hospitalitystyle.com

(May 2008) posted on Wed Jul 09, 2008 4:26pm EDT
Andrée Putman stripped pretentiousness out of hospitality design and proved how marketable—and profitable—a blend of “rich and poor” materials can be.

By Mary Scoviak

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In nearly 40 years of design work across three continents, Andrée Putman has masterfully handled department stores for Prisunic (think the French version of Target) and the supersonic Concorde for Air France; a clubhouse in Kobe and a cliff-hanging home in Tangiers for actress Arielle Domasle and philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy. She has left her imprint on fashion, furniture and flatware. Amidst all these high-profile commissions, there were just two she had to have. One was the Centre d'Arts Plastiques Contemporain in Bordeaux; the other was Morgans hotel in New York. "One thinks, ‘I'll just die if I don't get these projects,' " she says.

Fortunately for the viewing and traveling public, she got both. Putman took full advantage of her status as a style setter and the media buzz around these projects to show the world why overformality and predictable materials (even predictably luxurious ones) were strait-jacketing design in museums and, even more, in hotels. The art deco-meets-modern mood of Morgans, opened in 1984, fueled the boutique/lifestyle hotel explosion that has since sparked an aesthetic revolution in design, and operations around the world. 

Putman could have stopped at Morgans and been assured a place in the annals of hotel design history. But, fascinated by the challenge of balancing home and away, she has continued to explore new ways to blend eclecticism and minimalism. She massaged her mix mastery to ensure that Morgans kept its edge throughout subsequent renovations (including one she begins shortly). Her eye for contrasting materials and stylistic blends created lasting identities for a string of international boutique hotels.

The beauty of this eclectic approach is that it integrates easily with existing concepts, as her new Blue Spa does at the renowned Bayerischer Hof in Munich. But it can stand alone - no place more so than in her eponymous hotel, The Putman, a 28-unit hotel/serviced-apartment development that opened last spring in Hong Kong.

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe had just named her the chair of the first Design Committee of Paris when she shared her views and vision with Hospitality Style.

 

What is the most challenging aspect of designing hotels?

How does one find the subtle point of equilibrium between the traveler or passer-by and a place that is unfamiliar? How does one make people feel at home in a hotel without falling into the trap of making the place a caricature of an illusory home? How does one avoid making guests feel like fish out of water and still give them the pleasure of being gracefully distracted from their usual surroundings - or at least charmed by a certain strangeness, by a particular atmosphere, by an unusual detail? The design process starts with the answers to these kinds of questions. Before you create a concept, you have to examine what hospitality means within the space.

 

How did you address that when you scripted the look for your own hotel, The Putman?

My aim is always the same: to innovate by creating a framework with a very vivid expression that is powerful enough to evoke an atmosphere poles apart from the usual clichés. Working with scale can be an effective way of doing that. For The Putman, I wanted an elegant sentiment that was both opulent and understated. Rather than simply blending different styles of furnishings or adding accents to achieve that, I made a larger statement by creating a dialogue between the façade and the interior. The façade is art deco-inspired, with its circular and rectangular patterns of multicolored stained glass. I carried that theme inside with the black granite floor in the reception area and the contrast of the white walls, the light woods of the lift lobby and the lightness of the apartments.

 

You are known for your attention to detail. How did you put that skill to work at The Putman?

The floor-to-ceiling windows that run the length of the apartments afford a spectacular view of the city and harbor. They cast shadows that dapple colors over the walls. But guests want to be able to control the ambience at their discretion. So, I added sun and blackout screens along the windows as well as a state-of-the-art dimming system.  To keep a minimalist feel, I concealed storage in under-bed drawers. I chose simple glass doors to interconnect the distinct living, sleeping and bathing spaces.

 

How is guest room design changing?

In large spaces like the apartments in The Putman, bathrooms are becoming more generous. Light, neutral colors look comfortable. More built-ins give the guestroom an open, spacious feel. For example, the electronically controlled sun screen at The Putman conceals the built-in kitchen appliances.

 

What's new in the guest bathroom?

A stand-alone tub can be a focal point. Frosted glass doors are an interesting design idea for screening off areas in which guests want more privacy - the shower or the toilet.

 

You have been quoted as saying lighting is the key to everything. How will that inform your future hospitality designs?

