architecture Tiles
Popular and established tile ranges have also been enhanced to offer new design options in terms of colour, style and size. The thick glazed, ultra-glossy brick size tiles within the Lume range are the perfect example, with six new colour options now available. This popular porcelain tile can be used inside, outside and even in pool tanks, with the striking variations in colour and patterns creating interesting light effects to add vibrancy to commercial design schemes.
CTD Architectural Tiles has responded directly to the needs of its customers working on variety of commercial projects by enhancing its current offering of wood-effect, porcelain and stone tiles, as well as sourcing the latest innovations for creating bespoke colour schemes, decorative surface designs and interiors which experiment with different lighting effects.
CTD Architectural Tiles is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Impressing the jury with the high design quality synonymous with the brand, two complete Duravit bathroom series, D-Neo and White Tulip, have been awarded this year’s Red Dot Award for Product Design…
The Red Dot Award for Product Design, which can trace its origins back to 1955, identifies each year’s best products. True to the motto ‘in search of good design and innovation’, a jury evaluated the products individually, and as originals. The expert committee only awards the internationally renowned quality seal to products with an impressively high design quality which satisfy stringent evaluation criteria. These include degree of innovation, functionality, formal quality, ergonomics, and durability. The Red Dot Award 2022 for Product Design has been awarded to the two complete bathroom series by Duravit, D-Neo and White Tulip and the accompanying faucets.
“All the products we entered in the competition won an award,” said Stephan Tahy, CEO Duravit AG, “which is testament to the outstanding design work of our teams.”
Image credit: Duravit
D-Neo, a complete bathroom range by Belgian designer Bertrand Lejoly was first unveiled in March 2021. The range stands out as a result of its clear formal language, straight-lined and geometric forms. With an attractive entry-level price, new target groups can enjoy Duravit products. The design series as a whole and the faucets in particular have already won the German Design Award.
Image credit: Duravit
In fitting with the D-Neo design, the D-Neo faucet has a straight-lined and geometric design. The characteristically narrow, vertically positioned handle is standard throughout the entire range. Sustainability is key in this range, and on the D-Neo washbasin mixers with FreshStart, only cold-water flows in the central position to start with. Hot water is only added when the one deliberately moves the handle to the left. The energy-intensive production of hot water is limited to situations where it is actually needed.
Image credit : Duravit
Image credit: Duravit
With White Tulip, the French designer Philippe Starck has created a holistic bathroom collection. From bathtubs, washbasins and furniture, toilets and bidets, to matching mirrors and a complete collection of faucets, the exceptional form of all the components within the series echoes the organic silhouette of a tulip in bloom. The monolithic, free-standing ceramic washbasin is particularly eye-catching.The consistent design element on the faucets is again the tulip-shaped handle with a finely polished surface that reflects the form of the washbasins and bathtubs.
Duravit is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Yoko Village – a remote work and residential community in Costa Rica
Slated to open early 2023, Yoko Village, aptly meaning ‘Sunshine Child’ is a remote work and residential community located in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, offering a balanced life between work, wellness and living…
Founder of the Yoko Village project, Liran Rosenfeld, is a serial entrepreneur with a proven track record, who in 2018, after 3 years of scaling his company PassRight, began to experience extreme burnout. To reset, he travelled to Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. Once there, he noticed the difference in his health. He saw how eating well, sun, learning to surf, practicing yoga and meditation and slower pace in life made him more productive in his personal and professional life. Rosenfeld’s new found appreciation for the ‘Pura Vida’ life led him to create Yoko Village, an eco-community for like-minded individuals looking to nurture their lives as much as their life’s work.
“Yoko Village is centered around the well-being of its residents, while focusing on building a creative and
productive coworking community,” said Rosenfeld. “We understand the business needs of remote workers, providing a
perfectly balanced work and home environment.”
Image credit: Yoko Village
Putting down designer roots on 40 hectares in the hills of the Costa Rican jungle, minutes from sought after surf breaks and idyllic beaches, Yoko Village plans to gather an array of well-travelled community members who have traded city streets for breathtaking ocean views, spectacular sunsets, natural resources, and serenity. The diverse environment sets the stage for digital nomads, families and entrepreneurs to plant roots in paradise where they can prioritize wellness, have access to the outdoors, and celebrate culture, all while enjoying high standards of living and meeting the professional needs of remote work.
Image credit: Yoko Village
Designed by architect, Serrana Robledo, the plans place a high priority on thoughtful architecture taking care to work with, and support the natural environment. The founding team advocates for the environment and local preservation by spearheading a reforestation campaign and incorporating sustainable practices such as rainwater harvesting, the construction of minimally impactful structures and a zero-plastic policy.
Image credit: Yoko Village
Yoko Village plans include the construction of 40 two, three, and four bedroom villas with ensuite bathrooms, private decks, and access to on-site communal amenities such as a tech-enabled community coworking center, private office spaces, creative playgrounds, yoga deck, gym, pool, restaurant, edible walking trails, communal gardens and spiritual centre.
Image credit: Yoko Village
Yoko Village ownership offers the opportunity to purchase villas inspired by the nature and wildlife which surrounds it, in a secure international community. All common areas, co-working spaces, facilities, roads, and communal gardens, are maintained year-round by management. Residents also have the option of short-term rental management for their properties, allowing owners to subsidize their investment and support a remote live/work lifestyle.
Gold Bar at EDITION launches at The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon
The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon, launches Gold Bar at EDITION, an intimate cocktail destination to stimulate the senses, inspired by the golden age of classic cocktails in pre-Prohibition America…
‘The Golden Age of Cocktails’ brought about some of mixology’s best inventions: The Martini, Daiquiri, and Manhattan were all created in this time, spanning from the 1860s through the Prohibition Era. The 87-seat Gold Bar at EDITION, inspired by the era and all that glitters, features a creative cocktail menu reimagining these timeless concoctions with modern techniques, incorporating Japanese spirits and select local ingredients.
Image credit: EDITION Hotels
All black with deft flourishes of white and gold, inspired by the design of rare pieces of fine jewellery, Gold Bar at EDITION will feature blackened wood finishes inspired by Japanese yakisugi, a traditional method of charring cedar to preserve the wood. The venue will also feature gold accents, a black marble bar, and white barrel-vaulted five metre high ceilings. The intimate bar is finished with a focal fireplace made of Nero Marquina, which hangs a gold-leaf artwork by Guerin Swing. Gold Bar at EDITION will play a mix of low-tempo classic, jazz, soul, and R&B midweek selected by Gray V, with named DJs playing on Friday and Saturday nights.
Image credit: EDITION Hotels
Curated by Director of Bars Hideyuki Saito, the menu focuses on classic cocktail categories, such as Punch, Sour, and Fizz, with a focus on local spirits and ingredients. The food menu will be created each season by a locally renowned chef, Chef Narukiyo, again highlighting the finest Japanese ingredients. Known for his celebrated downtown namesake, izakaya Narukiyo, serving homemade southern Japanese seasonal food, will be the first to curate the menu.
Image credit: EDITION Hotels
Image credit: EDITION Hotels
The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon represents a very delicate balancing act between the refined, elegant, simple and pure approach of Japan’s culture, style, and traditions and EDITION’s passion, emotion, sophistication, perpetual subversion of the status quo, and desire to break the rules to create something entirely new, something that has never been seen before. With the subversion of styles, this synergy of elegance and simplicity is present throughout the restaurant and bars at The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon, and none more so than in Gold Bar at EDITION.
Having recently transported the tastes from the rolling hills of Tuscany to the urban setting of Park Lane London, we caught up with COMO London hotel’s General Manager, Javier Beneyto Benavides to find out a little more about the pop-up concept…
COMO Metropolitan London, with the winning combination of contemporary design and a vibrant Park Lane location was the perfect setting for a collaboration with the award winning team at COMO’s first Italian retreat, COMO Castello Del Nero. For a limited eight nights only, Executive Chef Giovanni Luca Di Pirro from the historic Tuscan estate, created an exclusive menu highlighting signature dishes from the restaurant, La Taverna. London diners were able to experience Chef Giovanni’s masterful techniques that pay homage to the culinary roots of Tuscany, without having to leave the comfort of the capital.
Image credit: COMO Hotels and Resorts
Image credit: COMO Hotels and Resorts
Hotel Designs: Tell us more about the menu takeover?
Javier Beneyto Benavides: We were very lucky to have Giovanni Luca Di Pirro, Executive Chef at our sister property, COMO Castello Del Nero, join us at COMO Metropolitan London to share the incredible flavours of Tuscany with our guests here in the city. The pop-up menu featured many Italian favourites, including ‘Tagliere del Castello’, a selection of Tuscan cold cuts, fine cheeses, honey and coccoli, homemade Pici (a hand-rolled and thicker version of spaghetti) with beef ragù, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and Pecorino cheese, Carnaroli risotto with pumpkin and truffle, and a selection of mouth-watering pizzas all crafted with the freshest seasonal ingredients which stay true to COMO’s farm-to-table philosophy. Dishes were accompanied by a hand-picked selection of Tuscan wines such as Tignanello Antinori, Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino or Italian cocktails like Aperol Spritz, Rossini, and Garibaldi for what was a truly immersive and complete experience.
We also hosted a pair of hands-on cooking classes, so that guests could experience and learn to master the art of making pasta with Chef Giovanni himself. Guests were able to savour a selection of Tuscan antipasti and a glass of wine, before the event finished off with Tiramisu and coffee.
Image credit: COMO Hotels and Resorts
HD: Why Tuscany?
JBB: Tuscany is full of such incredible produce and we’re lucky to have a presence in the region through our sister property COMO Castello Del Nero, located just in the heart of the Chianti. COMO Castello del Nero have recently reopened, and with this takeover we wanted to give Londoners the chance to experience the menu and build an appetite ahead of the reopening. Italian food is familiar and incredibly popular in the UK – by having showcased the flavours and ingredients specific to Tuscany with a successful collaboration, it is something we now plan to replicate in the future with other partner chefs.
HD: What elements do both hotels share in common?
JBB: Both hotels have been individually curated to reflect their location through design, experiences and of course food and drink. When guests visit either property, the experience is entirely specific to the locale, so it’s fun to play with that concept by bringing a flavour of COMO Castello Del Nero to London.
Of course, all properties within the COMO Hotels and Resorts collection share a passion for wellbeing, whether that be through the COMO Shambhala wellness concept or the use of the freshest seasonal ingredients across F&B operations. Although none of the hotels are the same, their emphasis on responsible living and the memorable power of experiences remains consistent.
Image credit: COMO Hotels and Resorts
HD: If the menu was reversed, what British dishes would be served up in Tuscany?
JBB: We would serve iconic British dishes such as the traditional Sunday Roast with the very best cuts of meat from the British Isles. We would also serve our own take on the classic Fish and Chips alongside any of the fresh fish, oysters, and scallops from the British coast. For dessert, my personal favourite the Sticky Toffee Pudding is a must.
HD: How did the campaign to transform the feel of COMO Metropolitan London?
JBB: The entire campaign was focused on bringing the warmth of the Tuscan countryside to cold London in the winter. We wanted to bring the flavours, atmosphere and hospitality of Tuscany to town, and I think we achieved that!
Image credit: COMO Hotels and Resorts
HD: What was your favourite dish on the pop-up menu?
