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      Denniston Architects converts 1920s skyscraper into Aman New York hotel

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      Denniston Architects has converted New York City’s Crown Building in the heart of bustling Midtown into a space for the Aman Resorts luxury hotel group.

      Aman New York hotel opened in August 2022 in a beaux-arts building at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue completed in 1921 by Warren & Wetmore – the architecture studio behind Grand Central Station.
      Fabric umbrellas cover the Aman New York’s outdoor terrace bar, which enjoys views of ManhattanJean-Michel Gathy and his studio Denniston Architects, which is frequently tapped for Aman locations, restored and converted the 25-storey tower to create 82 suites and 22 residences.
      To create a feeling of quiet and relaxation in the middle of New York City, elements like glass soundproofing were combined with a muted, minimalist colour and material palette throughout the building.
      The hotel is designed to capitalise on its location at the corner of 57th Street and Fifth AvenueGold details were also added throughout as a nod to its ornamental spire.

      “Every detail of the design effortlessly contributes to Aman New York’s aura of rarefied calm,” said Aman Resorts.
      A circular fire pit sits within a square reflecting pool on the garden terraceOak, walnut and cinnamon woods are used for finishes, floors, doors and custom furnishings, while bronze, brass, and stainless and blackened steel add warmth.
      Japanese influences are found in elements including textured stone floors laid in a pattern reminiscent of woven rattan baskets.
      Suites feature pivoting doors that allow guests to open and close off their spacesEach suite features a large mural inspired by the 15th-century Japanese artwork Pine Trees by Hasegawa Tōhaku.
      Pairs of pivoting louvre doors with backlit rice-paper panels can be angled by guests to open up or contain the spaces within their rooms.
      A minimalist colour and material palette is used throughout the hotelThese doors envelop the bathrooms, which are fitted with free-standing oval bathtubs, marble rain showers and twin vanities.
      All of the guest rooms and residences also have a working fireplace to help occupants feel cosy.
      The pivoting doors wrap around the suite bathrooms, which include freestanding tubsHotel guest amenities include a 20-metre swimming pool on the 10th floor, a fitness centre, and a 650-square-metre outdoor terrace that can be covered with a retractable glass roof.
      An atrium on level 14 hosts a series of giant paper and bamboo sculptures by Peter Gentenaar that float between four stone columns.
      Double vanities are also provided in the bathroomsOf the two restaurants within the building, Italian-influenced Arva is arranged around a central open kitchen and surrounded by floor-to-ceiling wine cabinets.
      Meanwhile, Nama serves traditional Japanese cuisine and features a hinoki wood counter for omakase-style dining, as well as staggered ceilings and pendant lights influenced by the work of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
      Asian influences seen in the decor and artwork nod to the Aman brand’s rootsThe Aman Spa is open to the public and is spread over three storeys and 2,300 square metres.
      “Active spaces including the pool and fitness centre feature light timbers and grey tones, while passive spaces where treatments are enjoyed at the very core of the building are more nurturing, with curves and warmer hues,” said the Aman Resorts team.

      Yabu Pushelberg designs The Times Square Edition as “ultimate counterpoint to its surroundings”

      Founded by Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha in 1988, the Swiss-headquartered company operates 34 properties in 20 countries.
      All are known for offering privacy and seclusion, and each is designed as a unique experience that pays homage to its location.
      The Aman Spa is open to the public and includes a retail spaceOthers in the portfolio include Amanyangyun near Shanghai, which was created by moving an area of threatened historic houses and forest 800 kilometres, and Aman Kyoto, named Hotel of the Year at the AHEAD Asia 2021 awards.
      The Aman New York joins myriad hotels in Midtown Manhattan, with high-end options including the Edition Times Square, and more affordable alternatives like the AC Hotel and Moxy Times Square.

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      Matteo Thun draws on Czech art heritage for design of The Julius Prague

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      Italian architect Matteo Thun looked to the work of Czech artists Alphonse Mucha and František Kupka for the interior design of this Prague hotel, which features pastel colours and natural materials.

