Flight and Fancy at Grand Balcon

The original Grand Balcon Hotel in Toulouse, France has recently been restored and designed by Jean-Phillipe Nuel as a contemporary, chic hotel which pays homage to it’s aviation routes.

The hotel, originally built in the 1920’s, was a popular stop over point for commercial pilots, many whom were employed by the city’s Aeropostale (air mail) Service.

The original architectural features were restored, and the overall re-design plays on themes of flight, floatation, and air through various clever touches.

The reception desks appear as metallic, floating pods.

The lobby lounge is like an airport lounge, with archival photos as homage to the pioneers. Mouldings and inlay floor were preserved, while contemporary touches such as the asymetrical curved partition opening contrasts nicely.

The corridors give you a sense of speed and take off through use of lighting.

Guest suites make you feel like you’re on a cloud, with giant cloud graphics on walls or ceilings, fluffy white bedding and pillows, and under lit shelves which give the allusion of floating.

Bathrooms are simple, clean, white, and sometimes give you a “view” as though you’re 35,000 feet in the air. These bathrooms are much more spacious than the cabin lavatories.

Periodic Table

I love this table from Council Design, called the Periodic Table.  It takes natural blocks of wood, and through a proprietary process, a silver layer is added to the top, but still allows the grain to show through.  It is then sealed with a top clear coat.  The table measures 44” square by 12” high.

 

Best Use of Teacups Award Goes to..

The recently opened Se Spa in San Diego, designed by Designstudio Ltd. has cleverly used green tea cups as a warm welcome behind the reception desk to its Asian inspired spa.  Goes to show you that you can use out of the ordinary materials to create pattern and texture in an interesting way.

Ode to Kelly’s Latest

A recent visit to hospitality design diva, Kelly Wearstler’s website www.kwid.com delighted me with some new images of her recent work. While I consider my own personal style a little more contemporary, Kelly is the master at pulling together the perfectly set room. Far from minimal, the rooms she creates are always staged perfectly with consideration to harmony of form, colour, pattern, and scale.

Little Details Sing at Romeo Hotel

You can really tell when a hotel has had a lot of thought put into it’s design. The little details really stand out and are appreciated by guests. Take the Romeo Hotel in Naples, Italy. It is a beautiful example of a contemporary hotel, that is well detailed. Here are some of those “little” things I love!

Beautiful lobby with subtle patterns on mirror, on windows, stone inlays, wood paneling, and in the beautiful back lit stone reception desk.

Presenters have everything they need at their fingertips to make a smooth presentation in one of the meeting rooms. Guestroom entries have cleverly placed room numbers inset into the floors in front of each room, top lit from above.

Guestrooms are well appointed with hardwood flooring (a much appreciated healthier option to carpet). Gorgeous floor lamp at bedside, with integrated plug and charging station. The bathrooms have free standing tubs to give a luxurious feeling, and the outlets are on the front of the vanity to avoid those awkward cords reaching across the counter.

More Wacky One of a Kind Rooms

Another hotel I’ve come across that attempts to celebrate individuality in their room schemes is the Hotel Fox in Copenhagen. This hotel features 61 rooms done by 21 different artists. A few are inspiring, but most seem childish or even scary, but all are memorable. Should extreme art like this be left for the galleries?

Room 106

Room 202

Room 206

Room 209

Room 406

Room 502

Room 504

Room 508

Room 509

Celebrating Individuality in Columbia

A new hotel, 104 Art Suites, in Bogota, Columbia has opened with 104 rooms all unique in their artistic expression and decoration. While case goods remain consistent, every suite has let a different local artist have free run at a suite, showcasing their skills in expressing a different theme. Here are a few:

Suite 201 – Artist Camilo Monsalve

Suite 203 – Artist Juan P Echiverri

Suite 503 – Artist Giovanni Sanchez

Suite 604 – Artists Augusto Duplat & Andres Duplat

Oasis in the Desert

The Park Hyatt Jeddah opened this week in Saudi Arabia. What’s to love? The neutral background is fresh without being boring. The strategic vibrant color accents really give importance to those key art pieces. Also what I find successful is the subtle nod to Arabian design motifs without being over bearing or too traditional for the space. And the views from the pool out to the Red Sea are amazing.

Farmboy Helps Breathe Life Into Design

Graphics, pattern, and art can really make or break a great design. A plain wall can be transformed into a focal point. Mirrors can add sparkle and interest where there was none.

Below are some images of installations that Farmboy Fine Arts has been involved with and recently features in their latest catalogue for 2009. The designs are inspiring, but more particularly the use of colour, pattern, and texture that Farmboy Fine Arts (who specializes in custom artwork installations of all types of media) helped add to really pull the spaces together.

A brighter, Less Scary Rooster

A designer friend of mine reminded me just how popular giant roosters in restaurants are these days. Case in point, the restaurant Asia de Cuba at the Mondrian in Scottsdale.

Comparing this restaurant to Toronto’s Ultra Supper Club that I wrote about in my last post, it’s interesting how the themes are so similar; giant rooster graphics, hints at feathers in other design elements (the chandeliers below), how they too have a super long feature communal table, and the color scheme is very monochromatic, this time in white.

