Modern and Ancient Design Combination Rejuvenates a Hotel

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a renovated vibrant hotel design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Hirsch Bedner Associates.

Canopy by Hilton Hotel in Qujiang Xi’an conveys the splendid leisure and carnival entertainment of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

The central premise of the design stems from the Chinese idiom 鲜衣怒马 xiānyī nùmǎ, which loosely translates to “wearing beautiful garments and riding powerful horses”. With this concept in mind, the interiors celebrate the vibrant fashion and design of the prosperous Tang Dynasty that for centuries has been integrated into the spiritual language of Xi’an’s neighborhoods, and now blends exquisitely with the opulent aesthetics of the Canopy brand.

The xiānyī nùmǎ motif is unraveled throughout the hotel style through the use of joyful colors and patterns inspired by Tang-era fabrics and artwork. By fusing the ancient with the modern to create a unique design story, the hotel creates a fresh perspective on historical elements, allowing people to enjoy traditional culture in a rejuvenated, vibrant, and fun way.

What was the client’s brief? 

The initial brief received by clients was to bring the rich historical, traditional and cultural background of the place into the project renovation, and to align it to the hotel brand style and feeling.

Canopy by Hilton conveys the brand lifestyle that offers the guests comfort, thoughtful details, an energizing atmosphere and a uniquely local experience, as extension of the local neighbourhood.

Storytelling has been used to design the hotel allowing guest to discover the delightful neighbourhood as an ‘explorer’, and reinterpreting the traditional design language for modern appreciation.

What inspired the design of the project?

Canopy by Hilton Xi’an is located in the Qujiang New District, a new cultural hub and economic center of the historic city. The hotel is connected to the Grand Tang Mall, a fabulous pedestrian street with myriad cultural sights and recreational activities.

The central premise of the design stems from the Chinese idiom “鲜衣怒马 xiānyī nùmǎ”, which loosely translates to “wearing beautiful garments and riding powerful horses”. With this concept in mind, the design team set out to celebrate the vibrant fashion and design of the prosperous Tang Dynasty that for centuries has been integrated into the spiritual language of Xi’an’s neighborhoods, and now blends exquisitely with the opulent aesthetics of the Canopy brand.

The xiānyī nùmǎ motif is unraveled throughout the hotel style through the use of joyful colors and patterns inspired by Tang-era fabrics and artwork. By fusing the ancient with the modern to create a unique design story, the hotel creates a fresh perspective on historical elements, allowing people to enjoy traditional culture in a rejuvenated, vibrant, and fun way.

By adopting the easy-going lifestyle of Xi’an and the cultural elements of the city’s historic legacy, the hotel acts as an extension of the local neighborhood.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

As most of the projects, the team had to deal with a tight timeline on redesigning the whole hotel without compromising the construction programme.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Canopy by Hilton Xi’an conveys the splendid leisure and carnival entertainment of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

The hotel creates a new perspective that allows people to reveal the traditional culture in a way that is vibrant, fun and young, it adopts the easy-going Xi’an characteristic that enhance the vibe of the area it resides in.

When guests check in at the arrival lobby, they are surrounded by artwork that tells the story of stylishly dressed ancestors taking a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood. The wooden roof and the reception canopy are accented with brass details, evoking a sense of prosperity and opulence of the city’s ancient East and West markets.

Every Canopy by Hilton is built around the Canopy Central atrium, which acts as the hub of the hotel’s main public areas. The different spaces flow naturally into one another through the use of a flexible design plan so that all of the public spaces are welcoming and adaptable to guests’ needs. The use of a consistent design language and ample natural light creates a sense of unison as guests move from the reception area to the bar to the lounge and the multifunction areas.