      Located in an art deco building in the city centre, The Julius Prague has apartment suites with kitchenettes as well as smaller hotel rooms that were designed to have the feel of a home-away-from-home.
      Matteo Thun used soft colours for the guest rooms at The Julius Prague”In exploring new forms of living, we had to think about how to create that home-away-from-home feeling – providing privacy and independence, whilst also offering flexible communal spaces such as co-working areas, meeting rooms, and open lounges,” Thun told Dezeen.
      “The rooms are designed as apartments, and the public areas are conceived as an extension of the rooms.”
      Rooms overlook a central courtyardThe interior design of the colourful hotel was influenced by the way in which Czech Art Noveau painter Alphonse Mucha and Czech abstract painter František Kupka used colours.

      Mucha’s soft, pastel hues were used for the guest rooms, many of which overlook a central courtyard with a light-filled conservatory, while Thun looked to Kupka’s brighter colour palette for the communal areas.
      The hotel’s lighting was informed by bohemian glass work”Inspired by Mucha’s work, we selected a pared-back palette and pastel hues for the guest rooms, working with natural materials and soft textiles to create a calming and welcoming atmosphere,” Thun said.
      “Meanwhile in the communal areas we chose a more vibrant colour palette, drawing on Kupka’s abstract pieces, for a more energetic atmosphere,” he added.
      “For lighting, we were inspired by the bohemian art glass work, emitting a warm ambient glow.”
      More vibrant colours were used in the communal areasTactile natural materials were used throughout the hotel, including in the bathrooms, which are clad in a striking marble-effect ceramic tile.
      “We used ceramic tiles with a marble effect from a leading Italian tile producer for the floorings of the public areas and the kitchens and bathrooms of the residences,” Thun said.

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      “We love to work with natural materials and have used oak-flooring for the serviced residences, featuring spacious living environments with open kitchen and generous smart-working spaces,” he added.
      “Throughout The Julius, custom-made furniture and pieces ensure every space arouses curiosity.”
      Bathrooms were clad in ceramic tiles with a marble effectThe Julius Prague is the first hotel from the Julius Meinl family, a gourmet-food retailer and manufacturer based in Vienna that Thun has previously worked with.
      “We have enjoyed a rewarding relationship over the last 15 years and their flair continues to be invaluable in channelling design towards authentic, novel and inspirational projects,” Thun said.
      The hotel was designed as a “home-away-from-home””In this case we have contributed our experience to their first hospitality project, designing a timeless scheme in tune with new expectations: a contextually aware nomadic way of living,” he added.
      Other recent projects in Prague include a pop-up market with a turquoise scaffolding design and a spa with curved-cement walls and glass detailing.
      The photography is by Gionata Xerra.

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      Five “quirky” sleeping pods top Watchet's East Quay arts centre

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      UK studios Pearce+ and Fægen have designed the interiors of five sleeping pods that stand on top of the Invisible Studio-designed arts centre on the dockside in Watchet, UK.

      The studios aimed to design the pods, which were created to provide interesting accommodation for people visiting East Quay and the town, to align with the ethos of the arts centre.
      The sleeping pods are located on top of Watchet’s East Quay arts centre”The whole of East Quay is about culture, purpose and imagination – it is a hub of creativity, opportunity, artistry and ideas,” explained Pearce+ founder Owen Pearce.
      “It is also most importantly about community – multiple hands and many eyes,” he told Dezeen.
      “We wanted this to be captured in the pods also, providing inspiring, exciting, different, unusual spaces and involving as many hands as possible in the design, from artists to makers to kids.”

      Two pods are raised on stiltsThe five pods are located in a series of metal-clad boxes on top of the East Quay arts centre, which was designed by Bath-based Invisible Studio with Ellis Williams Architects acting as executive architect for the local social enterprise Onion Collective.
      Two of the pods stand on stilts above the building.