JBB: My favourite dish on the menu was definitely the Spigola, a Mediterranean-style seabass with tomato emulsion and ricotta with cottage cheese. I am a big fan of seafood and this dish was so fresh and full of flavour while respecting the seabass.
This collaborative cross-over project between COMO’s personalised and immersive resorts adds an interesting new chapter to the brands F&B offerings. With COMO London already firmly placed on the London dining scene, sheltering one of the most innovative kitchens in the capital, it is exciting to see how boundaries can shift to create new and transitory experiences.
Case study: LEDS C4 creates a connected lighting scheme in LOOM
LEDS C4 has designed and developed an innovative and intuitive lighting installation for LOOM, a flexible work space in the heart of a creative district of Barcelona…
LOOM Barcelona is a flexible work space solution, based in the prestigious Torre Glòries, and located in the technological and creative district of Barcelona. The project covers a total of 2,500 square meteres, over three floors, and required project-specific lighting to differentiate the spaces. The LEDS C4 Smart Light for Office control, connectivity and digital services solutions has been applied to optimise maintenance, energy saving and efficient management of all the spaces.
Image credit: LEDS-C4
LOOM is about creating a workspace focused on people, optimising their performance and boosting their creativity. LED C4 was required to carry out the lighting project with this in mind, in addition to the supervision and monitoring of the work from start to finish.The project had a range of requirements, with the primary focus being able to adjust the artificial lighting depending on natural light conditions, and so avoid major contrasts with the 360-degree natural light entering the building in order to avoid fatigue and headaches, and reduce energy consumption.
Image credit: LEDS C4
It was necessary for the project to comply with the Workplace Standard EN12464 on lighting comfort and glare for the worker. In addition, the client needed to be able to control the activation of the lighting of the common areas or meeting rooms depending on occupancy, while being able to control and analyse the degree of occupancy of rental rooms to respond to customer demands.
In response to all of the requirements of the project, the LEDS C4 lighting project and consultancy unit designed a lighting staging focused on the building’s architecture and its people, using connected lighting systems that generate differentiated spaces, offering a high degree of comfort and design.
At the product level, a combination of linear and cylindrical architectural lighting was used, with decorative lighting options that add character and adapt to the needs of each space. Lighting products were differentiated according to the space and function, from formal directional lighting in meeting rooms, to more diffuse lighting in less formal settings.
Image credit: LEDS C4
Image credit: LEDS C4
Given the architecture of the Torre Glòries building, consisting of a double-glazed structure that ensures natural light all day, a sophisticated system was installed to control the use of sunlight and to adjust usage depending on occupancy, based on 150 Wireless D4i smart sensors, distributed over three floors and perfectly integrated into the lighting. As a result, the lighting is completely autonomous and is self-regulating depending on natural light and occupancy, with up to 85 per cent energy saving. In turn, the lighting can be customised with remote controls located in every room, with four default setups and fine-tuning buttons for every two work stations. Thanks to this flexibility, adaptation to each user is guaranteed and it brings a high added value to the installation, ensuring maximum productivity.
Connected lighting with LEDS C4 Smart Light for Office enables the project to be managed remotely, making it possible to monitor the installation, change the regulation profiles and visualise the lighting data through the DALI D4i platform. The installation’s key data points are the energy saving due to natural light and occupancy, the temperature of the spaces, as well as real-time reports of the state of the lighting and their flow maintenance, all through graphic panels and data records. The data is available locally and in the cloud, and can be used by third-party applications or APPs via API, or through a BMS system, to provide a number of functions such as customising the temperature and lighting of the rooms, or reserving the spaces online.
LEDS C4 is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Live roundtable: discussing the new era of luxury in hotel design
In an exclusive roundtable with Hotel Designs, in association with Gabriel Scott, leading interior designers and architects gathered to discuss materials, lighting and sustainability when exploring luxury hotel design in 2022 and beyond (scroll down for video)…
Like all things in hotel design and hospitality, luxury and what is considered high-end is a subjective matter. Arguably, making the topic and discussion around it more compelling, the boundaries between luxury and lifestyle have no-doubt been blurred in recent years, as hotels adapt to new demands from modern travellers.
Image credit: Gabriel Scott
Image credit: Gabriel Scott
With the aim to explore luxury deeper than surface level, Hotel Designs and Gabriel Scott joined forces recently to bring together leading designers and architects inside the luxury brand’s showroom in Mayfair to explore luxe design and hospitality in 2022 and beyond.
The exclusive discussion, which marked the brand’s 10th anniversary, started with the question (05:50 in the video above): what materials, colours and trends are dominating interior design at the moment? The response from James Dilley, Director, Jestico + While, set the scene. “There are two things focusing us at the moment,” he said. “One is the natural quality of materials, and the other being craftsmanship.”
Image credit/caption: Zuri Zanzibar, designed by Jestico + Whiles
With more hotels opening to shelter a more in-depth sense of craft, Sam Hall, Head of Global FF&E, believes that mass production in luxury could be a thing of the past, as clients want items that are personal to their brand. “Everything has become so much more readily available,” she said. “It’s about the craftsmanship that makes the quality of the natural materials appear.”
This led the conversation into an interesting talking point, and the topic of biophilic design was introduced. Interior designer Martin Hulburt, who recently completed, for the second time in his career, a renovation inside The Grove in Hertfordshire, believed that nature can be used as a powerful tool when creating luxury spaces in the future. “The first time we renovated the hotel, we threw out the concept of luxury because we wanted to create something different,” he said. “Recently, we just went into the project with an open mind. I have always preferred using unpolished wood over veneered-looking wood, or sackcloth over silk. In this case, we have mixed them all up together.”
Image credit: The Gove, Hertfordshire
Addressing the architects in the room, when the conversation went down the route of materials, the point was made for the need of a stronger relationship with interior designers and other contributors. At this point, Margarita Boulaki, Associate, Squire & Partners, brought up the need for collaborative approaches. “Materials and sustainability are combined in the design process,” she said. “We see natural materials in the architecture structure and it’s not uncommon these days for these elements to be exposed for interior designers to start their concepts from there. It’s a highly integrated process, from inside out.”
It would be remiss to have a discussion regarding luxury without bringing up lifestyle, which was the perfect cue for Rachel Hoolahan, Sustainability Co-Ordinator at Orms, which in 2019 completed its work on The Standard London. “When you come into a building like The Standard London, you have to be inspired by what you are inheriting,” she said. “For us, that was the facade. Our plan was to retain the original structure, which was at the time considered a negative contributor. After understanding why this was, we then decided to add a contemporary extension to the building. 1960s brutalist original concrete is not what people would consider luxury. The interior designers, though, were really inspired by this retro aesthetic, and worked with the building to pair soft furnishings, which created a warm and welcoming experience.”
Image credit: The Standard London
Naturally, the talk strayed into the territory of residential, and Rose Murray, Director, These White Walls, explained how more reference points from her residential clients are steering towards hotels. “You want a sense of escapism into your home,” she said. “And people tend to go to hotels when they want to get away and take inspiration from there. There is therefore a sense of bringing in rustic luxe and paired-back luxury in residential design, which becomes interesting because it is about slowing everything down. Design then easily becomes more about feeling over look.”
Moving into the process of design and specification, the panel started to explain how much more involved clients are in 2022 when it comes to design decisions, as Constantina Tsoutsikou, Founder, Studio LOST, explained: “When I designed The Royal Senses Resort, I found myself using honest materials and detailing them with a luxury mindset,” she said. “A lot of the time, clients can’t describe what they want with words, as it’s more of a feeling and ambiance they want to create. I think that’s what luxury means today, a comfortable home-from-home feeling that’s elevated. As an interior designer, the more trust I have, [from my clients] the more creative I can be.”
Image credit: The Royal Senses Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton
Image credit: The Royal Senses Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton
The debate around luxury continues, but as we leave the conversation to filter the talking points into further debates and discussions between other industry experts outside the Gabriel Scott showroom, it’s clear that among the designers, architects and clients, there is more empathy and open-minded attitudes towards challenging conventional approaches to the luxury hotel design and hospitality. The parameters, as far as I can see, are working within the boundaries of the hotel’s DNA to ensure that each decision made on the project has a meaning, which will ultimately add a new, innovative layer to the overall design and hospitality scheme.
Linda Boronkay designs Osborn House – a whimsical country retreat in Australia
Building on the rich legacy of the property, London based designer Linda Boronkay has teamed up with Mac Design Studio in Sydney to design a new luxury hotel in the NSW Southern Highlands…
Former Soho House Design Director, Linda Boronkay has collaborated with interior architect Alan McMahon to transform the original 1892 guesthouse, Osborn House, to suit a clientele accustomed to the comforts, conviviality and nuances of world-class boutique accommodation. With a design approach which balances emotional impact and aesthetics, the focus is on guests’ optimal comfort and stylish interiors.
Image credit: Osborn House / Alan Jenson
Situated two hours from both Sydney and Canberra, the property has hosted holidaymakers since the 1890s, welcoming guests off the steam train when the picturesque railway village of Bundanoon first became a popular holiday destination. The boutique hotel which opened in February, features 15 super luxury suites and seven newly constructed free-standing luxury cabins, each with a fireplace and balcony bathtub. The property sits within established gardens above the village, with spectacular views to neighbouring Morton National Park.
Image credit: Osborn House / Alan Jenson
By no means did the design duo want to create a replica, but rather an important nod to the past, with the interiors being an eccentric interpretation of this. They sought to curate a space that would offer guests a long-lasting experience.
“Just like a certain song or fragrance can have an incredible emotional impact on us, we believe design has the same power to evoke positive memories and feelings,” said Boronkay. “The combination of reclaimed materials paired with rich and tactile fabrics, curated objects from around Europe and personal touches in the different spaces will make you feel like you are being embraced by an interesting individual.”
Image credit: Osborn House / Alan Jenson
Image credit: Osborn House / Alan Jenson
One of the greatest attributes of Osborn House is the sheer diversity of the suites and accommodation. You could return to the hotel on multiple occasions and enjoy an entirely different experience by staying in a different suite. Both designers wanted to stay true to the original architecture of Osborn House, to reinstate something that was authentic.
“There was a fine balance of what to keep and what to add,” said Boronkay. “Ensuring we were stripping back the original building only to where it was absolutely necessary.”
Image credit: Osborn House / Alan Jenson
The wellness facilities on offer acknowledge the property’s former life as health retreat with a 25 metre lap pool, a state-of-the-art spa with four treatment rooms, sauna, steam room, cool plunge and gym. Osborn House aims to build on the rich legacy of leisure, tapping into its affluent and quirky history and the privacy of its hilltop location to create instant escapism for guests.
Image credit: Osborn House / Alan Jenson
All suites enjoy glorious garden and forest outlooks. There are multiple premium dining and drinking experiences, including an outdoor terrace restaurant, a formal dining room, Dinah’s, and a bar lounge, George’s. A soon-to-open cooking school and market garden will be located in the grounds.
Introducing the Cortina collection from Samuel & Sons
The patterns in the latest collection from Samuel & Sons have been inspired by luxury resorts in Northern Italy…
The Cortina collection from Samuel & Sons, is a sumptuous collection of opulent faux fur embroidered, applique borders and brush fringe. Inspired by some of the most sought-after resorts in the northern Italian town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, the curated collection features three border patterns and a coordinating, dense pile brush fringe.