The IN TOWN Café features a delectable éclair LAB where signature eclairs are decorated to-order in front of the guests. The design draws on elements from the Shangsi Festival, when royals, literati, and commoners alike would travel to the Qujiang area to enjoy a pageant of music, song, and dance. To reflect the joyful mood of the festival, the café makes ample use of bold colors accented by brass metal details and detailed vibrant Tang-era patterns in the artwork. The wall behind the éclair LAB is adorned with a mural depicting contemporary illustrations of colorful tea and coffee cups against a backdrop of Tang Dynasty buildings in the style of a traditional Chinese painting.

The Restaurant Ambrosia is designed in an unapologetically bold and eccentric style, has a nostalgic feel with a nod to ancient traditional elements cleverly integrated into the contemporary interior design. This creates the explorable vibe and flavor that will create memorable moments to their journey. One wall of the restaurant is adorned with a stunning mural depicting bustling scenes of work and leisure in the ancient capital, painted in a traditional Tang Dynasty style.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The SBID International Design Awards are a prestigious recognition of excellence within the interior design industry across products, interiors and fit out.

Over a decade on, the Awards has firmly established itself as one of the most prestigious interior design Awards in the global design calendar. It represents the outstanding industry achievements and top quality design services that continue to inspire the profession.

Questions answered by Flavio Patino, Associate, HBA Hong Kong.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features an immersive and experiential retail design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, II BY IV DESIGN.

In today’s contemporary culture, the retail experience has migrated from visual to experiential. Successful products are presented in immersive environments with new possibilities. Following this method, for the Central Park development in Toronto, a Presentation Pavilion was constructed on the site. It is designed as a time capsule—a striking triangular-shaped building that transports the prospective residents to their forthcoming life. Through a curated journey, the prospective residents get to imagine how their experience would be in this nature-inspired, wellness-focused development.

Set to turn into a vibrant cultural hub for the community, this pavilion’s permanency confirms the development’s environmentally-conscious vision: refining the contemporary lifestyle. Inside, outfitted in natural materials and cutting-edge green prototypes, an orchestrated retail journey weaves thoughtful moments of theatre, interactive installations, and a series of vignettes. The visitors are invited to touch, play, feel, and visualize their promising life in the anticipated complex. They learn the significance of connecting with nature, find unit layouts, see the amenities, get excited about the perks, and customize their dream home. This cohesive design strategy visually soothes the senses, offering a pleasant experience and representing the ethos of the development.

What was the client’s brief? 

Central Park development in Toronto—its first 31-storey residential tower—offers a nature-inspired lifestyle. It is highly sustainable, wellness-focused, and connected to the urban bustle yet nestled in the ravine system. As the interior designers of this soon-to-be-constructed high-rise, we were tasked with designing the interiors of the development’s sales center, which had to stand for the ethos of its future-forward vision. We wanted it to be suggestive of the lifestyle at Central Park—connected to nature, environmentally conscious, timelessly elegant, and outfitted in natural materials. We also aimed to design an unparalleled experience with interactive installations and to-scale vignettes for an immersive retail journey.

What inspired the design of the project?

The main inspiration for the development, and the pavilion, in particular, is our connection to nature and how this connection would affect our wellness in life. Through the design strategy, we intended to create more than just a sales canter, delivering a joyful, immersive atmosphere that the patrons would want to spend time in, stay for a while, and engage with its various features. The permanency of the pavilion also excited our team, designing a place that won’t get demolished but instead become a cultural destination for the Toronto community.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Despite the pandemic, due to the team’s high levels of planning and coordination, we didn’t run into any hurdles throughout the process. The project was delivered on time/budget, with 85% of the suites sold within the first ten days of the opening of the pavilion.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Our team set out to design a new type of sales center for the Central Park development. We conducted extensive research about the new methods of immersive retail design. For all of us, at II BY IV DESIGN, witnessing the execution of the project during the Covid-19 Pandemic was a highlight. And, it is always gratifying to see the influence of our work as most of the residential suites were sold in such a short time.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

SBID Awards bring together the design community every year, showcasing design excellence across various interior sectors. SBID promotes best practices for the interior design profession while setting the tone for the industry through its award program annually. At our studio, we look forward to learning about other projects worldwide, reading their story, seeing the curated visuals, and voting on those that respond with creativity and technical execution. It’s a celebration of design—the kind of design that is shaping the future. We are thrilled and honoured to have four of our projects amongst the finalists. It’s a great company of peers to be in every year.