      East Quay arts centre in Watchet takes cues from ad-hoc harbour buildings

      “All the pods are linked to their surroundings by fantastic views of the Bristol Channel, the Quantocks, the marina and the town,” said Pearce.
      “The form of the buildings feels rooted in the area as they jut and protrude as if continuously added to like some of the old houses in the town.”
      The walls of pod two were CNC etchedEach of the five pods is designed by Pearce+ and Fægen to have a different character and involve local artists and the community.
      The first sleeping pod, which was built with reclaimed furniture and materials, was designed as a “living museum” where guests are encouraged to leave an item and take one away.
      Etched illustrations cover the walls of pod two, which is designed by artist Isabelle Mole and aims to tell the story of the town.
      Pod 1 contains a “living museum””Our overarching aim was to provide a connection between guests and the local community,” explained Pearce.
      “This is done, for example, through direct object transfer in pod one as guests donate objects of meaning and take something in return or, in pod two, by visually exploring the stories and myths of the town in CNC etchings on the walls.”
      Pod four contains a cargo netThe third pod aims to evoke the feeling of a 1920s ocean liner, while pod four “is about play” and has semaphore signals painted on the walls. Here there is also a cargo net for sitting, which is reached by a staircase hung from the ceiling.
      Bristol graffiti artist Andy Council worked with local schoolchildren to create the interior of the fifth pod, which will be redecorated each year by an artist chosen by the Onion Collective.
      Bristol graffiti artist Andy Council decorated the fifth podIn line with the ethos of the project, Pearce+ and Fægen moved to Watchet for a year to act as contractor and fabricate the interiors of the pods with the help of a small team.
      Pearce hopes that the pods will provide fun places for visitors to stay and bring income into the community.
      “The brief for the competition was quirky places to stay,” he explained. “The client wanted to have fun with the pods and to provide an opportunity for inventiveness from architects.”
      “The building’s aim is to support a local artistic community and provide opportunities that weren’t available before. A key part of the economic strategy of the building is to attract guests from afar to bring in much-needed income, which in turn supports cultural and education work,” he continued. “The designs are then targeted to create a cool place to visit in order to do that.”
      Pearce+ previously collaborated with UK studio Hugh Broughton Architects and artists Ella Good and Nicki Kent to create the inflatable Martian House, which is currently installed in Bristol.
      The photography is by Joseph Horton.

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      Hotel Rosalie encourages nature to “reclaim its rightful place in the urban landscape”

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      French interior designer Marion Mailaender has worked with hotelier Joris Bruneel to create a hotel in Paris informed by overgrown and abandoned buildings.

      Conceived as a hidden oasis in the city, Hotel Rosalie is set in a courtyard behind a tall iron gate on a tree-lined street in the 13th arrondissement.
      Marion Mailaender has designed nature-informed interiors for Hotel RosalieGreenery is incorporated into every aspect of Mailaender’s design for the 60-room hotel, including a plant-filled terrace and a hidden roof garden.
      Parisian urban gardening collective Merci Raymond was brought on board by Bruneel to make the hotel’s outdoor spaces seem “overgrown” and help nature “reclaim its rightful place in the urban landscape”.
      The hotel’s terrace features outdoor furniture by the Bouroullec brothersBruneel was particularly influenced by Urbex, a series of images by French photographer Romain Chancel that is displayed in the hotel’s guest rooms and depicts abandoned urban buildings that have slowly been reclaimed by plants.

      In a nod to this work, Merci Raymond encouraged lichen and moss to grow and seeds to germinate in the hotel’s nooks and crannies. Meanwhile, Mailaender incorporated urban design elements into the scheme ranging from “Roman-style statues” to an old Peugeot 205 car that is seemingly left abandoned on the rooftop.
      Mirrored yellow columns traverse the lobbyOn the ground floor, the hotel’s Open Garden is accessible to the local community and features steel outdoor furniture by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec set across a two-level terrace linked by a little staircase.
      A towering six-metre hop plant provides shade while its flowers will be used by a microbrewery in the 11th arrondissement to make beer.
      A Gae Aulenti sofa in the lobby is upholstered in clover-patterned fabricThe hotel’s Secret Garden lies behind a hidden door on the third floor. This is furnished with deck chairs, wooden benches and planters, offering a space where guests can read, relax in the sun, do yoga classes or participate in workshops organised by the hotel.
      Inside, Mailaender has included plenty of nature-inspired elements. In the lobby, a giant coconut-fibre rug leads guests inside while armchairs and couches by Italian architect Gae Aulenti are upholstered in clover-patterned pop art fabric.