The Cortina Faux Fur Applique Border, available in colour Sable, is contemporary in its aesthetic and in its composition. The three-inch border’s pattern is created through a series of multi directional, concentric pyramids. The pattern’s line work is rendered with faux leather applique, which sits above a dimensional faux fur ground. The juxtaposition of the faux fur and textured leather used in this construction yields something very sculptural and tactile.
With the Cortina Faux Fur Geometric Border, the design studio also used a textured faux leather and fur applique construction to illustrate a minimalist pattern of inverted half rectangles.
Cortina Faux Fur Embroidered Border employs a lofty faux fur ground on which a contemporary Greek key pattern is rendered using solid sections of embroidery. The dimensional sections of fur are accentuated by their contrast with the embroidered sections of the ground. It’s offered in three shades from pure Winter White to a warm Camel and deeply saturated Obsidian.
Cortina Faux Fur Fringe is a plush 1.5-inch faux fur brush fringe which blooms to 180 degrees and will infuse any interior with unparalleled luxury. It’s offered in four sumptuous shades including a pure Winter White to a warm Camel, rich Sable and deeply saturated Obsidian.
The Cortina Collection of borders and fringe is aesthetically sophisticated in its interpretation of the patterns, rich hues and the luxurious dimension that results from its nuanced constructions.
Samuel & Sons is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Colour-healing menu: checking in to Six Senses Douro Valley
We are only just scratching the surface of understanding sensory design’s role in fuelling the next chapter in hotel design and hospitality, as Editor Hamish Kilburn learns following a transformative nature- and colour-inspired visit to Six Senses Douro Valley…
For years, designers, architects and hospitality businesses have seen (and used) colour to create profound design schemes that challenge conventional approaches, inject purposeful sense of place and improve – even influence – the overall wellness experience in hotels around the globe.
In 2022, with design trends emerging left, right and centre, the impact contrasting tones can have on consumers is undisputed, but the science behind how and why different colours make us feel is a whole new conversation – one that, to even start to understand, required a collaborative effort. My journey to explore sensory design in hospitality took me to the heart of Portugal’s Douro Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is the oldest wine-producing region in the world.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
Six Senses Douro Valley, set across 22 acres and surrounded by five hectares of forest, is a hotel that embodies its location, through aesthetic and service. Designed by New York-based Clodagh Design, with an intuitive design scheme that was both a nod to the past and a glance towards the future, the hotel first opened in 2015, and it has been reinventing itself ever since while helping to lead the luxury and wellbeing hospitality forward.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
The property shelters award-winning spa and wellness facilities, complete with 10 treatment rooms, a heated indoor pool with water jets – and has become renowned for its locally inspired therapies. For many reasons, including its stunning location, effortless style – not to mention its immeasurable dedication to sustainability with features such as an in-house Earth Lab and its own Alchemy Bar – it is the perfect setting to lead new, research-based holistic healing initiatives that connect the guests back to nature.
Its recent wellness and chromotherapy offering, though, takes even this forward-thinking hotel into unchartered waters. Having recently partnered with wellness and colour consultancy mycoocoon, as well as several sensory design, sound and meditation experts, Six Senses Douro Valley has experimented in using colour as a tool to help guests lower their heartbeat and ultimately recharge. As well as colour-healing technologies being used in and around the 2,200-square-metre spa, the hotel has also utilised the science of chromotherapy throughout the property, and has even created a new F&B concept in the process, which stimulates all senses.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
To understand the significance of this collaboration, one must first understand the hotel’s timeless design. The arrival experience sets a tranquil tone. After following a cobbled road down into the valley, the understated hotel emerges in between vineyards and perched on a hilltop overlooking the magnificent Douro River. The entrance is strong and majestic – think more ancient temple than luxury hotel.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
The lobby inside, which unconventionally sits on the top floor, shelters a minimalist look and feel and is paired with a design scheme that deliberately connects guests with nature with details, such as a large check-in desk with a wooden base and a balcony, framed by a glass door, that encourages guests to look over the forest and river.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
As you journey around – from public areas to guestrooms – the feeling of decompression is inescapable, as the glass lift submerges guests from vistas of the river to what feels like going underground. The wide corridors, with green-toned carpets and carved out feature walls, have subtle references to nature. At each end, design elements, such as hanging armchairs and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame views of the river from a different perspective provide a welcome break-out space.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
Meanwhile, the guestrooms and suites, large and blended into the original architecture of the property, feature pure lines and delicate lighting, and have been designed to evoke a sense of calm and stillness.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
A soft, earthy design scheme that includes a cohesive language between bedroom and bathroom, contributes to a serene atmosphere, complimented postcard-perfectly with unmatched views over vineyards and the River Douro from the terraces or from the numerous panoramic windows.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
Shortly after checking in, it felt like an appropriate time to partake in my first colour wellness experience. I was invited to a private 20-minute-long meditation session, which was referred to as a ‘colour bath’, a light and sound video projection installation that creates a meditative space for the viewer.
The session started with a ‘colour test’, an interactive evaluation process that identified which colour the guest was feeling (ultramarine blue was my mood). “Colour is deeply personal and perceptual,” said Ari Peralta, the sensory designer for MyCoocoon. “Due to jet lag from travel and/or over/underexposure to any given colour can lead guests to experience sensory overload. That’s why we developed a simple test designed to discover users’ subconscious need of light.” Sure enough, in just a few taps on a tablet device, users can identify their colour mood and embrace a moment of stillness.
“Colour is this computation that our brains make that enables us to extract meaning from the world.” – Ari Peralta, Sensory Designer, Mycoocoon.
Once the immersive experience began, for the first time that day I was able to stop, fully disconnect, and release unwelcome tension to allow light and sound to guide me inwards. After just a few minutes, I felt my shoulders slacken as my body and mind embarked on the wellbeing journey. “Colour is this computation that our brains make that enables us to extract meaning from the world,” Peralta explained. “The fact that colour judgments are constrained because most humans have similar visual systems is what makes it possible for colour to be a useful metric in science.”
Did you know that…
Colours directly target the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) that functions and operates under involuntarily and subconscious control?
Colour can elicit memories and influence other senses, that go on to activate our emotional responses?
According to research, we are often deprived or overexposed to certain wavelengths (Colours)?
Specific Colour Combinations can induce specific psychological responses?
In addition to the meditation session, mycoocoon also installed a dome-like structure on the terrace, which became a popular ‘colour cloud’. Guests were able to, at their own leisure and after taking colour tests to make the experience that bit more personal, sit and unwind inside the cloud-like bubble with music curated by sound expert, Riccardo Tuis.
Image caption: The colour cloud was a space where guests could go to recharge and relax. | Image credit: mycoocoon
In the spa, meanwhile, the team adopted the technology, which was overall curated by Peralta, Valerie Corcias and Dominique Kelly, to offer personal treatments, with the aim to enhance the hotel’s already award-winning, innovative therapies. “We use specific combinations of colours to elicit different types of behavioural responses such as sleep, focus and creativity,” Peralta added. “Our software makes it easy for guests to meditate, and our algorithm learns guest preferences over time, creating a sensory profile that can personalise future wellness communications, room settings and suggested programmes.”
Image credit: mycoocoon
Image credit: mycoocoon
Although the overall experience was powerful, there was nothing quite like the ‘chromo experience menu’; a five-course meal that was designed to take guests on a sensory experience over dinner, with each course celebrating a different colour and energy.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
The brand, Six Senses Hotels & Resorts, is known for redefining luxury through its creative and sustainable approach to F&B. The non-pretentious, organic and locally sourced attitude that is sheltered in each of its hotels encourages guests to gather around an open kitchen and celebrate the flavours of local ingredients, paired with the world’s finest wines. Its reputation for impeccable hospitality is incontestable. So when mycoocoon suggested to add a new layer to this already perfectly balanced F&B concept, the team had to tread sensitively.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
The wellness experts worked painstakingly with chefs Marc Lores and Nuno Matos to develop a sensory dining concept that unconventionally emphasised the colours around the stunning Douro Valley property.
Image credit: mycoocoon
The team selected orange (representing creativity, joy and enthusiasm), green (translating to freedom, balance and nature), cyan (evoking communication, sharing and breathing), purple (reflecting spirituality) and yellow (radiating brightness and consciousness). Together, the courses was presented as a tasting menu, with corresponding wine pairings that enabled guests to enjoy the unique flavours, textures and sounds that cleverly enhanced the overall dining experience.
All around me, guests were interacting over colour and food; convoluting and sharing, together, and not just with each other. Conversations with the staff to understand the ingredients filled the room. “Our deep associations with each colour influence our taste, often creating a sense of synesthesia, which happens when our senses are literally mixed or confused,” explained Peralta. “Unlike other sensory experiences that are felt, Six Senses and mycoocoon’s colour menu presents a future of experiences led by transformative sensory design.”
What made the dining experience one that was uniquely special was not the fact that the meal was delicious and tantalised all senses, but more that the concept – born from enhancing wellness and wellbeing in hospitality – challenged the chefs and sommeliers to create a menu, paired with wine, that authentically represented the colour and its meaning, which unlocked the potential for the operational team to think outwardly when creating unparalleled moments for their guests.
Image credit: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts
As my experience at Six Senses Douro Valley comes to an end, I feel as if I have only just started to digest the potential that the science-led technology that mycoocoon has amplified can have to enrich wellness experiences in the hospitality arena. Technology, to this extent, may not be appropriate for all hotels to harness. However, with the majority of lifestyle and luxury properties trying to enhance deeper and more intuitive connections with wellness, concepts such as chromotherapy could very well help to unlock a new chapter – one that is moving on from experience to now focus on transformation – in hotel design. Although the details may not yet be clear as to what that will look and ‘feel’ like, that era will be written with human behaviour – and guests’ innate wellbeing needs to connect with nature – in mind.
mycoocoon is a technology and wellness collective that leverages sensory science to support behavioural health. The team, which includes Valerie Corcias, Wellness Colour Expert; Mandy Jhamat, Meditation Coach; Riccardo Tuis, Music Composer; Daniel Kersh, Interactive Artist and Ari Peralta, Neuroscience & Sensory Designer have led more than 10,000 micro-interventions using colour memory to reduce negative inner chatter and reset users’ mood.
The Dylan Amsterdam joins The Leading Hotels of the World
The Dylan has joined The Leading Hotels of the World, a curated portfolio of luxury hotels united not by what makes them the same, but the details that make them different…
Located in the heart of the ‘nine-streets’ shopping area on the prestigious Keizersgracht canal, The Dylan is perfectly located in Amsterdam for exploring the city’s cultural and historic sites, as well as its vibrant gastronomic scene. The entrance to the hotel is discreet, through a stone arch, across a pretty courtyard with potted flowers and plants.
Image credit: The Dylan Amsterdam
“We are delighted to welcome The Dylan to The Leading Hotels of the World,” said Deniz Omurgonulsen, Vice President of Membership, The Leading Hotels of the World. “Located within the chic 9 Streets, this hotel will offer Leading’s curious travelers a new take on the ever-popular Dutch capital. The hotel’s historic roots, outstanding culinary scene, refined atmosphere, and personalized service make it a perfect addition to our exclusive collection of independent, luxury hotels – in a city our travelers adore.”