Questions answered by Dan Menchions, Partner, II BY IV DESIGN.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a fun and colourful youth centre design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Fogarty Finger.

New Heights, the basketball-based after-school academic program for children in fourth through twelfth grade, has its new permanent home in the Bedford-Union Armory, now known as the Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. New Heights is the anchor tenant of this massive armory that was long vacant and is now reimagined and restored as a community resource for the Crown Heights neighborhood and beyond.

Partnering with New Heights, Fogarty Finger, a key player in the renaissance of residential and office construction in Brooklyn, volunteered to develop the interiors, signage, and branding elements behind the non-profit’s new home. Together their goal was to make a dynamic visual environment inspiring the youth of the city to feel hopeful, encouraged, and courageous.

The Fogarty Finger team set out to immerse themselves in the rich and vibrant historic Crown Heights neighborhood and surrounding area of Brooklyn, tapping local makers and artists to bring the space to life. Renowned and local artist Efdot painted an expansive hallway mural in the student lounge that tells the story of New Heights’ journey to its new forever home in Brooklyn, while a series of fireplace murals were painted by Brooklyn-based artists Peach Tao, Dek, and Stephanie Costello.

The result is a vibrant space that conveys a strong sense of place and inspires the community’s next generation.  This new home feels unmistakably New Heights, celebrates the architecture of the Armory, and acknowledges the diversity of the neighborhood.

What was the client’s brief? 

Partnering with New Heights, Fogarty Finger was asked to develop the interiors, signage, and branding elements behind the non-profit’s new home within the Bedford-Union Armory. Their design goal was to make the space a dynamic visual environment that would inspire student-athletes and staff alike. The program consists of reception, student lounge, classrooms, library, pantry, administration wing, staff offices, and boardroom.

What inspired the design of the project?

The main design inspiration for New Heights Youth Inc. was creating a space to “Inspire Ascension” – as soon as the student-athletes walked through the doors and up the stairs into their new home, Fogarty Finger wanted them to feel empowered to be their best selves and know that this is a space where they are supported.

The design team initially asked themselves how the branding could engage with the existing historic architecture to communicate the idea of reaching new levels of success in the classroom, on the court, and in everyday life. The use of gradients in some of the added design elements (entry wall, donor wall, and the tiers of the pennant installation) pair with the existing architectural details throughout the space – all which draw the eye upward + create the feeling of ascension.

Fogarty Finger held monthly check-ins before and during the design process to ensure the space would resonate deeply with those who made New Heights the program that it is today. The meetings included parents, students, alumni, and coaches to get a better sense of what kind of space they wanted and how to truly make it feel like home. Taking the time to listen and understand how the community wanted the space to feel was a major inspiration for the design team throughout this project.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The New Heights organization was a very unique client for Fogarty Finger, being a non-profit company with a variety of stakeholders. The space needed to appeal to a variety of users and serve for many different functions—a place where student-athletes feel comfortable to learn, is practical for the daily needs of teachers and coaches, and impresses and inspires potential investors. During the design process, there were many key players involved, and the design team wanted to ensure that everyone felt heard and valued. This is something Fogarty Finger prides themselves on with office and commercial spaces, and the New Heights project was a welcomed challenge to the norm.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Fogarty Finger wanted to honor the history of the Bedford Union Armory by recreating some of the original gilded signage techniques found throughout the space. This technique was a key design element implemented when the building was constructed in 1903.The design team wanted to ensure this signage technique was featured in a fresh way within the new signage and branding scope of the project.