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      Meanwhile, guest rooms feature galvanised steel furniture, which is typically used outdoors, and floral William Morris carpet that extends up from the floor and across the headboards.
      The interior blends new and reclaimed pieces in an approach that Mailaender describes as “intentional ambivalence”.
      In the bathrooms, for instance, traditional baths are paired with counters made from terrazzo-style recycled plastic.
      Floral William Morris carpet covers floors and headboards in the guest roomsAll materials were chosen for their aesthetic as well as their environmental impact, according to Mailaender.
      For example, the carpet in the guest rooms is made from recycled fishing nets and wood offcuts were used to make a marquetry tabletop in the lobby.
      Bathrooms feature counters made from recycled plasticCork clads the restaurant’s floor and the walls of the elevator, and many of the chairs are pre-owned pieces that were carefully restored.
      “I believe that we can mix furniture designed by the Bouroullec brothers with random pieces from a gardening catalogue,” explained Mailaender. “Embracing current concerns means selecting sustainable materials alongside aesthetically pleasing design pieces.”
      Planting surrounds an old Peugeot 205 in the hotel’s rooftop gardenThe hotel has its own coffee shop The Common, finished in a distinctive blue hue that nods to 90s air hostess uniforms.
      This colour is echoed on a glossy pillar in the bar, a trellis in the secret garden and on the guest room doors, where it offsets the grass-green carpet that winds through the hotel corridors.
      Dezeen recently rounded up ten verdant hotel interiors from our archive that show how adding greenery to public spaces can help give them a friendlier, more organic feel.
      The photography is by Christophe Coenon unless stated otherwise.

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      Artchimboldi Menorca is a work retreat inside an abandoned girls' school

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      Hospitality company Artchimboldi and Spanish architect Emma Martí have teamed up to transform a forgotten girls’ school in Menorca into a bright and contemporary retreat for professionals.

      Established by Anna Truyol in 2007, Artchimboldi provides design-focused spaces where businesses can host meetings or team-building sessions.
      Artchimboldi Menorca’s ground floor has a living and dining spaceThe company already has two locations – a pair of modernist apartments in Barcelona – but has now opened a third, larger site in Menorca that can be used for corporate retreats.
      “In designing Artchimboldi Menorca, I wanted to transfer everything I have been able to observe and witness from my experience of welcoming all kinds of companies to the spaces in Barcelona,” explained Truyol.
      “Menorca retains its authenticity, has a very close and accessible nature, and brings a very different rhythm than the city.”

      The central table can be rearranged to suit different work and dining set-upsArtchimboldi Menora occupies an old girls’ school in Sant Lluís, a quaint village in the southeast of the island.
      The school was constructed in 1900 but was eventually abandoned, leaving the interior in less-than-ideal condition. Truyol brought in Martí, a local architect, to carry out a revamp.
      Guests can write down ideas on a four-by-four metre slate boardAlthough the building’s roof had to be completely rebuilt, insulated and waterproofed, Truyol and Marti took a light touch with the rest of the renovation works in order to highlight “the history, experiences and soul of the space”.
      The building’s original marés stone walls were preserved and freshened up with a coat of white paint, and many of its timber ceiling beams were left in place.
      Seating poufs and a wood burner appear in the lounge areaAn airy living and dining area occupies the first floor. At its heart is a custom-made table made of lacquered wood, which can be easily reconfigured into different formats for group meals, meetings or workshops.
      Beyond the table is a cosy lounge that features amorphous grey seating poufs and a wood burner with a four-metre-high flue that accentuates the height of the room.