Image credit: The Dylan Amsterdam
The decor inside is contemporary and chic with features such as wood paneling and floors, leather furniture, velvet soft furnishings and wood beams throughout. There are only 40 bedrooms, each one with its own unique style, split into four main interior categories. There’s the ‘Loxura’ set, modelled on the copper colored Loxura butterfly, the ‘Loft’ bedrooms featuring the building’s original wooden beams, the ‘Amber’ rooms inspired by the precious stone, and finally, the ‘Serendipity’ rooms, decorated in warm shades of brown and grey with lashings of luxurious fabric. The entire design encapsulates the hotel’s style and spirit, marrying old-world charm with contemporary style.
Image credit: The Dylan Amsterdam
Image credit: The Dylan Amsterdam
The food offering at The Dylan is exceptional too, with the Brasserie OCCO delivering locally inspired, seasonal dishes in a chic and casual setting, whilst Michelin-starred Vinkeles, set in a former 18th Century bakery, caters to discerning gourmands with a delectable fusion of traditional and modern French cuisine. In the warmer months, guests can enjoy the hotel’s beautiful ‘Secluded Garden’ terrace, enjoying meals or drinks from Brasserie OCCO throughout the day. Wine enthusiasts will also delight in The Dylan’s High Wine experience – a playful spin on traditional High Tea.
Image credit: The Dylan, Amsterdam
In 1928, 38 independent hoteliers came together to create LHW, and the collection now has more than 400 hotels in over 80 countries. The Dylan Amsterdam, with its own distinctive and rich history, joins the carefully curated hotels, resorts, inns, chalets, villas, and safari camps that range from the snow-capped Alps of Europe to the African veldt.
Case study: Bette provides bath goals inside The Londoner
Billed as the world’s first super boutique hotel, The Londoner in Leicester Square features baths and shower trays from glazed titanium-steel specialist, Bette…
The much-anticipated debut of The Londoner, from one of the UK’s largest family-owned hotel groups, Edwardian Hotels London, marked the beginning of a rebirth for Leicester Square. The hotel has 350 rooms and suites, 16 storeys, six concept eateries, a unique members club-style private area, a wealth of meeting and event space, a cinema and an entire floor dedicated to wellness.
Designed in collaboration with world-renowned architectural designers, Yabu Pushelberg, The Londoner may be super in scale, but its boutique approach and commitment to hospitality offers an experience designed to make guests feel at home. Loft-inspired and open plan, the bedrooms have a calming colour palette and contemporary art on the walls.
Image credit: Bette
Bette has supplied The Londoner with three styles of stylish, durable and easy to clean glazed titanium-steel baths.
The majority of the bathrooms feature one of the brands most popular built-in shower baths, the BetteForm. It has a comfortable back rest at one end, for relaxing bathing, and steep sides at the other end, to provide maximum standing room when showering. The Londoner team chose BetteForm baths with one of the company’s most useful and unique optional features: BetteUpstand, a glazed titanium-steel upstand around the edge of the bath that can be created exactly where the customer requires it. Simply tiled over, it eliminates the need for silicone where the bath meets the wall, makes it easier to clean and ensures against leaks. The BetteForm baths were also supplied with a bespoke coloured grip, to match the brassware, and anti-slip to increase guest safety.
Image credit: Bette
Other bathrooms feature luxurious, freestanding BetteLux Oval Silhouette baths. Again made of glazed titanium-steel and featuring Bette’s anti-slip finish, these spacious two-seater baths have soft, flowing lines and a delicate edge. The third Bette bath at The Londoner is the BetteStarlet Flair Oval, a fitted, oval two-seater bath with a central outlet making it perfect for bathing for two. It has been under-mounted beneath natural stone and features an anti-slip finish. Bette also provided The Londoner with its BetteFloor glazed titanium-steel shower floors with almost invisible BetteAnti-Slip Pro finish.
As a brand-new build in the heart of London, The Londoner is employing pioneering methods of sustainable luxury and exceeds the BREEAM Excellent category in building environmental and sustainable performance. Fitting with the hotel’s sustainability focus, all Bette products are made from only natural materials and are fully recyclable.
Bette is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Inside André Fu Studio’s new sky-high cellar at Andaz Singapore
Taking on the design proposition of transporting a cellar 38 floors up into the sky, designer André Fu has created an elevated dining experience…
665°F has been one of the marquee restaurants in Andaz Singapore since the hotel opened in 2017. Designed by the Hong Kong-based André Fu Studio, the space features a lofty timber-lined ceiling anchored by a dramatic chandelier of globed lamps with flawless views of Singapore’s skyscrapers and the sea beyond.
Image credit: André Fu Studio
The restaurant, which seats just 30, is invariably filled to capacity; a happy problem now resolved by the addition of The Cellar, which is also designed by André Fu Studio. The narrow 1,300-square-foot space was, until recently, the engineering plant-room that adjoined 665°F’s principal dining room. Under the creative eye of André Fu, its potential has been fully unfolded in a remarkable modern take on the classic cellar that holds not just 400 bottles of premium Old and New World labels, but also seats 20 diners in the main dining hall and another eight in an adjoining private room.
Image credit: André Fu Studio
“Once all the machinery had been cleared out, our first impression was that its rectangular shape was reminiscent of a cellar,” recalls the studio’s founder and creative director, Fu. “But cellars are typically located below ground. So, the design proposition became this idea of bringing the cellar up 38 floors into the sky. What kind of cellar would this look and feel like?”
The answer is a dramatic sequence of spaces that begins unfurling from the first step into the mood-lit entrance. Burgundy-hued and timber-lined, The Cellar’s bijou foyer is anchored by a vaulted ceiling over a smoky mirrored corridor, a round reception table, cast-white metal pendant lamp, and a tufted Persian-inspired rug that’s a whimsical homage to the carpet shops of the hotel’s Kampong Glam neighbourhood.
Image credit: André Fu Studio
A triple-layered archway made of distressed brick is framed by black ironmongery, reassuringly solid timber doors, and teal blue velvet curtains that pull back to reveal The Cellar’s intimate but perfectly proportioned dining room speckled with low-slung kidney-bean-shaped sofas and ribbed-back chairs. Underfoot are rugged cuts of dark Italian Cadia Grigio marble and light castle-grey sandstone. Bookending the space are timber display cabinets sheathed with wire-meshed doors.
Image credit: André Fu Studio
The eye is drawn gently down the length of the room by an arched ceiling in rich hues of deep turquoise embedded with an elegant stretch of oak and copper ribs whose silhouette reminds you, appropriately at this height, of a bird’s outstretched wing. Copper shelves are framed by industrial rivets and the soft halo of light reflected through display wine bottles. Copper straps, timber mouldings, and a mirrored clerestory work together to create the concept of a cellar. The design is all about subtlety and detail at work with imagination.
“We were careful to not be thematic,” said Fu. “But rather to capture the spirit of the cellar, and which is why the ceilings, for example, are not literal interpretations of a vaulted ceiling. Instead, we have the gentle curvilinear arch of the oak and copper ribs in the main dining room.”
Image credit: André Fu Studio
At the far end of the room is the small private dining room with one wall lined by an abstract collage of semi-circled timber insets and mirrors, and the other opening dramatically outwards to an aerial view of IM Pei’s Gateway Towers.
For Fu, The Cellar is an unusual project born out of the need to create more space for an existing restaurant whilst infusing it with a distinct personality that, from a design perspective, also reads holistically.
Panel discussion: telling biophilic design narratives through textiles
London Design Week 2022 saw the launch of new brands and collections by Zimmer + Rohde. To celebrate the event, and new patterns, Editor Hamish Kilburn hosted an exclusive panel discussion with leading interior designers in the showroom for a hands-on conversation on all things textile…
Fabrics and textiles showcase trends in a very direct and tactile way. With this in mind, Hotel Designs in association with Zimmer + Rohde, used the opportunity of London Design Week’s live action to take a closer look at the weft, weaves, colours and patterns on show, and to discuss, with a panel of leading interior designers, how fabrics can be used to introduce notes of nature and biophilic design into our interior spaces.
Image credit: Zimmer + Rohde
On the panel, in front of an exclusive audience at the Zimmer + Rohde showroom in Design Centre Chelsea Harbour were: Marie Soliman, Co-founder, Bergman Design House; Fiona Thompson, Principal, Richmond International; Jeremy Grove, Founder, Sibley Grove; Alan McVitty, Founder, M Studio London; Stefan Gabel, Creative Director, Zimmer + Rohde.
Stefan Gabel, Creative Director at Zimmer + Rohde, started the conversation, chaired by Editor Hamish Kilburn, by introducing the SS22 collections and brands that became the catalyst of the discussion, debate and deep exploration of biophilic design in fabric.
Questions of sustainability and connection to nature were clear throughout, from inspiration right through to the detailed design process. Focussing on the new Sketchbook Collection from Zimmer + Rohde, Coup de Soleil by Etamine and Garden Club by Travers, Gabel identified the touchpoints of each brand.“Talking about the influence of nature today, these new fabrics all explore nature in unique ways,” he said. “The Coup de Soleil collection by Etamine focusses on natural materials, such as linen and recycled wool addressing questions of sustainability throughout. The signature flower prints and designs are a part of this and reflect nature more directly, while for the plains it is about sourcing organic and locally produced fabrics.
“Garden Club by Travers connects us to a more cultivated nature, with its combination of warm colours and handcrafted production.” The presentation ended with the Sketchbook collection, which as described by Gabel, is all about “crafted design, intuitive working and the imperfection of the sketch, the handmade.”
Image credit: Zimmer + Rohde
Image credit: Zimmer + Rohde
Kilburn continued the discussion by explaining how fabrics can be a vehicle – a design tool – to take biophilic design beyond surface decoration and to dig deeper into the textures and colours of nature. “It can also be an opportunity to look more closely into questions around sustainability,” he said. “Discussing biophilic design should be about connecting all these points, while understanding that there is more than one method to make a connection or reference with nature and the natural world.”
With this in mind, the panel of designers were asked how fabrics can be used to deepen a design narrative and make that connection to the outdoors and nature. Responding to this question and kicking off the debate, Alan Mcvitty, Founder, M Studio London, discussed the role of fabrics and nature in the design process. “Fabrics form a large part of what we do in any interior, and it’s not uncommon for a scheme to be inspired by a particular fabric design,” he explained. “Within our designs, nature is usually a great source of inspiration.”
Image credit: Zimmer+Rohde
Interior designers have a range of design tools that they access – whether it be colour, pattern, lighting or materials. Some may emphasise texture over colour, while for others, colour saturation is the signature. The process is, to an extent subjective. But what is clear is that through using fabric meaningfully, designers can authentically compliment, and add layers, to the overall design scheme. This gives emphasis to the feeling that they are trying to evoke. “Ultimately design is about what makes people feel good in a space and there is a whole range of tools designers use to do that,” said Fiona Thompson, Principal, Richmond International. “But fabric, texture and textiles are definitely key to creating an authentic biophilic design narrative.”
Image credit: Zimmer+Rohde
Image credit: Zimmer+Rohde
Biophilic design is not something new – it has always been around in some shape or form and is something that has been an innate part of the design process long before it was a box to tick. However, it is undisputedly a design concept that is coming back into design briefs. The connection between nature and wellness is more widely understood as an essential component to how we respond to our environment. It is a concept that is most visible in textiles.
When looking at how to introduce biophilic notes and layers to interiors, the question was raised: is biophilic design about the end effect. Or do we need to look at how something is made to answer the question of whether the materials contribute to the biophilic concept? “We work on a concept of ‘holistic beauty’ in design,” explained Jeremy Grove, Founder, Sibley Grove. “Which means that a fabric is only beautiful if all aspects – from inspiration through to production through to final product – are ‘beautiful’ with the planet’s best interests at heart.”