To keep that story alive for those experiencing the space today, Noble Signs, a local hand-painted signage company, was a perfect fit. Noble Signs was an amazing partner that allowed New Heights’ new home to honor the architectural history of the Armory building while allowing Fogarty Finger the opportunity to support local businesses and craftsmen.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

Fogarty Finger entered the SBID Awards to showcase our interior design and collaboration work on the New Heights Youth project. All of the collaborations were done with local makers and artists based in Brooklyn to pull in the surrounding community as much as possible. Creating such a vibrant space that allows for people to come together was such an exciting and rewarding opportunity.

Image credits: Connie Zhou

Questions answered by Taylor Fleming, Interior Designer, Fogarty Finger.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a confectionery tools store design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, KAMITOPEN.

What was the client’s brief? 

Founded in 1951, the company Majimaya has been selling confectionery tools in Kappabashi for over 70 years. There were 3000 different types of molds that I needed to showcase with the design.

What inspired the design of the project?

The design is rooted in the client’s enthusiasm to continue selling confectionery tools in the same place for the next 100 years.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The main problem I had to solve was the limited space. I suggested setting up the evacuation stairs and protective fences in a way for them to display 3000 molds, right in the center of the building. In addition, I also arranged 3000 tin boxes there. By linking the display with the number printed on the box, it was made easy for the customers to choose one themselves and take out the required number from the stock.

During the planning of the building, all floors were connected by split-level floors, and while choosing molds, customers were guided to move up and down subconsciously. This solved the unique problem of arcade area, which is a stress-free place for customers to move up and down inside the building.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

3,000 confectionery tools molds in the middle that were installed together with the client.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

I thought it could be an inspiration for arcade shopping buildings all over the world.

Questions answered by Masahiro Yoshida, Representative, KAMITOPEN.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a renovated soft and subtle hotel design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Elkus Manfredi Architects.

The design of the intimately scaled, 32-key White Elephant Palm Beach is a contemporary interpretation of Mediterranean revival architecture that lovingly honours its history while introducing a new design voice to Palm Beach. Airy, casually elegant, and gracious with a touch of wit, White Elephant Palm Beach debuts a fresh aesthetic for Palm Beach that is deeply attuned to today’s global guest.

White Elephant Palm Beach opened in 2020 in the former Bradley Park Hotel, built in 1924 and designated a historic landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission of Palm Beach in 1980. Now owned by New England Development, the hotel underwent a “down to the bones” reimagining by Elkus Manfredi Architects, which was responsible for the comprehensive design vision, including exterior and interior architecture, furnishings, landscape, and art curation. Sister hotel to Nantucket’s legendary White Elephant, White Elephant Palm Beach reflects the same meticulous standard of service while capturing the essence of contemporary Palm Beach.

The hotel’s collection of museum-quality original art, specifically curated for this project, is found in public spaces, guestrooms, and even bathrooms, adding another dimension of authenticity to the personal, layered experience that White Elephant Palm Beach offers its guests.

What was the client’s brief? 

New England Development asked Elkus Manfredi to create a new perspective for the emerging wave of international travelers to Palm Beach, a design that would embrace the unique history of Palm Beach and the architectural significance of the Bradley Park Hotel, while introducing a new aesthetic – soft, subtle, intimate – that is a departure from the grand, strong, colorful aesthetic generally associated with Palm Beach. The hotel also needed to embody the service promise of its sister, White Elephant Nantucket.

What inspired the design of the project?

In a gesture that captures the playfulness of the brand, the client named their first White Elephant hotel, located in Nantucket, in response to an islander’s initial fears (later assuaged) about the prospect of a new hotel on his island. The inspiration for the design of that hotel’s sister was the result of that brand mixed with other elements, which all together produced the very singular and serendipitous alchemy that is the White Elephant Palm Beach. Major inspirations included:

• The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore and modernize the Bradley Hotel’s classic Addison Mizner-influenced Mediterranean Revival architecture was a foundational inspiration.
• We wanted to embrace the DNA of the brand by bringing a fresh new design perspective to Palm Beach. So instead of leaning into the typical patterned, strong Palm Beach aesthetic, we developed a very textural, neutral palette to create a soft-spoken, elegant, more contemporary aesthetic that gently embraces the guest.
• The idea of continuously surprising and delighting guests is another central inspiration. Designers layered subtle, unexpected design surprises for the guest at every turn in the hotel.
• The collection of original art specifically curated for the hotel – and found everywhere, including corridors and bathrooms – was another high-impact and inspiring layer of the design.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

• Restoration and redesign of the building needed to be accomplished while satisfying the historic criteria of both the Landmarks Preservation Commission of Palm Beach and the National Park Service.
• Working in a hundred-year-old landmarked property required creative, flexible design schemes that could accommodate the surprises that inevitably come with opening up century-old walls.
• The original center axis of the hotel’s design was a focus of the historic preservation agencies responsible for reviewing the plans in light of the building’s designation as a historic landmark. While designers moved the main entry off-center to allow the full activation of the courtyard with a pool, lounging area, and an indoor/outdoor restaurant, they maintained elements of the original axis and incorporated them into the new design in homage to the history of the building.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The reaction and recognition from guests.  As an example, one guest wrote: “Amazing stay all the way. Great rooms, fantastic amenities and super friendly staff. Well done White Elephant Palm Beach, our new home away from home. We will come back and surely enough we will recommend this hotel to all our friends and family.”

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

From the start, the client tasked us with designing for a new wave of travelers to Palm Beach – to bring new perspectives and clientele to the resort destination. So rather than being driven by the classic Palm Beach aesthetic, the design introduces a global point of view to this American resort that we believed would resonate with SBID’s international audience.

Questions answered by Elizabeth Lowrey, Principal and Director of Interior Architecture, Elkus Manfredi Architects.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a industrial artists’ house design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Clara Lleal Interiorista.

House located in the historic centre of Badalona, a city near Barcelona. One of the challenges when it came to the layout of the project was to strategically place the sculptures created by the owner of the house himself, the artist and sculptor Juanma Noguera. In short, an Art Gallery house.

In terms of general aesthetics, the idea was to give the whole space an industrial atmosphere, maintaining and recovering the building’s original materials. The solid brick walls were uncovered, the vaulted iron-beamed ceilings were respected, and areas with the original hydraulic pavement were maintained. The materials used subsequently also follow this industrial premise, concrete, black iron sheet, herringbone floor of recovered wood, and teak wood furniture to break the cold of the greys.

Gaining maximum natural light was also one of the objectives of this project. Several skylights were opened in ceilings, and an inner courtyard was located at the back of the house.

What was the client’s brief? 

The main request of the client, who is the sculptor and painter Juanma Noguera, was that his sculptures and paintings would be part of the overall design of the house. In other words, when thinking about the layout and design, we also thought about placing the sculptures in strategic places so that they could be observed and at the same time beautify the space.

What inspired the design of the project?

The construction of the house dates back to the 19th century, coinciding with the industrial period in Catalonia. Therefore, the house has many architectural elements typical of that period, which we wanted to maintain and even restore. The walls were chipped to leave the brickwork exposed, the original cast iron columns were restored, the hydraulic mosaic floor tiles of Mediterranean origin were kept, and the Catalan vaulted ceilings were left exposed. In short, we wanted to recover the industrial essence of the house and give it value.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The spaces were very large and there was a risk that they would not be welcoming, which was of paramount importance to the client. With the combination of materials such as teak wood and dark colours, a cosy atmosphere was definitely achieved.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

One of the main challenges was to gain natural light. It can be said that in an area of 200 square meters there was only one window. Skylights were opened in the roof and in the inner courtyards, as many openings as possible were made so that the house would be bathed in light. We wanted to convey the feeling of well-being and warmth that natural light provides. In addition, from the beginning we wanted to include a lot of natural vegetation that can only live with light.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

Because I had seen SBID award-winning projects that really seemed high level to me, so I thought it would be good to participate.

Questions answered by Clara Lleal, Creative Director, Clara Lleal Interiorista.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a modern and contrasting kitchen design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Extreme Design.