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      In a nod to the building’s past, Tyrol and Marti have also included a large antique bookcase and a schoolroom-style slate board, where guests can scribble down any thoughts and ideas.
      At the rear of the room, timber-framed doors lead out onto a gravel patio with a micro cement pool.
      The patio features a micro cement poolGuests can catch some rest on the building’s first level, which much like the ground floor has white-painted stone walls. But here, polished concrete flooring is replaced with bold chequerboard tiles.
      Pre-existing partition walls were knocked through to make way for a sequence of boxy Flanders-pine sleeping pods.
      Each one is fronted by a linen curtain that, when drawn back, reveals a comfy woollen futon.
      Flanders-pine sleeping pods were incorporated on the building’s first floorSlender black ladders grant access to the top of the pods, where guests can relax during the day. Alternatively, there is a small seating area dressed with a grey sofa and woven rugs.
      Personal belongings can be stored underneath the pods or in the bespoke sage-coloured shelving unit that sits at the room’s periphery.
      Additional sleeping pods can be found in the building’s loft.
      Ladders allow guests to sit and relax on top of the podsOther retreats on Spain’s picturesque Balearic islands include The Olive Houses, a pair of off-grid dwellings in Mallorca where architects, writers and artists can work uninterrupted.
      The two buildings are minimally finished and rendered with stucco that complements the surrounding olive trees.
      The photography is by Pol Viladoms.
      Project credits:
      Design: Anna Truyol and Emma Martí ArquitecturaTechnical architecture: Manel Alzina SintesDeveloper: ArtchimboldiConstruction company: Construcciones Virfin SLCarpentry: Biniarroca SLCollaborators: Cristina Pons (North Agent)

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      Yabu Pushelberg designs The Londoner hotel in the spirit of film and theatre

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      Design studio Yabu Pushelberg has completed a five-star hotel in London’s Leicester Square where rooms are all dedicated to different members of a theatre or movie production’s cast and crew.

      In tribute to its location, in the heart of the city’s theatre district, The Londoner is designed to echo the different sights, sounds and atmosphere you experience during a performance.
      The Londoner’s spaces are designed to reflect the cast and crew of a film or movieDramatic lighting, intricately painted scenography and architectural models all feature in an interior that celebrates the drama of cinema and theatre.
      George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, founders of New York- and Toronto-based Yabu Pushelberg, said the aim was to create a multi-layered experience over the building’s 16 floors.
      A drawing room featured murals depicting scenes of flora and faunaIt was this that led them to create different types of scene throughout the building, representing everyone from the scriptwriter and director, to the sound mixer and visual effects supervisor.

      “The Londoner is an homage to performance, with each public space representing a character of someone essential to bringing a production to life,” said Pushelberg.
      The centrepiece of the reception area is a moon-head created by artist Andrew Rae”It was important that we create a project that is an exuberant, joyful expression of not only the hotel’s location but its cultural context,” he continued.
      “We created layers of programming up into the sky and deep into the earth, which emphasise this extraverted, alluring, playful voice,” added Yabu.
      The lobby bar is imagined as a stageThe hotel reception pays tribute to the cinematographer with a room that aims to set the mood. Details include stage models and a metallic moon-head created by artist Andrew Rae.
      In homage to the director, the lobby bar takes the form of a stage with curtain-style fluted wall panels and a mirrored ceiling, while the restaurant next door is filled with black and white graphic portraits that represent the characters created by the scriptwriter.
      The Y Bar features backlit wooden panels, suggesting symbols and charactersThis floor also includes Joshua’s Tavern, a pub-style space that uses industrial overhead copper canisters, leather furniture and scenes by 18th-century portraiture artist Joshua Reynolds to allude to the gripsman, “the muscle on set”.
      The mezzanine features a series of spaces that celebrate visual effects: a drawing room framed by mural paintings, a jewellery-box-like whisky room and a lounge bar where wood-panelled are brought to life with artistic backlighting.