Image credit: Zimmer+Rohde
Image credit: Zimmer+Rohde
These questions bring to the surface the issue of sustainability. What was clear from the discussion around the new collections, was a common thread that addressed concerns around conscious design. “Nature is not the only inspiration driving these innovations,” added Gabel. “Materials are just as important in this discussion, as is the production process,”
In the SS22 collections from the brands that are under Zimmer + Rohde, production and provenance is made clear. From the use of organic linen to distances covered by the different elements of production; everything has been considered. These conversations are happening more between supplier and designer, which in turn sparks the discussions between designer and client. “There is a mindshift across the board when it comes to questions of sustainability,” added McVitty. “As designers, it is important that we play our part in terms of the materials we specify and in the conversations we have with suppliers when looking for products that will benefit the planet as a whole”
Image credit: Zimmer+Rohde
Longevity is another aspect of sustainable design. In this continuous loop of new designs and trends, re-imagining and refurbishment are an important part of interior design for the Hospitality sector. Using fabrics to refresh an interior space, can be the most cost-effective and least damaging way of creating a whole new look while maintaining the existing elements of the design. While the fabric may have a shorter design life, they can enable a designer to extend the relevance of a design. Longevity, circularity, these are all elements of the same sustainable conversation. “Looking at sustainability in the context of longevity can be difficult when it comes to fabrics” said Grove.” Replacing the fabrics is often an intrinsic part of how we work, as it can significantly increase the longevity of a project.”
Picking up on design trends and the idea of fabric as art outside the frame, like art, fabric design is subjective. While some designers have a signature palette, others might be more comfortable with pattern and texture. What seems to be key when looking at new fabric collections and trends is that there is in fact no hard and fast rule. Colour and pattern in hotel design is possibly a bit stronger now than it was a few years ago. Design in the hospitality arena has moved away from brand identity to individuality and personality. It is now about immersion and telling a story, and fabric has a vital role to play in that process and is one of the most visual contributions to that narrative. “People respond to how a design makes them feel not about what they see,” confirmed Marie Soliman, Co-Founder, Bergman Design House. “Fabric is not always just part of the design, sometimes it can be the design, full stop.”
How you then use fabric to introduce nature in a design scheme will depend on where you are and what that nature is. From a desert to rainforest, there are many different nuances and textures that make introducing nature and biophilic design an open-ended palette. Nature can be invigorating, or it can be all about a spa-like serenity. It can be harsh; it can be comforting. All these different elements reference nature in opposing ways, and fabric is consistently an integral tool in any designer’s repertoire to strengthen these references. “Clients are looking for a design that is representative of where a project is based, its location, its climate,” said Thompson. “Whether colourful or neutral, fabrics contribute to that story.”
“A new collection needs to be able to surprise with new looks and new materials, even when inspiration has been taken from the past.” – Stefan Gabel, Creative Director, Zimmer + Rohde.
Ending the discussion on a forward-looking note, Kilburn asked Gabel to give us his insight on upcoming trends and inspirations in the textile world. “Right now, there is a lot of focus on rustic materials and textures, weaves and artisanal crafts,” he said. “Moving forward, it feels like there might be a shift back to shinier, perhaps more glamourous, surfaces such as taffeta, for example. But within that, a new collection needs to be able to surprise with new looks and new materials, even when inspiration has been taken from the past.”
While we immerse ourselves in the textures and colours available to us today, there is a wonderful sense of anticipation waiting to see what tomorrow’s points of inspiration are going to be – and indeed where they will emerge from. With conversations around sustainability and biophilic design getting louder, it will be interesting to see how these feed into new fabric collections and then design more broadly.
Zimmer + Rohde is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
noa* – network of architecture – has transformed an ancient barrell-vaulted workshop in Bolzano, Italy, into a bistro named Bogen, which is poised between historical heritage and contemporary finesse…
Bolzano’s mercantile past echoes through the arcades of Via Portici,the city’s main axis, which has been a trading hub for Italian and German speaking merchants since the 13th century. Located in this ancient neighbourhood, with a winding external staircase and round-arched portals is the house that is the backdrop for noa*’s latest interior design project, Bogen.
Image credit: noa* / Alex Filz
“The house has a fascinating past that goes back centuries and overflows with life and variety,” said Stefan Rier, noa* Founder and Lead Architect of the project. “With our intervention, we wanted Bolzano’s mercantile history to emerge clearly from these walls.”
The strong relationship with history was crucial in the definition of the project, both because the house is under monumental protection and because the design team wanted to emphasise to the fullest the original architecture of the arches to which the bistro itself pays homage, with the name ‘Bogen’ being German for arch.
On the exterior façade, the intervention consisted of a careful re-plastering in smoky white and an enlargement of the entrance arch. Here, a new tripartite black metal window follows the segmental arch and allows good natural lighting while providing an essential and timeless design.
Image credit: noa* / Alex Filz
For the interior, the underlying idea was to emphasise the four arches, which on both sides rhythmically mark the almost 19-metre depth of the room. To do so the designers worked on both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. In the first case, the existing internal height difference was resolved with an oak platform at the entrance, while a grey-beige polished screed was chosen for the floor. In this way, there is no strong colour contrast with the walls, and the harmony of the shades enhances the whole space. On the other hand, the team has designed the lighting so that the spotlights gently emphasise the curves of the arches. Except for the two tables at the end of the room, there are no pendant lights, and any additional lighting is provided by floor lamps.
Image credit: noa* / Alex Filz
The design brief from the client was to create a romantic bohemian atmosphere which included some personal touches from the owner in the form of signature floral compositions and installations. noa * took up these ideas and structured the design around a pivotal element; a welcoming seven-metre-long counter placed under a ceiling of flower baskets.
“The flower vault immediately became the highlight of the interior design,” explained Silvia Marzani, an interior designer at noa*. “The upturned baskets filled with dried flowers are a suggestive image that symbolises the transience but at the same time the beauty of life.”
Image credit: noa* / Alex Filz
Image credit: noa* / Alex Filz
The long table as a convivial and informal solution is a recurrent motif for noa*, and in this design, the counter is also a worktop on the right side, without any stools and housing technical and functional elements required in the space. Another interesting detail making this piece of furniture unique, is that each of the six legs are different, suggesting an improvised table that a family might have made for itself. A mirror covers the central base, making it disappear into the room. The top is a slab of Nacarado stone, chosen for its distinct veining and warm colour. Above the table, the owners personal creation of the large floral statement composition seems to quite literally pour from the ceiling.
Image credit: noa* / Alex Filz
Image credit: noa* / Alex Filz
The shared space of the large counter contrasts with the intimacy of the small tables on the left side of the bistro, sheltered by the arches and overlooking the alley. The feeling of privacy is further accentuated in the first pair of arches, with seating built into the recesses and walls covered in fabric with an elegant floral print. The niche closing off the room is also designed in the same way. In a constant dialogue between past and present, noa* chose to alternate new seats in wood and fabric with newly lacquered vintage chairs.
Image credit: noa* / Alex Filz
“We took care of every detail in this project and managed to create a consistent design with a strong contemporary character within a centuries-old structure,” added Marzani. “A step into Bolzano’s present and past at the same time.”
On a practical level, there are two service areas: the kitchen, which has been completely renovated and is located at the end of the room, and the toilets. These have been accommodated in a box, clad with perforated metal panels, on which the same floral motif of the arches has been printed. In this way the design combines the technical requirements of acoustics with the overall aesthetics.
Arte drops collection that will fire the imagination
This spring Arte is expanding its wallcovering collection Décors & Panoramiques with a collection of designs that will immerse the viewer in a series of enticing stories and intriguing fairy-tales…
The new designs in the Arte Décors & Panoramiques collection will transport you both geographically and imaginatively. With wallcoverings referencing locations from Tibet to Italy to the fiery lines of a Brazilian dance you can travel the world in seven designs. Alternatively, you can go on a journey of the imagination as mysterious fairy-like figures invite you into the panorama. The strength of these designs is not only in the surface patterns, but also in the materials that have been used, which include velvety soft silks, textured boucle fabrics and sophisticated linen effects.
Image credit: Arte
The hand-painted scenes of the ‘Panoramiques’ portfolio are all works-of-art made up of several panels that together form one panoramic whole. The designs in the ‘Décors’ part of the collection are lavish images that make a statement on the wall. All of these eye-catching designs are available by the linear metre, making it easy to apply and use in any room.
Image credit: Arte
Secret Silhouettes sets a dreamy scene, printed on a soft chenille. The effect is more like a painting than a wallcovering and the landscape appeals to the imagination. Mysterious feminine silhouettes turn around to look at the viewer while at the same time invite the viewer into the landscape.
Valle de Vińales is a colonially inspired landscape, based on an etching. The two-tone pattern uses thick jute and a fil-fil technique in which the fibres used are clearly visible. The vertical lines create a lifting effect on the wall. In a more colourful offering, Toile de Tibet features a colourful agricultural scene from the hillsides of Tibet, in which strength and craftsmanship combine to create purity and authenticity. This hand-painted decor is printed on horizontally woven paper look strips, creating a weathered effect.
Image credit: Arte
Image credit: Arte
Based on a colourful, tropical drawing with a vertical fil-a-fil technique, Flor Imaginaria is inspired by the Chinese lantern plant (Physalis). The pattern and use of colour are influenced by the technique and design of African wax fabrics and prints.
Mont Royal is a décor panel that conjures up an abstract forest on the wall. The tree trunks form straight vertical lines that contrast beautifully with the rounded shapes of the crowns. This tactile fairytale scene with a playful touch is made of soft velour.
Image credit: Arte
Image credit: Arte
Meanwhile, Terra Tropicana is an exuberant wallcovering which will immerse you in the rhythm of a fiery Brazilian dance.
Demonstrating versatility, movement and a bond with nature, the soft sheen enhances the rhythmic feeling. The tropical decor has a visible paper structure which gives it a vintage touch.
Continuing the journey, Città di Castello is a light-hearted composition of a view of the Italian city of Città di Castello.The striking interplay of lines and colour palette create a three-dimensional effect. This design is finished in a soft textile fabric with a chenille look.
Image credit: Arte
Image credit: Arte
The Décors & Panoramiques collection created by the Arte in-house designers continues the bold statement design tradition that has become the brand trademark. While championing innovative design, the company is also ensuring that it is on track with environmental concerns and is a certified CO2-neutral company.
Arte is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
VIP arrivals: hottest hotel openings in April 2022
From transformed ranches in Napa Valley to cliff-hanging hotels on the Amalfi Coast, and properties setting new standards in hotel and hospitality, the hotels opening in April are to be ignored at your peril. Editor Hamish Kilburn writes…
Welcome to spring, a time for rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth – and we are all about fresh starts given the current state of affairs. With each hotel opening, there is the opportunity for travel trends to emerge. From the research we have undertaken here on the editorial desk, despite the rise of technology, all trends are leading towards human-centric design and hospitality.
According to Forbes, there will be 77 hotels opening this season. In April alone, which feels like a turning point for the travel industry on a global scale, we have identified just a handful of the hotels that we believe will be making the most noise on the travel and hotel scene.
