A look inside Canberra’s Hotel Hotel
Every so often, a hotel captures and maintains the spotlight for all the right reasons. The 68-room, 28-apartment Hotel Hotel in Canberra is one of these.
Hotel Hotel occupies three floors of the Nishi residential building; a sustainable ‘vertical village’ with a cinema, independent book store, pop-up shops, cafés and bars.
Designed by Australian architectural firm Fender Katsalidis, in close collaboration with Japan’s Suppose Design Office, the hotel is a mix of thoughtful design and sustainability.
The suites are built from recycled timber and off-form concrete, which creates a huge interlocking geometrical structure.
The interior design of the hotel was spearheaded by filmmaker Don Cameron. His love for colour and texture meant that bespoke joinery, 20th century furnishings and natural fibre wallpaper have taken centre-stage, creating a dramatic, eclectic and worldly aesthetic.
The hotel’s website says it’s rooms have:
“taken inspiration from the Australian shack. Clay rendered walls, salvaged oak beds, overhead rain showers, and (oh my) windows that open. Each room has been dressed with carefully chosen artworks, objects and restored furniture. They reflect our love for the well made, the curious and the comfortable.”
Guests are treated to local produce and wine in the mini-bars along with Aesop skincare in their bathrooms.
Hotel Hotel is the brainchild of Molonglo Group’s co-directors, Nectar and Johnathan Efkarpidis. The brothers work with the philosophy that buildings can be a vessel for delivering cultural and social development. That’s certainly the result of this unique hotel in Australia’s capital.
Photos from Hotel Hotel’s website.
Read moreThe modern, serene and intimate Hotel Minho
Hotel designs just keep getting more creative and unique.
We recently discovered Hotel Minho in Portugal, which describes itself as a “symbol of an intimate and leisure modern concept”.
But what exactly does that mean?
To answer this, let’s look at how and why the hotel became what it is today.
Hotel Minho was built in 2006 and last year underwent a renovation and extension project to enhance the hotel’s focus on leisure and rural escape.
The hotel sits amongst woodland, which is one of the main drivers of tourism in the area, so its design, both inside and out, was intended to blend seamlessly into these surrounds.
Locally-sourced wood is the centrepiece of the hotel’s design, often paired with white Carrara marble and white walls.
However, in some areas the walls, floors and ceiling are all clad in this chestnut wood.
The result is a strong interior full of warmth and character and a sense of being immersed in nature.
The new design rejected anything trend-driven and to achieve this, several items of furniture, lighting, upholstery and spa features were custom designed or sourced from vintage stores.
The hotel features business areas, a tea room, wine bar, spa treatment rooms, various social areas and of the 65 rooms, five are suites are independent of the hotel, again playing on the concept of a rural escape.
Images from here.
Read moreSarah Jessica Parker’s glamorous Manhattan townhouse
If you have a spare US$20 million, you could be the new owner of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Manhattan townhouse! Residing at East 10th street, the townhouse has an impressive five bedrooms, four bathrooms, seven working fireplaces (including one in the Boffi kitchen) and 12-foot-high ceilings. The vast home spreads 25-feet wide with a luxurious 6,800-square-foot impression – a rarity for New York. You’d certainly not be pushed for space!
The building dates back to 1846, with many of its historic architectural details still in tact, such as the original marble mantel above the living room fireplace. The exterior brick facade is also in pristine condition, making the age of the building hard to believe!
There are five levels, with the entire fourth floor serving as the parents’ retreat, complete with its own private terrace and not one but two walk-in-robes. If you’re not relaxing on one of the terraces, you can escape to the lofty fifth floor, which can be fitted out as a studio, home gym or library – whatever the new owner desires. Take a look at Sarah Jessica Parker’s glamorous Manhattan townhouse!