A giant fork on the patio…is it to eat the giant rooster with inside?

Ultra Supper Club - Toronto

Often described as “scary”, this fusion restaurant / club (in the later hours) in Toronto recently opened on Queen Street. The interior is mostly black, with splahes of red. The 15 foot high rooster graphics are uncomfortable too. Other odd bird accents include red feathers and claw like table legs and decoration.

The large social dining table that seats 24 also turns into a fashion catwalk after hours, where the likes of Lindsay Lohen and Paris Hilton have been spotted.

squawk squawk

Barbie Suite at the Palms

If you feel a little blonde…or feel like a lot of pink girliness, you can now check into the Barbie Suite at the Palms in Las Vegas. Babysitter not included.

Debut of Hard Rock Hotel Macau

As part of a whole new master planned entertainment district called “City of Dreams” in Macau, the Hard Rock Hotel just opened last week. It blends edgy Hard Rock “Western” style culture and design with very subtle hints of Asian culture and design. I think it is the perfect blend of East meets West with an attitude.

Embassy Suites Gets and Update

Embassy Suites was one of the first hotel chains to offer “All Suites” hotels back in the 80’s, catering to the travelling business men and women who wanted a suite slightly larger than the average hotel room. Now, 25 years after their first prototype of a double connected room layout (separate bedroom from living room), they’ve come up with a prototype suite layout to implement in all their new properties which is slightly smaller (at about 370 square feet) and tries to squeeze in all the conveniences their clients expected in their double room suites.

I think that the layout and concepts are good. The proportions feel right. I like that the TV is seen from bed, sofa, AND desk / dining table. The little art niche at the entry also makes it feel a little more residential.

No Horsing Around

Returning to the Grand Hall at Belsay Castle in Northumberland, England, this crystal chandelier sculpture by Stella McCartney is demanding long line ups for a glimse. I love the juxtaposition of the old rough walls with the new shiny horse.

HD Expo 2009 - REPORT

Another HD Expo has come and gone. The tone at the show overall was a little quieter this year. Booths were scaled back in the complexity and grandiose of their design, and attendance was noticeably down. But there were still a few hidden gems of new products, and definitively identifiable trends that I noticed.

COLOUR TRENDS

Purples, reds, and the bold black and white graphic combinations seemed to pretty much fall off the radar this year from last year. Oranges, rusts, pink and grey combos, aquas, earthy greens, and clashing colour combinations seemed to dominate.

GENERAL TRENDS

1) Earthy, hand crafted, nature and insect inspired patterns and colours.

2) Whimsical twists – That little something that makes you smile.

3) Leathers that were printed, patterned, perforated, and stamped.

4) Over scale lamps and lamp shades – Lighting makes a larger and more impressive statement.

5) Hyper shimmer – Metallics were hot last year, but finishes this year have either become more matte, or gone in the complete opposite direction with super high gloss or reflective finishes.

6) Perforated and Laser Cut – Furniture and fabrics that are perforated or have cut out designs were everywhere.

7) Eco-friendly Everything – Most products are now promoting their eco-friendliness, whether it be in their manufacturing process, raw materials, or recyclability.

8) Curvy Furniture – A resurgence to rounded, more organic, softer lined furniture of all sorts.

OTHER COOL PRODUCTS I LOVED

Starck Shower by Axor – modules of light, speakers, sprays, nozzles, shelves, all interchangable.

White bronze finish on hardware from Rocky Mountain Hardware

Bang & Olufsen Hospitality released a new series of TVs and speakers

LED pendants from Jesco.

“Ester” banquet chair by Lewis Mittman

HD Expo

Dale is currently in Las Vegas at the HD Expo 2009, soaking up new ideas, getting new inspirations, and sizzling in the glorious heat. Back in a few days with a report!

The New New Delhi

India conjures up images of bright, spicy colors.  Layers of gold, and pattern on pattern on pattern. 

The Aman New Delhi is a new 5 star hotel and spa in New Delhi that breaks those stereotypes.  I love the very subtle hints of Indian design motifs, but overall the feel is contemporary, warm, and global. 

Lapis Spa at the Fontainebleau

The Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach is an icon building. It also holds a special place in my heart because I have stayed there a few times when on vacation.

Recently opened at the property is the Lapis spa, named after the original architect of the building Morris Lapidus.

The spa exudes classic luxurious materials that will surely last the test of time for a spa: marble, glass, wood (white oak in this case), and light. But the extra little added touches really make this spa special.

Marble lounge chairs heated to human body temperature flank the pool

Retail area to take home part of the experience

Walk through warm and cool rain showers and men’s bath

Entrance to the pool which is 3% mineral water and has Red Sea extract added for it’s healing effects. The towels were even custom dyed to match the walnut panelling. Now that’s detail!

Photos from www.interiordesign.net

Wave Fantasy

Every now and then a new piece of furniture takes my breath away. This is called “WAVE” and it’s by a company called Royal Botania. The mono point support is amazing!

The price tag is also amazing at almost $24,000.00. Now serve me my Pina Colada!