Umiltà 36 – Rome, Italy
Image credit: Umiltà 36
Set in the heart of Rome, the Umiltà 36 features just 29 guestrooms and suites and 18 apartments, which are all inspired by luxurious residences of the ’50s with an accent on architecture and design. Monumental marble staircase and opulent wide wooden doors compass the modern motives rooms and public spaces. Architecture and design curated by Caberlon Caroppi stands out for the atmosphere, enhanced with elegant tones of blue and graceful high ceilings. In addition to the hotel sheltering a contemporary retrò design, inspired by the Golden Age, it is equally rooted in the principles of edited simplicity, freshness and cultured refinement, creating a tailored and understated timelessness.
Stanly Ranch – Napa California, USA
Image credit: Auberge Resorts
Setting the scene in the Southern Napa Valley region, in an original working ranch, Stanly Ranch is set in more than 700 acres of vineyards and farmland. The hotel is driven by active and bold experiences while also making nods to the property’s past.
Designed to bring the outside in and to celebrate agrarian home life, the resort has been created with the comfort of home in mind. The resort features lounge seating areas, fire pits and outdoor showers, which make the 78 standalone cottages and suites feel intimate and personal.
The Standard Ibiza, Spain
Image credit: The Standard Hotels
Fronting the island’s main plaza, Vara de Rey, and only a stone’s throw away from the marina, The Standard Ibiza will be a year-round adult playground. Embracing what The Standard loves about the island’s bohemian history, the hotel is set in a stark-white building that forms the backdrop for a bright, eclectic décor and lush landscaping throughout the property. The hotel was originally conceived by acclaimed Spanish creator Lázaro Rosa-Violán, with interiors designed by The Standard’s in-house design team with participation from Oskar Kohnen. The design celebrates the resurgence of the energy that originally attracted so many to Ibiza and the rejuvenation of Flower Power with a chic new 60’s vibe that only The Standard can create, but all can enjoy, simple, yet immersive.
Borgo Santandrea, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Image credit: Borgo Santandrea
Image credit: Borgo Santandrea
Dangled on a cliff edge (90 metres above the sea), Borgo Santandrea is the first major hotel opening in the Amalfi Coast since 2005, if our numbers are correct. And it doesn’t disappoint, with a uniquely personal, chic and inviting design scheme that feels distinctly residential. Overlooking historic fishing village of Conca dei Marini, the boutique hotel, which actually completed last year but due to the pandemic has waited until now for its anticipated grand opening, is the ‘passion project’ of two Italian families, drawing on several generations of hospitality experience.
The design has been curated to celebrate local artistry and craftsmanship of Italy’s Campania region. White Italian marble was selected from Puglia, Veneto and Tuscany for the interiors, along with artisanal details such as hand-blown Venetian glass lamps. No less than six Italian furniture manufacturers were specified throughout the hotel. A blue and white colour scheme is evident throughout the property, alongside 31 different types of geometric handmade and hand-painted tiles, which are inspired by regional traditions.
The Georgian, Coppa Club, England
Image credit: The Georgian, Coppa Club
Stirring up the Surrey hospitality scene in England, The Georgian, Coppa Club has been designed to cleverly reflect the building’s history and architectural element, whilst setting news trends in the leafy streets of Haslemere, near the idyllic Surrey Hills.
Interior design is the heart of the 13-key boutique property. Expect Georgian-inspired patterned floor and strong deep green of the Georgian panelling in the Entrance Bar, ‘Bonbon’ lanterns in the restaurant that create an atmospheric glow, a snug with terracotta floor tiles and panelling to match and an encaustic tiled fireplace in the cosy Bar Lounge.
YOTEL London Shoreditch, England
Image credit: YOTEL
Putting a clean emphasis on British development, YOTEL is opening its fifth hotel in the UK this April. The 161-key hotel, conveniently located in the heart of vibrant East London, on Cambridge Heath Road, already incorporates some of YOTEL’s minimalistic design features and facilities. As part of the conversion, the property will receive a light refurbishment to incorporate YOTEL’s signature design and technology features. Guests will be able to check-in in under a minute on self-service stations at Mission Control and will be able to use their mobile devices as SmartKeys.
Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain, Paris, France
Image credit: Pavilon Faubourg Saint-Germain
Set across three traditional buildings, and brought to life by interior designer Didier Benderli, Pavillon Faubourg Sain-Germain is the latest opening from boutique group, Chevalier Paris, featuring just 47 individually appointed guestrooms and suites.
Interior designer Didier Benderli has reimagined the hotel with a contemporary flare that remains true to the quirks of the historic buildings. Each room features a unique design that complements the contemporary and sophisticated style of the spa, restaurant and public spaces. Solid oak herringbone parquet flooring creates a timeless aesthetic, while discretion and efficiency are prioritised with details such as in-room televisions concealed by decorative mirrors.
Mpala Jena Camp, Zambezi National Park, Zimbabwe
Image credit: Great Plains
Mpala Jena Camp, Great Plains’ latest property that sits within the Zambezi National Park near Victoria Falls, is an intimate safari camp positioned along the beautiful tree-lined banks of the mighty Zambezi River. A haven that epitomises barefoot luxury in its most refined form, the architecture team of Craig Hayman and Hannah Charlton, with the assistance of interior designer Tracy Kelly combined the elements of the pristine location by using thatched roofs in the main areas and flowing canvas luxury tents for the bedrooms.
The camp is, by design, sensitive to the environment of the Zambezi National Park. This is achieved by using canvas and local thatch in its construction and ensuring all the camp’s electricity needs come from its solar farm.
Hotel La Tour, Milton Keynes, England
Image credit: Hotel La Tour
Hotel La Tour is finally gearing up to opening its doors. Conveniently located in the heart of Milton Keynes Central, the impressive mirror steel clad property, designed by PHP Architects, will feature 261 guestrooms, more than 1,000 square metres of flexible events space, a gym and a 14th floor restaurant and sky bar offering the highest viewpoint in the county. Hotel La Tour Milton Keynes will also boast a glass lift providing a unique visual experience of Campbell Park and beyond, as guests travel to the top floor. A 30m high, LED-lit stainless steel sun design circle, created to align with the sun on the longest day of the year, will dominate the east-facing façade whilst a large sculpture, entitled Cycloidal Form by the artist Keith McCarter, will be placed adjacent to the canopy entrance.
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LXR Hotels & Resorts, a collection of independent luxury properties by Hilton, has announced the signing for a breathtaking new resort which includes a signature island golf course on the private Al Nawras Island in Abu Dhabi…
LXR Hotels & Resorts is a collection of independent luxury properties within the Hilton portfolio, with each representing a unique location and offering a singular travel experience native to its place, history and tradition. Slated to open in 2023, Al Nawras Island will mark the brand’s entry into the UAE capital. Perfectly situated in one of Abu Dhabi’s most recreational yet tranquil areas and designed with elements inspired by the destination, the resort will offer an exclusive escape on a private, secluded island, while still providing seamless access for those who wish to explore the vibrant city and its cultural experiences.
The resort will shelter 80 elegantly designed beach and water villas as well as a 450 square-meter, two-bedroom Royal Villa, all surrounded by a state-of-the-art golf course. The property will also feature an array of exciting culinary offerings. From two signature restaurants embracing the stunning environment with al fresco dining areas, to two additional bars and a wellness-inspired café.
“We’re delighted to be bringing LXR Hotels & Resorts to Abu Dhabi with Al Nawras Island,” said Carlos Khneisser, vice president, development, Middle East & Africa, Hilton. “The UAE’s burgeoning capital has established itself as a global hub in recent years and has seen incredible development in terms of hospitality, sports and tourism. I believe Al Nawras Island will complement Abu Dhabi’s luxury hotel landscape perfectly and we look forward to guests experiencing this unique property.”
Al Nawras Island will place a strong emphasis on exploration, expression, and wellbeing. Among the property’s leisure and recreational facilities are an upscale gym, fitness studio, and three stunning swimming pools — one indoor and two outdoor, as well as tennis and paddle courts, a private marina, exclusive beach club, and elaborate spa. Additionally, children will have access to an engaging playground, dedicated swimming pool, splash pad and kid’s club.
“Abu Dhabi is a renowned luxury destination where visitors and local residents alike seek out exceptional moments and personalised service,” said Feisal Jaffer, global head, LXR Hotels & Resorts. “That’s precisely what our guests will experience at Al Nawras Island — a truly bespoke and exemplary resort, and one that we are proud to add to the growing global LXR collection.”
Al Nawras Island joins three LXR Hotels & Resorts properties already operating in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, as well as the recently announced Wadi Hanifah, LXR Hotels & Resorts at Diriyah Gate, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
With interiors designed by Sundukovy Sisters S+S, Accor is transforming a well-known city landmark into The Emporium Plovdiv MGallery – a boutique hotel, which embraces the history of the building while inviting guests to be part of a more contemporary story…
The MGallery Hotel Collection by Accor selects and curates unique properties around the world to form a collection of boutique hotels, each with its own story and immersing guests in the history and culture of the location. The Emporium Plovdiv – MGallery is located in the centre of the city, within walking distance of the sights and sounds which made Plovdiv Europe’s cultural capital of 2019. With interiors designed by Sundukovy Sisters S+S, one of the fastest growing and creative architectural studios in the hospitality industry and winners of Designers of the year 2018 title awarded by The Gold Key Awards, New York. The main goal was to preserve the building of the former department store – Evmolpia – a well-known landmark in Plovdiv city, by reviving the original features of the building and incorporating them into the hotel design and celebrating the local heritage.
Image credit: Accor
The hotel shelters 61 contemporary guestrooms including 12 suites, all of which offer the trademark variety of facilities and amenities to create a truly luxurious experience which is part of the MGallery brand. Celebrating the history of the location hasn’t stopped the brand from introducing innovative technologies to enhance the hotel experience for guests with its Smart Rooms concept. The Emporium’s smart rooms have a number of luxurious features that allow guests to manage individual scenarios according to their mood, by adjusting the light to set the ambience, open and close the curtains and control the audio-visual functions.
Image credit: Accor
Image credit: Accor
On the F&B front, both international travellers and local guests are invited to enjoy the only Moët & Chandon Champagne & Cocktail Bar in the country. There will also be a gourmet restaurant, Torro Premio where the focus is on blending the best local products and craft to deliver unparalleled interpretation of modern Bulgarian cuisine. Torro Grande, the trendiest restaurant and sushi bar in the city, will delight the senses of those who seek a vibrant setting for socializing.
Image credit: Accor
The spirit of luxury and indulgence is extended into the wellness offerings of this brand new MGallery hotel with both relaxationand fitness zones in place, helping guests keep the body and soul in balance. Extending the brand ethos to create captivating stories and make memorable moments last, The Emporium Plovdiv has trusted the exclusive French Shams Conseils Paris company to develop a tailor-made signature scent inspired by the destination. The hotel will also be the first property in the chain offering the luxury cosmetic amenities of the iconic French line Fragonard, a brand founded in 1926.
Image credit: Accor
With more than 100 properties now under the MGallery umbrella, each tells a unique story inspired by its own remarkable past or the destination it calls home. From bespoke design and sensorial mixology to well-being dedicated to everyday self-care, MGallery hotels focus on the travel experience.