The monolith kitchen sits within a newly built private residence on the outskirts of London. Our clients purchased the original property in 2010 with a bold vision to replace the existing structure with a new unique and ambitious dwelling.

After being introduced to the project in 2017, Extreme were commissioned to create a kitchen design that not only compliments the architectural cues of the property but also reflects the client’s vision that was to run throughout every detail of the interior.

The angular shapes of volcanic rock formations and contrast of glowing lava flowing through fractures within the earth’s surface had formed the basis of the client’s bold design narrative. Inspired by geographical features, they wanted the kitchen design to not only reflect this distinctive concept but also be a welcoming and warm environment for the family.

What was the client’s brief? 

For this client, it was clear that their love of art would be present in every detail of their newly built home. Drawing influence on architectural cues of the property, such as poured concrete, monolithic columns and organically shaped metal, the client wanted this unique kitchen to stand as a piece of art in its own right, whilst also becoming a pleasant environment for the family to enjoy every day.

What inspired the design of the project?

Extreme’s unique approach to design gave us the freedom to design every element of the client’s kitchen, creating an environment with its own identity that works harmoniously with the rest of the home. The angular shapes of volcanic rock formations and contrast of glowing lava flowing through fractures within the earth’s surface had formed the basis of the client’s bold design narrative. Inspired by geographical features, they wanted the kitchen design to not only reflect this distinctive concept but also be a welcoming and warm environment for the family.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Our ultimate challenge was to bring the angular stone island and floating breakfast bar detail to life. Starting with a conceptual sketch the island as designed to feature angled stone sides and back panel which also had to be calculated and engineered to work as a support to the cantilevered breakfast bar.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Our favourite aspect of the project was working with such a bold design brief that allowed us full creative license to create an entirely original design. Drawing upon the properties architectural cues and introducing geographical elements into the project allowed us to elevate the design and create a living space which not only fulfilled the clients’ requirements of a warm and welcoming environment, but also showcased specialist skills in the stone angular features and array of beautiful materials and finishes.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The SBID awards represent outstanding achievements and celebrates design creativity and excellence worldwide. The awards are a great opportunity to bring recognition to those within the design industry. At Extreme, it is our vision to make an impact on design in this country and the awards are a fantastic opportunity to showcase our work.

Questions answered by Jade Jones, Design Manager, Extreme Design.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a bright and colourful retail design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Seen Displays.

What was the client’s brief? 

Following the launch of the Bally Haus Concept Store in Milan, we were briefed to create a space for Bally in New York’s Meatpacking District that transcended the traditional purposes of retail, acting as a creative grounding force for the area. It was important to us and Bally that their traditional design pillars of art, architecture and craftsmanship were included in the design, celebrating their Swiss roots and forward-thinking practice.

What inspired the design of the project?

Our creative narrative was inspired by the angular lines of Manhattan’s grid, which uniquely pivots in the Meatpacking district, causing Gansevoort Street to be bathed in a warm hard light during the spring and autumn equinox. Bally’s values of combining nature with the contemporary ensured that our approach to materialism was innovative, circular, and quintessentially Bally, using materials from Tessa Silva and Paper-Factor.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Designing and supporting the delivery of the project in a very short time frame, whilst collaborating remotely during covid lockdowns, certainly came with its challenges but the team weren’t deterred from achieving our vision for innovative materiality and experience from the very start. Our ongoing support of circular artists and relationships with bio materialist, Tessa Silva and PaperFactor, enabled us to achieve unique finishes and qualities rarely seen in retail design.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The realisation of our design detailing demonstrated how a luxury environment can remain both finely finished and offer an adaptable brand environment. Details included accurately placed curtain seams and material clad wall plugs, meaning our fixture system was seamlessly disguised, offering a premium finish overall whilst giving the brand flexibility to adapt the environment from a store to a community-based event space. Delivering this level of detail from start to finish with the challenge of using exciting and innovative materials in such a short time frame was probably one of our biggest highlights.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

One of the most prestigious, international design awards in the calendar, we entered as we appreciate the importance SBID places in celebrating unique design solutions across various disciplines. Thank you for having us!