New technologies have revolutionized lighting. After World War II, there was a need for intense light. Everything was over-lighted. Now, perhaps in revenge, trendy places are very often dark places. The time for good balance has arrived. LEDs offer a great deal of opportunity.

 

You have always mixed pieces, such as contemporary carpets with mid-century Jean-Michel Frank chairs or the furnishings of Antonio Gaudi with elements from the 1970s. What's the next trend?

The basic philosophy of mixing materials does not change. The idea is to confront the rich with the poor. Some of the new items in the mix would be gold-leafed glass with Italian mosaics and concrete or cork with satin. I like to contrast matte and shiny or opaque with shiny. Designers need to keep looking for unexpected marriages to freshen the mood.

 

What informs your hotel designs?

Eclecticism. This word sums up the choices I make for space, light and color. I like the idea of being irreverent and free. I believe strongly in mixing images that reference yesterday, today and, sometimes, tomorrow. It can be intuitive, but it must be sincere.

 

What information do you ask clients to provide?

I try to understand their goals and their lives. It's also important to understand if they will be able to pay for their expectations.

 

When push comes to shove, who's right - the client, the guest or the designer?

Conceptualizing places, whether public or private, implies listening carefully to other people - both the client and the guest. The places that survive over time and age well are those that are full of attention to and respect for people. They are open to life, emotions, improvement.

 

If you and a friend could spend a lifetime at one hotel, which would it be?

The new Morgans when the renovation is completed. It will share the original home-away-from-home feel, but propel it into the future.

 

Which artists or designers do you admire?

I am fascinated by the works of people such as Louise Bourgeois, the Parisian artist and sculptor; Pierre Charreau, the French modernist furniture and lighting designer; and Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.

 

Of what are you proudest?

Sometimes, it takes courage to make a decision that could be shocking, and I am not talking about shocking people just for the fun of it or for the purpose of intimidation. But sometimes, it turns out to be the right decision. I think there were many people who wondered at my decision to reissue furniture designs by Frank, Mariano Fortuny and Eileen Gray. They and their works were obscure in the 1970s. Now, they're virtually venerated.

 

What hotel design element makes you want to run from the room?

Neon in the bathroom. But it is not just design that can undermine a hotel. No one should have to deal with obsequious, inefficient staff. A smile and a more straightforward relationship with the customer are much more in tune with the traveler's expectation.

 

How do you define good taste in design?

I do not like that term. I often find that the opposite of "good taste," even a mistake, can be beautiful sometimes - just as a handicap can be inspiring at times.

 

You've often said you don't like the appellation "designer." Why?

I think it paints too narrow a portrait of someone who is involved with major matters concerning the work. 

 

ANDREE PUTMAN'S HOTEL PORTFOLIO

Completed work:

• Morgans (1984 and subsequent renovations), New York
• St. James Club (1986), Paris
• Le Lac (1988), Kawaguchiko-Cho, Japan
• Im Wasserturm (1990), Cologne, Germany
• The Orchid Club House (1992), Kobe, Japan
• Sheraton Hotel, Roissy (1995), France
• Ritz-Carlton (2000), Wolfsburg, Germany
• Pershing Hall (2001, Putman's first foray as a hotelier), Paris
• Blue Spa, Bayerischer Hof (2005), Munich
• The Putman (2007), Hong Kong

On the boards: 

Morgans renovation (beginning mid-May)

 

THE PUTMAN'S OTHER HALF

Andrée Putman admired Hong Kong's vibrant atmosphere and wanted to create something new there. National Properties Holdings Ltd., Hong Kong's leading luxury property developer, was looking to diversify its residential/commercial portfolio with a high-end boutique hotel. They came together as collaborators on The Putman.

So, what was it like to work with a legend?

Putman was very hands-on, says Loewe Lee, managing director of National Properties Holdings. She took a direct role in every aspect of the development from the design process through the construction of the building to the implementation process. Distance and time zones didn't matter. When National Properties set up the mock-up room, she came to inspect and style the suites herself.

Lee terms Putman's approach as "meticulous." "Not a single item went into a room nor was a single color placed on the façade without her consultation and approval," he says. But, he adds, "she is still open to her client's input."

His favorite anecdote reveals a great deal about Putman's well-known detail orientation. "We accompanied her to the florists where she chose all the flowers and actually asked to cut the flowers herself," says Lee. "We were amazed at her exacting standards. The Putman certainly encapsulates this aspect of her character."