Opening this week: a new boutique hotel by Chevalier Paris
Inspired by notable guests from the past and the vibrant Left Bank culture of the present, interior designer Didier Benderli offers a contemporary take on the quintessential Parisian experience at the new Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain…
Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain is situated in the central neighbourhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, in the seventh arrondissement of the city’s vibrant and creative Left Bank. Primely positioned, the picturesque café-lined streets that surround the hotel were once the meeting places and inspiration for some of the world’s most cherished artistic and literary greats, including Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus and even Pablo Picasso.
Set across three traditional buildings and brought to life by interior designer Didier Benderli, the hotel is the latest opening from boutique group, Chevalier Paris, and features 47 individually appointed guestrooms and suites, a tranquil spa, a bar and new restaurant, Les Parisiens, by award-winning chef Thibault Sombardier.
Interior designer Didier Benderli has reimagined the hotel with a contemporary flare that remains true to the quirks of the historic buildings. Each room features a unique design that complements the contemporary and sophisticated style of the spa, restaurant and public spaces. Solid oak herringbone parquet flooring creates a timeless aesthetic, while discretion and efficiency are prioritised with details such as in-room televisions concealed by decorative mirrors. Guests will find their gaze directed toward the traditional style windows, which provide views over the Parisian rooftops for a real sense of immersion in the vibrant locale. En-suite bathrooms are tucked behind sliding wooden doors, with terrazzo flooring and marble wall panels decorated with geometric art-deco detailing to compliment the wood and brass fittings.
Image credit: Pavilon Faubourg Saint-Germain
Image credit: Pavilon Faubourg Saint-Germain
At the new restaurant, curved finishes combine with wooden accents to provide a warm and intimate feel, with leather and velvet benches, quartzite tables and expansive mirrors that reflect the liquid gold of the lacquered canvases adorning the walls. At The Bar, luxury and comfort are combined with plush sofas and armchairs in midnight blue and powder pink velvet, which contrast a bold bronze carpet. At the hotel’s centre, The Library acts as a passage to the various communal areas, with cosy nooks offering a secluded space for reading, relaxation and quiet contemplation. The walls and ceilings are wood panelled, thick rugs muffle footsteps and shelves are lined with immaculate copies of Gallimard foreign literature.
Set to make waves on Paris’ diverse culinary scene, the hotel’s signature restaurant, Les Parisiens, serves refined and original cuisine created by Chef Thibault Sombardier, inspired by the flavours of his childhood spent growing up between Burgundy and Beaujolais. Widely considered one of the city’s most exciting and diverse chefs, the restaurant marks a new chapter for Sombardier, who previously worked at the Michelin-starred restaurant Antoine and won second place competing against the country’s finest culinary talent in the 2014 series of Top Chef. Menus expertly combine haute cuisine with a less inhibited style of cooking, showcasing a passion for locally sourced seasonal produce.
Image credit: Pavilon Faubourg Saint-Germain
Amongst the neighbourhood’s esteemed visitors, Irish novelist James Joyce finished his seminal novel, Ulysses, while staying on the site of the new hotel over a century ago. Adjacent to the restaurant, the James Joyce Bar honours the iconic writer with a collection of signature cocktails inspired by his works and the heritage of the area. ‘Bloom Like a Geisha’ – a concoction of Sakura passionflower-infused rum, yuzu and vanilla – is named after Ulysses’ protagonist, Leopold Bloom, while ‘Suspended Garden’ is a nod to the Pont des Arts, which was originally conceived as a hanging garden, composed of gin, lemon yellow arugula shrub salt and grelot onion. In keeping with the lively neighbourhood scene, the bar is open throughout the day and into the night, spilling out onto the street-side terrace with a menu of fine wines, draft beer and small bites.
Image credit: Pavilon Faubourg Saint-Germain
Image credit: Pavilon Faubourg Saint-Germain
A wellness offering within the hotel comes in the form of the tranquil Spa des Prés, a zen and uncluttered space designed by Benderli to aid relaxation and the restoration of mind, body and soul. The spa features a meditation room, hammam, plunge pool with water jets, fitness room and two massage cabins, where an enticing menu of treatments includes the Couture Facial, a bespoke treatment for the face and décolleté which responds to the unique needs of the skin and ends with a calming scalp massage, and the Shopping Break treatment, combining a stimulating massage with foot reflexology to eliminate fatigue. The menu has been developed in partnership with CODAGE Paris and utilises the cosmetology brand’s diverse product range to ensure that treatments are fully tailored to match the unique needs of different skin types.
Dating back to 1642, the buildings which house Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain were originally built for Sieur Jean Tambonneau, the President of the Chambre des Comptes, and have since hosted a number of notable guests – in addition to James Joyce, who’s influence is clear throughout the hotel from the bar to the spacious James Joyce suite, the writer T.S Eliot also resided on the site in 1910. Following a complete refurbishment, the hotel remains true to its past and pays homage to the stories that have unfolded within its walls.
Main image credit: Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain
5 minutes with: Bertrand Lejoly, designer of Duravit D-Neo range
With two accolades from the prestigious German Design Award under his designer belt, we asked Bertrand Lejoly a few questions about the design process, D-Neo, and Duravit…
Having been Head of Product Design with the Belgian architecture studio Vincent Van Duysen, Bertrand Lejoly then started his own design studio in Antwerp in 2018.
Since then, he has been working with major brands on furniture, lighting, sanitary and tableware products. His collaboration with Duravit resulted in the D-Neo, designed as a complete bathroom range. Its excellent quality and intelligent design combined with an attractive entry-level price, has ensured both design recognition and commercial success. D-Neo has been created to outlast short-lived trends and was designed as the perfect companion for every day, every lifestyle, and every facet of life.
Image credit: Duravit
Hotel Designs: Starting with the awards, as the the holder of two certificates from the German Design Award 2022 for outstanding design – with an award as ‘winner’ for the D-Neo faucets along with a ‘special mention’ for the series as a whole, how does that feel?
BL: The awards are, of course, a huge honour for me. The German Design Award is one of our industry’s most important accolades. It’s not just recognition of the work we’ve already done, but even more so it’s an enormous motivation for me for the future.
HD: Design prizes are one thing, economic success and sales figures are something else. D-Neo has become an international bestseller within the Duravit range. Did you expect that a year ago?
BL: I have in fact received an overwhelming response to the collection from all sides. That makes me very proud. It’s really important to me to express a huge thank you and pass on my compliments to the Duravit team. Their great passion and drive have enabled the original idea to be realised as a successful series. This experience has really impressed me.
Image credit: Duravit
HD: What does this success mean for you personally and for your young design studio, for instance in terms of your profile?
BL: We are currently working on exciting new orders in the fields of furniture, outdoor, lighting, and tableware. The launch and success with the wide-ranging publicity around D-Neo have really helped draw attention to our design studio. That spurs us on and gives us an even greater impetus for the future.
HD: How can we envisage the design process in general terms? What are the key stages from the briefing through to finished series?
BL: What’s important for me is that both sides understand each other from the outset. That the client clearly identifies and communicates what they need and that the designer understands this briefing accordingly so they can interpret it for optimum results. Such collaborations usually last several years with many stages and key decisions, so the chemistry simply must be right.
Duravit is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
With the architectural restoration led by architects WOA, Gatsby Athens recently opened its well-designed doors in downtown Athens, bringing with it an elegant balance between old and new with a few surprises thrown into the mix…
Designed to convey a sense of timelessness rather than a decade-defining aesthetic, the hotel evokes the glamour of mid-1930 Athens, creating a fine balance between old and new. The architectural design by WOA is simple, elegant and eco-friendly, rooted in the emotional connection between people and buildings with a fundamental urge to create something truly unique.
Image Credit: Gatsby Athens
With the interiors designed by Michaelis Boyd, the hotel’s public spaces feature unique entertaining and social spaces to suit every mood, and offer an array of dining possibilities. Setting its sights on being Athens’s premium gathering place, the all-day restaurant is the main social hub of the hotel, while the rooftop garden offers a casual-cool vibe, welcoming hotel residents and guests to dine with stunning panoramic views and a glimpse of the Acropolis. Here, every aspect of an urban hotel has been re-imagined for the needs and desires of a new generation, and every thought given to enhancing a guest’s stay, for the best possible Athenian experience.
Image credit: Gatsby Athens
Image credit: Gatsby Athens
Celebrating culinary innovation and creative design, Gatsby Restaurant serves an all-day sharing style brunch menu and afternoon tea, urging guests to relax throughout the day. The Gatsby Bar, reminiscent of the Jazz Age which runs through the design, serves welcome caffeine and superfood-filled juices for those self-medicating sore heads. Cloud 9 on the roof has been created as the perfect place to enjoy the hotel’s signature Artemis Negroni. All F&B spaces make use of the freshest local produce that Greece has to offer.
Image credit: Gatsby Athens
In addition to the vibrant social and dining areas, the purity and simplicity of the guest rooms at Gatsby feel especially suited to Athens. All 33 guestrooms and suites have an art deco design, with signature pastel pink headboards, diamond tiled showers, golden wardrobes, velvet corner sofas, balconies and even a ‘surprise’ button for those who dare to press…
Image credit: Gatsby Athens
Image credit: Gatsby Athens
By understanding that a hotel is more than just a place to sleep, that it is a social hub, a meeting place, a site for relaxation, reflection, and hard-earned leisure time, Gatsby Athens has incorporated all of this into the design. All rooms provide state of the art technology, smart TVs or tablets, Alexa devices, king size beds, walk-in showers, in-room bathtubs, luxury natural linen along with artworks by both local and international artists. The Gatsby Party Suite is there for the more socially inclined who like late night revelry, while for those needing to recover, there is a 24-hour detox GYM with the latest fitness equipment.
Leaflike takes the lead with biophilic design initiatives
Not content with simply supplying the greenery to enhance biophilic inspired interiors, Leaflike has been digging deeper into sustainability and biophilic design on every level of their business to make sure that going green goes beyond the leaves and the mosses, but is integral to the makeup of the company from production to the pots to the final products…
At Leaflike it is all about keeping the balance between design and sustainability while taking the client on a journey from concept to reality, ensuring that every element of the brief is matched perfectly by design. Materials, colour, senses and wellness all play their part in bringing the project to life. The interior landscape experience with Leaflike starts with a site visit and samples and moves through to a final design concept illustrating the process and products which will enhance the space. Each plant and concept element are carefully selected to ensure the final creativity and design fit the brief.
“We believe you can have both creative design and sustainability, that complements the interior of your venue,” said Brandon Abernethie, Head of Design, Leaflike. “A key area of biophilic design includes planters and this is why we want to showcase the options available to customers, helping them get what they need from the concept, ultimately making biophilic design sustainable.”
Image credit: Leaflike
While the plants might be the heroes, the pots have been getting some Leaflike attention as well. Made from recycled plastics, repurposed goods and natural waste, the Leaflike range of sustainable planters are available to suit all spaces. Whether they are biodegradable, created with green energy or support the circular economy, there is a positive option for every space and design. Some of the planters have been made from products that have already served their purpose in life, such as old car bumpers, phones, keyboards, computers and vacuum cleaners, while others are made from natural waste like coconuts or dried banana leaves. Other interesting and innovative materials such as eco-friendly forest residue which includes dry leave, twigs and bark, and are biodegradable and recyclable, are also part of this range.