Questions answered by Andrew Quinn, Lead Designer, Seen Displays.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a minimal luxury hotel suite design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, LW Design.

What was the client’s brief? 

LW Design was tasked to create this extraordinary new flagship hotel in this vibrant city and overall hospitality industry in the Middle East. The iconic hotel boasts minimalist luxury and already has intrigue in the local community with its subtle appeal. Location and people are paramount to the brand.

What inspired the design of the project?

LW Design has created arguably the best looking EDITION hotel in the world to date; it is the first hotel of its kind in Dubai with elevated style, materials and design language. The Dubai EDITION is also the first hospitality project LW Design has completed for both architecture and interiors. The EDITION collection celebrates the diversity of cities across the world, reflecting the best of cultural and social environments and a new generation of understated luxury.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Having started on the project almost five years ago, Pooja Shah-Mulani, design director at LW Design, describes the journey as the most intense but rewarding experience, making its completion the pinnacle of her career to date. “The fusion of working with an international brand such as The EDITION, in one of the most prestigious locations in Dubai, and for a client that trusted us to deliver an exceptional product, meant that expectations were only ever going to push creative boundaries into delivering something very special.

The result of ideas being challenged throughout the entire process has led to some of the most iconic moments in the hotel today, namely the arched ceiling. LW Design conceptualised The Dubai EDITION almost five years ago; the doors are now open to a design that’s ahead of its time, yet timeless and current.

It was more complicated than we thought to create something effortless while still creating something that would have the biggest impact in the market by being completely different. Having maintained our philosophy of designing to current trends through organic simplicity, the result has exceeded expectations, and we are incredibly thrilled with the outcome”.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Dubai is a world capital for design and is used to setting the bar for outstanding service and luxury hotels. It is the brave that will survive and set the tone for travel into the future. It is the first five-star luxury property that we have managed both architectural and design projects. Our vision has allowed us to successfully launch and manage many game-changing concepts such as the Vida Downtown, Zabeel House in the Greens and Media One Hotel”.

The long-awaited Dubai EDITION opens its doors as the extraordinary new flagship hotel in this vibrant city and overall hospitality industry in the Middle East. The iconic hotel boasts minimalist luxury and already has intrigue in the local community with its subtle appeal. Location and people are paramount to the brand.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

International platform and recognition this project deserves.

Questions answered by Pooja Shah Mulani, Partner & Design Director, LW Design.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a luxury property design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Jeffrey Beers International.

The Alyx at EchelonSeaport is a defining contemporary landmark designed by internationally lauded Kohn Pedersen Fox architects of New York. The impressive stepped tower design takes inspiration from Boston’s Victorian neighbourhoods full of brick and brownstone row houses, and puts a modern spin on it, showcasing oversized windows with city, courtyard, and water views. On the interior, the design team at world-renown Jeffrey Beers International, crafted the lobby and amenity spaces to feel like an extension of one’s own living room; warm, inviting, and comfortable. Designed with a sense of community, the amenity experiences encourage residents to gather and socialize.

What was the client’s brief? 

We identified with the client’s vocation to create the property’s DNA as artistic, innovative, authentic, and communal.

What inspired the design of the project?

Boston, specifically it’s history, culture and innovation! We have drawn inspiration from Boston’s colonial past, rich academia, and its cultural heritage, as well as from the city’s sense of authenticity and community. We are also drawn to the surrounding views of the water; the geography, design and lifestyle of the waterfront.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Budget and timing always should be managed carefully for every project.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

We are honoured to be part of the progressive plans to transform the area of Boston Seaport into a neighbourhood that will balance the soul of the city with innovation and modernity.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

We wanted the opportunity to highlight the project on an international stage.

Questions answered by Tim Rooney, Principal, Jeffrey Beers International.