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Boutique Hotels Inspiration, Part Three

This week we feature the Mainport Hotel, Rotterdam as our design inspiration.

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Photo: Lounge. ©Inntel Hotels 2015.

Mainport Hotel is presented as the epitome of modern luxury. Designer Feran Thomassen was keen to produce interiors which showcase an international influence yet maintain notes of traditional Dutch styling.

Credited with a five star rating, Mainport combines stylish interiors with intricate prints  and colourful accessories to create a space which is at once elegant and inviting.

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Photo: Waterfront Spa. ©Inntel Hotels 2015.

 
As fans of patterns, we really enjoy the contrast between simplicity and outbursts of patterns and textures strategically placed around the space. The mixture of surface textures is also compelling: smooth and uneven, natural and artificial, polished and rugged finishes. This touch really highlights the designer’s focus on contrast, and brings opposing elements together in a pleasing way.

 

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Inspiring Designers, Part Two

Our Inspiring Designers blog continues this week with French architect and designer, Emmanuelle Moureaux.

Moureaux resides in Tokyo, Japan, where she has been living and working since 1996. For Moureaux, colour is key. She prefers to use colours as a way of structuring rooms, rather than as a finishing touch or complement to the physical design. This concept, created by Moureaux, is called ‘Shikiri‘ which, literally translated, means ‘dividing space with colours’.

Photo: Shinjuen Nursing Home. ©Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture and Design 2015.
Photo: Shinjuen Nursing Home. ©Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture and Design 2015.

We find Moureaux’s work particularly inspiring for its fresh, contemporary vibrancy. If Pantone had gone down the architecture route, we feel, it would look something like this.

Photo: Puzzle Building, Tokyo.
Photo: Puzzle Building, Tokyo. ©Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture and Design 2015.

Moureaux’s designs are artistic and playful – a real aesthetic treat.

 

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Boutique Hotels Inspiration, Part Two

We continue with our selection of boutique hotels inspiration with the Qbic Hotel, London.

A sister hotel to Qbic Amsterdam, Qbic London’s interior flair is the work of  Blacksheep design company. This eclectic space is intended as a kind of ‘urban oasis’ which provides its guests with a place of respite from the bustling surroundings of Brick Lane and trendy Shoreditch.

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Photo: The Kitchen. ©Blacksheep 2015.

The design concept seeks to create a feeling of welcoming and comfort, in addition to delightfully quirky communal areas which invite guests to interact and socialise at ease.

Here, Blacksheep have managed to defy convention by creating an edgy yet warm interior that is bursting with imagination. Their use of colour alongside natural surfaces helps to achieve this unique blend, and the playful, vibrant atmosphere mirrors the creative community that surrounds the hotel. To us, the space feels like a hybrid of industrial design, postmodern design, and surrealism; contrasting elements which, in this case, come together to produce something very special. We especially like the use of accessories, such as the chair-lamp entangled in wire (pictured).

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Inspiring Designers

Here at Moody Monday we’re always keen to keep up to date with current design trends and show appreciation for other designers we admire. As such, this blog series will explore creative companies and individuals whom we find influential and inspiring.

To begin, we’re looking at Blacksheep design agency.

This London-based company always delivers fresh, cutting-edge design concepts throughout their respective projects which permeate creativity and innovation.

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Photo: Bright furnishings for a lively atmosphere in the PURO Hotel, Poznan. ©Blacksheep 2015.

To this end, Blacksheep’s design solutions are always inventive, often incorporating technology into their creative concepts. Though their work is design-led, it remains accessible, approachable, and liveable – even playful – which is what makes this dynamic company so special.

We particularly admire their work on the PURO Hotel in Poznan, Poland. The concept behind this compelling space aims to reflect the cultural and artistic sensibility of the city, therefore, Blacksheep produced a design-focused environment in which the hotel’s guests could feel at once inspired and welcomed.

Photo: Artsy yet accessible.
Photo: Artsy yet accessible. ©Blacksheep 2015.

The use of geometric surface patterns and bold colours is stimulating, and the furnishings make use of contemporary shapes which make the space feel fashionable though with a distinct absence of pretence.

 

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Boutique Hotels Inspiration

Here at Moody Monday, we’re always on the lookout for inspirational ideas and design concepts. As our designs cater to luxury interiors, bespoke spaces such as boutique hotels offer a wealth of creative inspiration for our designer, Eliza, to draw on.

Over the next few weeks, our blog will feature particular spaces which we feel showcase the best of design imagination and innovation.

The first of this inspiring selection is the Mira Moon Hotel, Hong Kong.

This spectacular space is the product of a design collaboration between Dutch designer Marcel Wanders and hotel and residential design company Yoo. Inspired by Chinese mythology, the design aims to bring traditional ideas into a contemporary setting. Guest rooms are opulent yet welcoming, marrying sumptuous floral patterns with  stylish, modern finishes to bestow a feel of creativity throughout the property.

Photo: Full Moon Residence. ©Miramar Hotel and Investment Company Ltd 2015.
Photo: Full Moon Residence. ©Miramar Hotel and Investment Company Ltd 2015.

We particularly admire the mixture of textures and bold graphic prints, which add an extra dimension to the shapes and surfaces they fill. Many of the patterns have a sculptural edge which help to emphasise the contemporary treatment of the traditional surface pattern design. Treating traditional shapes with modern processes certainly makes the Mira Moon seem like an innovative space as this approach echoes recent and emerging interior design trends (such as the use of 3D prototyping machines).