As part of the brands commitment to sustainable design, customers are encouraged to purchase sustainable products first. Building on this initiative, whether its live planting, preserved moss or a herb garden, Leaflike are committed to plant a tree for every sustainable element in your order. Several initiatives have been integrated at all levels to ensure that decisive steps are being made in the direction of becoming a carbon neutral company. One of these is the partnership with a project which plants mangroves, an effective and economic method of offsetting carbon emissions. Each mangrove tree removes approximately 0.3 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere over its growth life of approximately 25 years. To facilitate this process, Leaflike has partnered with ECOVADIS and have signed up to World Land Trust scheme, as all aspects of the business are factored in, from miles travelled to deliver services, to the production process of the plants and pots.
“We are excited and optimistic about what this means for our customers in terms of their sustainable journeys. We hope to be able to help them wherever we can and this is just the start,” said Steve Abernethie, Managing Director, Leaflike. “Our goal is to remain the hospitality specialist for biophilic design. It’s our commitment and responsibility to provide the best advice for the products. We are pleased to share our progress towards becoming a carbon neutral company.”
It is exciting to see a company and brand like Leaflike stepping up to the issue of sustainability and then integrating it into the structure of the company, the design process and final product. The impact on the environment is considered at every step, with the end result being a green and biophilic display that is giving back on every level from the delivery, to the pot, to the moss on the wall.
Since you’re here, why not listen to our latest podcast on sustainability in design, with Rachel Hoolahan, Sustainability Co-ordinator, Orms? See below:
Leaflike is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our recommended suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Case study: a nod to art deco inside The Shanghai EDITION bathrooms
Sleek lines, minimalist monochrome and a distinct nod to art deco elegance are sheltered inside the bathrooms of the Shanghai EDITION…
Bathroom brand Kohler was specified for the minimalist, monochrome bathrooms inside the stunning Shanghai EDITION hotel, which offers boutique sophistication at the intersection of Shanghai’s historic past and its energetic future.
Image credit: EDITION Hotels
A new era of laidback luxury adorns each of the 145 guestrooms and this is punctuated in the warm and elegant bathrooms. Featuring floor to ceiling windows with views across Shanghai and the Bund from Kohler’s Evok bathtub, these bathrooms are exceptional masterclasses in understated elegance.
The freestanding Evok bath has been ergonomically designed to support the natural curves and angles of the body to make bathing comfortable and luxurious. The geometric lines and pared back design of Evok create a pared back look with these ergonomic elements masked by clever crafting to create clean, simple lines.
The design and engineering of the Evok bath makes it perfect for hotel use. Made from pure acrylic and aluminium hydroxide which prevents yellowing, it’s not just the style of this tub that will last the test of time.
In addition, the Veil wall hung toilet was chosen for its striking yet sleek seamlessness. Its rimless design means it’s even easier to clean and more hygienic than other products. In classic white, crafted from vitreous china, it’s a durable yet stylish item.
Image credit: Kohler
The luxurious, carrara marble tiling, matte black shower screen edging and smooth lines of the taps and shower fittings, nod to one half of the hotel’s art deco history, completing the overall look.
Kohler was specified by Ian Schrager/ Neri& Hu on behalf of Marriott International. The hotel is one of 11 EDITION properties by Ian Schrager worldwide, this is a brand to watch as it continues to arrive in new territories.
Kohler is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Early bird tickets for MEET UP North now available
Catch them while you can… Early bird tickets for MEET UP North, Hotel Designs’ premium networking event which will take place in Manchester on May 19, are now on sale. But hurry as they are only available until April 10…
Development in the north will be the theme for Hotel Designs’ upcoming networking event, MEET UP North, which will take shelter inside Whitworth Locke on May 19.
When: May 19, 2022 Where: Whitworth Locke, Manchester Theme: ‘Development in the North’
Early bird tickets offer all who wish to attend the evening’s event significant discounts, with those who qualify as designers, architects, hoteliers and developers able to secure tickets for just £10 + VAT per person (rate after early bird promotion is £20 + VAT), and suppliers able to purchase tickets for just £99 + VAT per person (rate after early bird promotion is £150 + VAT).
MEET UP North is Hotel Designs’ premium networking event outside of London
MEET UP North will welcome designers, architects, hoteliers, developers and suppliers to Manchester on May 19
Ahead of the evening’s party ,which will start at 18:00 (BST), Hotel Designs will film a conversation between leading designers on ‘Design development in the north’, which will ultimately start a discussion about creativity, taking risks and understanding target audience when consciously developing brands and design schemes outside capital cities.
On the panel:
The video of the panel discussion will be published on Hotel Designs after the event so that the content is accessible to all. “Content is something that we pride ourselves on, and our decision to film this panel discussion ahead of the party is so that all of our readers can enjoy the meaningful conversation wherever they are in the world,” said Editor Hamish Kilburn. “It also means that the focus for the evening’s event can be to bridge the gap between designers, architects, hoteliers, developers and suppliers through conscious and authentic networking.”
Please note, there are limited tickets available for MEET UP North. Due to the demand for this event – and the venue’s capacity – we anticipate that tickets will sell out. To purchase tickets, click on either the supplier booking form tab or the Buyer booking form tab.*
*If you are a designer, architect, hotelier or developer, you qualify as a ‘buyer’. Anyone else wishing to attend the event will be required to purchase a ‘supplier’ ticket.
Marriott to open its first African safari lodge in 2023
Marriott International has signed an agreement with Baraka Lodges ltd. to enter the safari segment in Africa. JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge is slated to open in 2023…
JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge will open as Marriott International’s first safari lodge, which will be located within the Mara National Reserve, one of Africa’s most renowned wildlife conservation and wilderness regions.
Overlooking the famed banks of the River Talek and on the edge of the reserve, JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge’s prime location will offer a distinctively elevated camp from which to discover the Masai Mara National Reserve, its stunning vistas, abundant wildlife, and endless plains.
Image credit: Marriott International
Plans for the new-build lodge feature 20 private tents, including one presidential canvas-topped pavilion and two interconnecting canopied suites, ideal for families, each with a private terrace overlooking the river. Shared spaces will include a restaurant, lounge bar, spa, and a large outdoor terrace with fire pits that will play host to traditional Masai dance performances in the evening.The untamed landscape will offer guests the opportunity to observethe ‘Big Five’ that Masai Mara is home to: lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinoceros and elephants. Between June and September, the reserve is also host to the annual great wildebeest migration, when more than 10 million animals travel a distance of 1,800 miles from the Serengeti in neighbouring Tanzania.
“As a brand rooted in mindfulness, we cannot think of a more perfect retreat for the mind, body, and soul than the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya,” said Bruce Rohr, Vice President and Brand Leader, JW Marriott, Marriott International. “JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge will offer guests a luxurious backdrop to make once-in-a-lifetime memories as they connect with nature and wildlife as never before. We are thrilled that the JW Marriott brand will be welcoming adventure travellers, including families, to this breath-taking part of the world.”
“We’re delighted to collaborate with Marriott International to debut this stunning luxury lodge and their first Safari offering in the Masai Mara,” added Mr. Shivan Patel of Baraka Lodges LTD.
Conservation of the land and its inhabitants will be at the heart of JW Marriott Masai Mara. The safari lodge aims to employ up to 50 locals from the Masai community, and will offer robust learning opportunities for guests looking to immersive themselves in the destination.
“The signing of JW Masai Mara Lodge is a milestone in Marriott International’s growth in Africa as the company enters the luxury safari segment,” said Jerome Briet, Chief Development Officer, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International. “This landmark project is in response to travellers’ growing desire for experiential offerings that enable them to build a deeper connection with their chosen destination. JW Marriott encourages guests to be mindful and present, which perfectly lends itself to meaningful safari holidays.”
A nod to the captivating surroundings, guests can expect an authentic sense of place through artful design and architecture. Sophisticated, interiors will be led by Kristina Zanic. The location and surrounding landscape will be reflected at every turn, creating harmony with the natural world and drawing inspiration from the elements: earth, wind, fire and water. Warm touches of neutrals and natural materials, will lend to a warm ambience, while an earthy tone colour palette promises to sit in harmony with the landscape, inviting guests to connect with nature and focus on their wellbeing.
Marriott International currently operates more than 120 properties in Africa across its portfolio. JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge will join Marriott Bonvoy’s growing portfolio of 8,000 hotels globally.
Schlüter-Systems takes a look at the trend for matte black accessories in the bathroom; perfect for creating a modern aesthetic and feeling of luxury, and ideal for the hospitality industry and hotel guests…
Matte black accessories within a bathroom design create a striking finish. Whether the colour is paired with clean whites for a timeless look or combined with opulent marble, Schlüter-Systems have a selection of products that come in matte black for a coordinated design, including protective tile trims, storage shelves and shower drain grates. Whether you are planning a fully monochrome look, want to use black elements for a bold contrast or are choosing accents sparingly, below are some suggestions on how to use it within your bathroom design.
Image credit: Schlüter-Systems
You can’t go wrong when seeking out a neutral tone to pair black with. Whether using a base of warm neutral such as tan or beige, or cooler ones with hints of blue and green, this colour scheme can be switched up and different materials incorporated to make it truly unique. Black finishes sit nicely with wood effect tiles or beige colours that are popular in contemporary bathrooms. Alongside a neutral palette, black can also be used to create a minimalist look, one of the more desired trends in recent times.
Schlüter-Systems
The rich colour works well alongside bold patterns and bright, vibrant tones due to its muted nature. Whilst bright or textured areas of a bathroom can really make a statement, scaling it back with darker accessories can keep it from becoming too loud or overbearing – try adding matte black fixtures and finishes such as shelving, tile trims or even taps.
On the other end of the spectrum, and possibly one of the most popular choices for guest bathrooms in recent years is grey – it’s effortless and easy to implement into any design. A great way to elevate a grey bathroom is to add black finishes with the overall effect being smart and minimalist.
Image credit: Schlüter-Systems
Brass finishes have been around for what feels like forever, and it’s no surprise the trend has stood the test of time – it’s extremely versatile. More recently, brass comes with an ‘aged’ look, for the appearance of an antique addition to your bathroom. Brass lends itself to the vintage modern look which is sought after in many bathroom designs. Matte black works well alongside other brass finishes, both adding a sense of luxury and a timeless look.
Schlüter-Systems have a wide range of tile trims which can be used to complement the tile for a flowing finish or contrast it to create a striking and eye-catching look.
Schlüter-Systems is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
More than 300 hotel design professionals attended MEET UP London on March 24, 2022. With the theme aimed to ‘inspire creativity’, the event sheltered soundscapes and colour experiences to explore sensory design’s role in hotel design. Editor Hamish Kilburn writes…
On March 24, more than 300 interior designers, architects, hoteliers, developers and suppliers attended MEET UP London, which took place inside the Minotti London showroom in Fitzrovia, London.
The networking event sheltered installations and concepts from wellness expert Ari Peralta and sound architect Tom Middleton, and took guests on a sensory journey immediately upon entry and well into the evening with soundscapes and immersive colour experiences.
Here are the official images from the night:
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: MEET UP London / Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: MEET UP London / Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: MEET UP London 2022
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Image credit: Hotel Designs
Sponsors and Partners:
Showcase Partner: Hamilton Litestat
Event Partner: Crosswater
Event Partner: Hypnos
Event Partner: Geberit
Event partner: Kit Miles
Exclusive Style Partner: Minotti London
Event Partner: Others
Official Videographer: CUBE
The next MEET UP networking event takes place in Manchester of May 19, and the theme will be ‘development in the North’.
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