When creating the interiors of a modern club hotel (total floor area – 2500 sq.m.) we were inspired by the romantic aesthetics of the ‘60s. This was a time when common interests were valued and people found enjoyment in collective activities. We aimed to create light interiors, devoid of pretentious luxury, with an atmosphere of youth, energy and hopes.
The concept of the hotel is to help guests (primarily elderly people) to socialize; the hotel is designed to facilitate communication and bonding. Also, the hotel has all the necessary facilities for comfortable stay of disabled persons. For the project we researched modern accessibility standards (including layout solutions) and applied them to our designs.
Initially the client asked us to develop luxurious classic interiors. However, the budget did not allow for luxury finishes and furniture in all interiors, so our choice was limited to economy market segment. Besides, the sizes and proportions of the rooms were not enough to create impressive classic interiors (in particular, the whole building has low ceilings, including public spaces).
Considering this, we persuaded the client to abandon the idea of classic interiors. Still, we had to make sure that the interior design lives up to 4-5* status of the hotel. So we considered all design ideas carefully to rule out options that could appear low-cost.
The atmosphere of a high-class hotel is created not by expensive décor, but by elegance and style, coziness and exceptional service. The interiors are not overloaded with décor and do not appear pretentious. We based the interiors on the notion of beauty that we considered universally understood.
The primary target group of the hotel are elderly clients, so the interiors had to evoke pleasant associations especially in them, and make them feel at home.
Each floor has a lobby for guest gatherings – this is a reference to layouts of Soviet-era vacation houses; this is not typical among modern hotels. Besides, the project of the hotel offers various possibilities for recreation, mostly group activities. We designed an animation zone (with a library and a workshop for arts and crafts, table games, etc.), restaurant, beauty parlour, aromatherapy room, salt cave, sensory room.
The style of the interiors employs the romantic aesthetics of the ‘60s. This was a time when it was popular to stay at all-inclusive vacation houses of the Soviet Union resorts. Many clients of the hotel remember the ‘60s, time of their youth, as the era of collectivism in the best sense of the word. People felt united and were not afraid to look into the future. This period is known as The Thaw – time of liberalization, rapid scientific and technological progress, exploration of space, improvement of everyday lives of vast majority of people. The spirit of the époque is reflected in the interiors of the hotel: they are light, devoid of pretentiousness, slightly futuristic.
In addition to design of the interiors the client asked us to develop the brand style for the hotel. The colour palette and the style of the interiors are supported by the design of bedlinen, sleepwear for guests and staff uniform, tableware, etc. For the brand style of the hotel we chose a soft, friendly colour scheme based on subdued orange and relaxed blue. The colour nuances were chosen specifically to make the interiors appear eco-friendly, clean and neat.
Initially the building was not intended to serve as a hotel, so we had to adjust the layout plans for reconstruction. The building had already undergone a basic refurbishment and had façades covering, which made it look office-like. So we focused on converting the interiors into cozier and more homelike spaces. Still, we also had to make sure that the interiors are wearproof: easy to use for the guests and easy to clean for the staff.
Reconstruction of the building had to be completed on a very tight schedule, since the client viewed the hotel as an investment project in the first place. The whole project had to be completed within 5 months. Considering the tough deadlines, we had to work on the design project at the same time with construction works.
Due to the deadlines we could not use imported custom-made items for the interiors, so we ordered most of the items locally (finishes, furniture, textiles). The furniture was made by a local contractor according to our designs specially for the hotel. Accent items were swiftly chosen based on our previous experience. Unusual lighting fixtures serve as interior staples.
Notwithstanding the restrictions imposed by the timeframe, we tried to make the interiors diverse. The hotel has 7 types of rooms – each with its own design, all of them united by the concept and the colour palette.