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All that glitters is gold—and marble and crystal—in the soaring staircase that heralds new heights of five-star design at ESPA’s first freestanding spa.
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By Mary Scoviak
A grand staircase is an ironic symbol for what's ahead in luxury hospitality design. But few elements better sum up this year's dominant directions than the black marble spiral that sweeps up the heart of the six-story ESPA Riga.
For starters, it showcases the trend toward dressing up architectural elements to drive design. International spa specialist ESPA (Farnham, Surrey, U.K.), interior designer Design Squared (London and Dublin), Riga architect ARCHItravs and Lighting Design International (London) used marble and gold to fashion a design statement that would say luxury instantly to a target market ranging from twentysomethings to octogenarians.
Then, there's its sculptural lines. While the curves pay due respect to the late 19th-century Konstantins Pekšens-designed building that houses ESPA's first freestanding spa, they also signal a forward-looking move away from hard edges and harsh geometrics. The twist of the central stair sets a theme that's echoed in the sinuous tiled walls of the hydrotherapy areas and the sensuous wave of the walnut-paneled corridors that access the treatment suites.
The third essential in the futuristic mix is the dynamism created by the intersection of the torquing stairs and the reflective/refractive quality of the materials on and around them. Nothing is static. “We were thinking ‘fire and ice' as our inspiration,” says Susan Harmsworth, ceo and ESPA International founder. So she and the complex's owner Linstow Baltic SIA commissioned London-based sculptor Eva Menz to complement the igneous quality of the black marble and mosaics with a shower of crystals that rain down 72-ft. wires.
Art and architecture blur into one strong central statement that unifies public spaces and treatment rooms, eliminating the need for extraneous accents. The result, said Harmsworth at the spa's opening, is “a unique design that incorporates a dedication to detail that ensures first impressions will be breath-taking and everlasting.”
PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
OWNER
Linstow Baltic SIA, Riga, Latvia
OPERATOR
Reval Hotels, Tallinn, Estonia
DESIGN
Design Squared, London and Dublin
DESIGN MANAGER
ARCHItravs, Riga, Latvia
ARCHITECT
Stanvica un Bula, Riga, Latvia
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
RDS arhitekti, Riga, Latvia
AUDIO/VISUAL
Telemaks Ltd., Riga, Latvia
CEILINGS AND FLOORING
RRB Celtnieciba SIA, Riga, Latvia,
CRYSTAL SCULPTURE IN STAIR VOID
Eva Menz Design Ltd. London
FABRICS
Kvadrat Ltd., London
FIXTURES/FURNITURE/LOCKERS
Standard Office, Tallinn, Estonia
HEAT EXPERIENCES
Klaffs, Schwaebisch Hall, Germany
LIGHTING
Lighting Design International Ltd., London
MOSAICS
Trend, Vicenza, Italy; Bisazza, Alte Vicenza, Italy
POOL DESIGN
Barr & Wray, Glasgow, Scotland; Latinwest, Riga, Latvia
PROPS AND DECORATIVES
Gunars Platpirs Co., Ogre, Latvia
SIGNAGE/GRAPHICS
Design Squared, London and Dublin
WALLCOVERINGS
Tektura PLC, London
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