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      “The atmosphere is dynamic,” said Yabu. “We broke the public spaces into multiple, smaller interconnected spaces giving each area individual personalities whilst creating connectivity through one overall design narrative.”
      “Seduction was a key design device for us to draw visitors through the hotel, which is giant,” he explained.
      The Green Room features velvet furniture, marble mosaic flooring and a bar topped by gold megaphonesMore lounge spaces can be found on the upper and lower floors.
      The sound-mixer takes centre stage in a basement bar called The Green Room, where undulating walls and curvy velvet furniture create the impression of sound waves.
      The lower levels also include a pool and spa that takes cues from set design, a series of meetings rooms filled with props, and a golden-toned ballroom designed to suit the glitz and glamour promoted by the publicity agent.
      8 at The Londoner is a restaurant, bar and terrace designed to represent a production’s performersUpstairs, an eighth-floor restaurant, bar and terrace celebrates actors and performers. It includes a rope installation intended to reference bondage, as a way of suggesting the human bodies that take centre stage.
      The only place the drama softens is in the 350 bedroom suites, which were designed with a brighter and more minimal aesthetic.
      Bedrooms have a more pared-back aestheticThe Londoner is the latest in a series of high-profile hotels that Yabu Pushelberg has designed, following Las Alcobas Napa Valley in California, The Times Square Edition and Moxy Chelsea, both in New York.
      Pushelberg said The Londoner gave them an opportunity to push the boat out further than ever before.
      Joshua’s Tavern combines copper and leather with painted scenes from the 18th century”One of the things we cherish most about the Londoner is the incredible layer of styling we were able to apply to each and every space,” he said.
      “The Londoner served as a one-of-a-kind canvas to fully explore our stylistic creativity. From custom gramophones in the club, to playful oversized slices of fruit carved from colourful stone in the spa, this final styling layer is what really brings each space to life with an exceptionally unique personality and subsequently, experience.”
      The pool and spa pay tribute to set designThe designers hope that guests will notice the careful curated views and details as they move through the interior.
      “There is a sense of veiling and unveiling, so that one can take in and absorb all the details,” said Yabu.
      “There is a real feeling of discovery as you wander through all the chambers. Guests really get to choose their own journey.”

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      Fyra celebrates bohemian history of Helsinki's Hotel Torni in contemporary revamp

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      Finnish interiors studio Fyra has fostered a “bohemian ambience” in this hotel in Helsinki by layering different styles, colours and historical references within its public spaces.

      Hotel Torni was originally built in 1931 based on designs by architects Jung & Jung, with its 14 storeys making it the tallest building in Finland at the time.
      Fyra has overhauled Hotel Torni’s public spaces including its restaurant OROver the years, it became a base for spies during world war two and a favourite meeting place for artists, journalists and other cultural figures including Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and writers Mika Waltari and Frans Eemil Sillanpää.
      Now, Finnish architecture firm Arco has undertaken a complete renovation of the building for hotel chain Sokotel. Fyra was tasked with overhauling Hotel Torni’s public spaces including its lobby, restaurant and two bars, while local Studio Joanna Laajisto tackled the guest rooms.
      Playful wallpaper and B&B Italia’s Up 50 armchair feature in the lobby”The aim was to create surprising but elegant elements that respect the building’s original architecture and historic values,” said Fyra.

      “Although most of the building’s original art deco features had been removed over the years, the marble walls and floor in the entrance, a grand fireplace in the Cupola Room and a pair of doors in the restaurant were still intact.”
      The Ateljee bar stretches across floors 12 and 13″In our design, we did a modern interpretation of that era,” Fyra told Dezeen. “But we did use some typical features of art deco.”
      This includes coloured ceilings, tubular chrome furniture and graphic floor tiles, as well as bespoke light fixtures with glass orbs in the lobby.
      Reflective surfaces dominate the bar’s interior schemeThe historic Ateljee bar on the 13th floor offers views over Helsinki’s rooftops in four different directions and was originally only accessible via a narrow spiral staircase.
      But as part of the renovation, the bar was extended onto the 12th floor with its two levels connected by an elevator to improve accessibility and expand capacity.
      Fyra’s design team, led by Emma Keränen, Silja Kantokorpi and Eva-Marie Eriksson, furnished the space using reflective surfaces such as stainless steel counters so that the interior would maximise the panoramic views instead of competing with them.

