This is a collection of the most creative restaurant designs in the world, from risky and modern to traditional and laid back. This compilation of vivid photographs and detailed layouts gives examples ...
Purple paint doesn’t cost more than beige.
By Mary Scoviak
You’d expect to see saturated tones at a “boutique chic” hotel like W London (check out the bar’s magenta walls), but now it’s one of the ways designers are bringing the haute feel to properties that fall outside the traditional boutique territory, either because they are part of a big-box hotel or a business venue.
Need a case in point? Check the renovated Hyatt Regency in Rochester ( designed by Therese Virserius Design). Lots of hotels have a carpet runner, but not a purple one framed with dark wood check-in desks, orange accents, and sofas piled with green and violet pillows. The end effect radiates cool, as does the hotels Scene on Main bar with its purple backlighting. Not what you’d expect from an international flag. But, then again, nobody expected that Sir Plantin Hotel Antwerp would be able to transform reworked Old Masters and vivid shades into one of Brussels’ coolest offerings. Sir Plantin’s lobby walls are adorned with giant excerpts from the likes of Vermeer—three set of lips here, a group of eyes there. The genius of these hotels is taking elements that have to be there—a carpet runner at the Hyatt, a wall in Sir Plantin—and making them a design statement.
Ultimately, though, idea of style on a budget--which merits enough discussion that we devoted our Fall issue to it—comes down to putting the look before the “for less.” What’s impressive about the design behind the projects is that they use simple tools like color schemes, surfacing or graphics to create a sense of drama and escapism without blowing the bottom line or resorting to high upkeep or impractical solutions (both of which can, admittedly, create some pretty amazing aesthetics). And, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Designers continue to produce inventive concepts that don’t break the bank.
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