Upscale Hotel
Currently under construction in Japan, therefore the name and location are confidential.
This mixed use building contains residential spaces and a hotel. The hotel offering includes 3 restaurants, a patisserie, a bar, a lobby lounge with library, a spa and pool, a chapel, a ballroom and meeting facilities as well as refined guestrooms and suites in which guests can relax. This project was built on very good working relationships between the owners, the designers, the operators and the local architects. These relationships are crucial, for this project all parties were aligned in their goals and this contributed to a cohesive design and project execution.
The hotel occupies the upper part of this high-rise building, therefore, the hotel’s welcoming ground floor reception sets the scene then seamlessly directs guests straight up to the sky lobby for the full check-in experience.
This sky lobby welcomes guests in a peaceful and invigorating environment; fresh foliage, clear views and dappled light create a refreshing atmosphere and let guests know they have arrived. Various roof terraces allow guests to breathe in the fresh air and the exterior glazing from the lobby beautifully frames the symmetrical view of Mount Fuji .
The light feature was inspired by Shinrin yoku, forest bathing, so the movement of the light mimics light falling through moving tree branches and the undulating form entices guests to flow between reception and the lounge area.
The reception pods suit the style of service, they are professional and refined but also approachable and adaptable.
The reception and lounge lead on to the library nook, the patisserie serving fresh baked goods, the fine dining restaurant and the bar, all with amazing views of the area.
The restaurant concept focussed on creating elegant dishes from the best cuts of meat, recognising shepherds, butchers and chefs for their craftsmanship. However, as the design developed, global attitudes were shifting with more people becoming vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian so the menus adapted to reflect these changes and the open kitchen, seen in the rear of the render above, was adapted to celebrate the craftsmanship of vegetarian dishes and avoided showing-casing meat preparation or products.
Image credits: All images on this page c/o G A Design
There are many great spaces designed for this hotel but everyone will need to wait until the hotel launches to see them. Construction is due to be completed in 2022 so we haven’t had the benefit of seeing people inhabit the space yet however the team in Japan who were overseeing the construction were extremely thorough and engaged which is a great indicator that the built space will be executed to a very high standard. It was a real pleasure to work with this team.
Collaborators: Joanne Biggs, Mari Ikeda, Shaun Montford, Corrinne Aubee, Quinn Wong, Rak Patel, Luke Darwin, Tracy Fong, Maciej Maciejowski, Michal Dvorak
Restaurant - Yauatcha
This relaxed fine dining restaurant and terrace opened in Riyadh, Feb 2020. It provides an all-day grazing experience with contemporary influence and offers 19 types of tea in a sumptuous location. The fusion of dim sum, mixology, tea and european patisserie creates a social experience that reflects the modern day spirit of the Teahouse. The sheltered terrace area offers views of Olaya Street and outdoor locations like this are highly sought after in the area. The large restaurant is subdivided into more inimate spaces inside and offers private dining too.
The central dining space is flexible to acommodate groups of all sizes. Decorative creens and displays of tea caddies and china criss-cross the space to create more intimate environments. Additional screens would’ve been beneficial for smaller enclaves but would’ve reduced flexibility.
The space between the tables in the central dining space was debated with the client. A dense layout can provide animation and energy but some people prefer to have a feeling of space. The right balance depends on the type of service, the desired atmosphere, the location of the restaurant and the expectation of their patrons.
These private rooms (above) are ideal for social or business gatherings. This private dining room has a sliding-folding wall so it can connect with the adjacent one to hire out for larger groups and intergrated TV screens are available for use.
New non-alcoholic cocktails were developed for the moody and intimate juice bar, with a strong focus on flavour and presentation they are proving popular.
The bespoke furniture includes embroidered details that are refined. These are included sparingly to achieve the right balance.
There are many layers to the detailing of this space. The teahouse inspired ceilings create interest and animation, two different screen designs add variety and filtered light and the bespoke joinery creates framed views.
The journey up to the restaurant is via this intricate stair, similar to the London City Restaurant. The view of the chery blossom tree changes as you walk around it, guests feel like they are walking into the trees canopy. When they reach the upper level they are greeted by the Patisserie, they can pause to look at the beautifully crafted desserts while their coats are being stored.
Developing an outdoor terrace was a key feature of the design. By including retractable shading and permanent shelter from the breeze we were able to maximise the amount of time people could relax on the terrace in the daytime and the evening.
The outdoor bar adds more annimation to the space and a sense of theatre too. During pleasant weather the glazing between the restaurant and the terrace can open up so that the two spaces become more fluid
The original Yauatcha design identity was developed by Christian Liagre and this was the 8th one to be built. We benefitted from accrued knowledge from the wider team about joinery and furniture detailing as well as the kitchen design.
While working on this project I was concurrently directing the interior design for the retail mall where this restaurant is situated so I had a the opportunity to adjust the restaurant size, the ceiling heights, the positioning of staircases, lifts and doors as well as the terrace facilities and floor finishes.
Image credits: All images on this page c/o Yauatcha.com
Collaborators - Warwick Hemmingway, Khue Thuy Tran, Bruno Venninger, Alan Clayton, Matt Brien, Richard Whitaker, Paul Nulty
Marriott Hotel
As part of a mixed-use development this upscale Marriott Hotel and Executive Apartments Downtown Abu Dhabi offers many facilities, located just two and a half blocks from The Corniche.