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      Hotel Torni’s restaurant OR is located at street level. Here, the design team layered different styles of furniture, bold colours and artworks to create a “bohemian ambience” that would reflect the building’s history.
      Meanwhile, tubular steel chairs and sofas with upholstered leather seats nod to the building’s 1930s roots.
      The American bar is located under the hotel’s central domeThe American Bar was restored to its original location under the hotel’s central dome. At its heart sits a circular bar counter, atmospherically lit from above, that echoes the shape of the dome.
      For this space, the designers chose a palette of dark green and marble, complemented by lamps from Finnish industrial designer Paavo Tynell.
      Original details such as marble fireplace mantels were retainedFounded in 2010, Fyra specialises in designing work environments, hotels, restaurants and retail spaces such as this stylised bright-pink parcel collection point in Helsinki.
      Last year, the studio was named interior design studio of the year at the Dezeen Awards.
      The photography is by Riikka Kantinkoski.

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      Philippe Starck draws on mid-century modernism for Saint-Tropez hotel

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      French architect and designer Philippe Starck used warm tones and modernist references in his renovation of Villa W, a boutique wellness hotel on the coast of Saint-Tropez.

      Created as a little sister to the existing Starck-designed Lily of the Valley hotel which is located nearby, Villa W is a fitness and wellness hotel located in an existing villa that was renovated by Starck.
      Villa W is a hotel in Saint-Tropez designed by Philippe StarckThe 1,559-square-metre villa, which is situated on the southwestern corner of the peninsula in the French Riviera town, was designed as “a romantic hideaway” where guests can relax as well as work on their fitness and health.
      “We’ve all dreamed of a little cabin, chalet or fisherman’s hut by the sea,” Philippe Starck said. “We don’t have to dream anymore, because we’ve made that dream a reality – a romantic hideaway nestled in a pine forest that looks down onto the Mediterranean at La Croix-Valmer.”
      It has a 17-metre-long swimming pool along the frontSet over two floors, the boutique hotel has three double rooms and can cater to up to six guests at a time. Each bedroom has its own private terrace with views of the surrounding lush landscape and the Mediterranean sea.

      During the renovation process, Starck decided to emphasise the original architectural features of the villa. It was built in the 1960s by a local architect called Jean Nielly.
      The interior is dominated by brown and beige coloursMade from vast sheets of glass, concrete and steel, the villa already had unparalleled views onto its surroundings. In a bid to celebrate this, Starck focused on drawing attention to the length of the villa, adding arbours made from chestnut wood along its long, south-facing glass facade.
      Large French doors set in aluminium frames allow plenty of natural light to brighten up the interiors and merge them with the exterior, while a decked terrace that wraps around the edges of the building has a private 17-metre-long pool.
      There are six double bedrooms on the second floor”Villa W boasts views that have remained unchanged for hundreds of years,” said owner of Lily of the Valley Lucie Weill. “So, when we were designing it, we felt it was essential to keep this unique, panoramic view of the Mediterranean.”
      “That’s why we placed so much importance on the length of the villa so that guests would be able to see the sea from every room,” Weill told Dezeen.
      “The effect is quite something: instead of feeling like a building nestled against the hillside, Villa W feels more like a boat moored on the coast.”

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      Inside, Starck Starck drew on the mid-century modern style found in Charles and Ray Eames’ home in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighbourhood for Villa W.
      Guests enter the hotel through a main lobby and reception area where tan leather sofas, wooden ornaments and rust-coloured rugs can be found.
      Off to one side of the lobby is the terrace area with rattan seating, while a bar at the back of the space serves what the hotel calls “a healthy Mediterranean gastronomy.”
      Extra touches of warmth are provided by the wooden flooring and soft furnishings.
      Starck sourced vintage furniture for the roomsThe warm colour palette is continued upstairs in the hotel’s bedrooms where vintage items sourced by Starck, such as a brown Egg Chair by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen and wooden Walnut Stools designed by Charles and Ray Eames, can be found.
      The three bathrooms have a cleaner, lighter aesthetic with marble floors and floor-to-ceiling mirrors, which the designer incorporated to emphasise the omnipresence of the Mediterranean.
      Each room has views of the Mediterranean seaStarck is one of the most prolific designers in the world. Although is best known for his product designs such as the Icon Chair and Juicy Salif citrus squeezer, he has also produced a number of notable interior projects.
      These include renovating the interior of the Quadri restaurant in Venice. Earlier this year, he led the art direction for Villa M, a hotel in Paris covered in plants.
      Photography is by Novembre Studio.

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