This hotel has a Lounge with coffee bar, an ADD Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant, a rooftop pool bar, hotel guestrooms, suites, long stay apartments, 2 Ballrooms, a business centre, a gym and a spa.
We created quiet spaces for people to relax away from the busy lounges and restaurants. The long stay executive apartments were given the same attention to detail as the hotel guestrooms and they were fully serviced.
The original palette inspiration came from the colours and textures around the Corniche providing a balance between the warm tones of the sands and the cool tones of the water and it was fairly neutral with colourful accents.
This was predominantly a business hotel, with people using the lobby for meetings or to work (a practise that was rare in western countries at this time) but also, this was in a good location for people on holiday and the ballroom spaces were ideal for weddings too so the challenge was to create a hotel that could be a backdrop for all these different activities and groups of people
The ground floor provides the welcome for everyone, for guests arriving and checking if, for locals coming to the coffee bar and for residents stating in the adjacent long-stay tower so the space needed to be fluid and have a consistent style.
We didn’t have a site supervision role on this project so some of the materials specified were substituted and some of the furniture was substituted too but most of the spaces stayed true to the design intent. It’s important to be clear at the start of a project what involvement everyone will have at all stages and to be aware of the implications.
There were also very tight deadlines and this project taught me that sometimes you need to push back and request more time. When spaces are intended to last approximately 10 years and extra 3 weeks drawing time can be time very well spent.
This was one of the first ‘Great Room’ approaches to the lobby lounge Marriott. It started off as mainly lounge seating but gradually more dining seating was included infront of the coffee bar where afternoon tea is served.
The development of the gym was relatively simple, this was part of the Executive Apartment block and shared changing rooms with the pool.
All day dining was designed to transition from daytime to evening. The bright, crisp space was softened with timber and rattan furniture and indirect lighting means that in the evening it’s simple to create a more intimate restaurant.
The flexibility of the kitchen design and the servery design allow many different cuisines to be offered here.
These photographs show the exclusive Rooftop Pool with fantastic views, the Ground Floor Lobby Lounge next to the vibrant Moka Coffee Bar, the Ballroom Pre-Function area for guests to break-out before and during events, the private Sky Reception for the Executive Apartments, a Treatment Room in the Spa and the lounge of the Executive Suite in the Hotel.
Image credits: All images on this page c/o Marriott.com
Collaborators: Angela Biddle, Amanda Baldwin, Adam Esposito, Dan Craner
Restaurant - Hakkasan
This split level Michelin-starred restaurant is located in central London.The reception, bar and assocciated dining area at ground floor level then guests can take the theatrical stair down to the lower-ground dining area below.
The concept design was created by Guillaume Richard and we were the Executive Architect team responsible for developing the drawings and co-ordinating the construction. The guests experience evolves as people move through the space, the journey is a movement through layers being slowly revealed. The scene is set immdeiately by intimate lighting, tactlie materials and attention to detail and the lights guide you to reception.
The ground floor’s entry sequence features a long corridor, low ceilings and luxurious baritone materials, including mahogany, stone, marble and bronze. There is a view ahead to the feature stair and the lower level.
The joinery and the upholstery are highly detailed and the wine display is a strong focal point on the lower level.
A great deal of desing attention is given to the ceiling planes in both dining areas to create distinct zones and showcase a dedication to detail and storytelling.
Downstairs, the intimate atmosphere continues due to very localised lighting, dark and rich materials and the careful placement of screens to obscure and frame views. The main kitchen is on the lower level too.
Alan Clayton developed the kitchen design. The limited space and the lower ground location made this quite complicated to coordinate regarding equipment delivery and servicing, MEP coordination and waste management.
The lighting on the feature stair is crucial (image above) the perimeter of the stair is highlighted with concealed light so that the step levels can be identified then the gobi projection sets the mood.
This project offered many interesting challenges, the site was fairly tight and some parts were difficult to access, the level of detailing required for the design was high. This is a prime location in an expensive city so all the space needed to be maximised and the ceiling heights in the lower ground area were fairly low which isn’t typically associated with grandeur and luxurious spaces. Flexibility and adaptability were very important for this project.
Image credits: All images on this page c/o Hakkasan.com
Collaborators - Kristoff Dubose, Alan Clayton, Paul Nulty, Guillaume Richard
Lounge Furniture Collection
We were initially engaged to create a wingback chair for David Edward but through discussions with the manufacturers this increased to become a family of lounge furniture. At the time we were often looking for very simple, linear pieces to specify on projects so we settled on this refined design.
Visually, the low back chair was comprised of 4 separate pieces; the back wraps around to protect the user before being separated from the 2 side panels by a polished stainless steel bar then the fluted upholstered cushioning sits comfortably inside. These separate elements would alllow for playful approaches to fabric combinations.
This idea was developed into a sofa, a wingback and a high wingback too. Across all items, the upholstered cushioning stopped at the same height for continuity and comfort.
The sketches were presented to the manufacturer for discussion and it was agreed that we would also include a high-back sofa too
We looked at leather detailing together. We a design as crisp as this one the detailing needed to be precise and it can be difficult to get tight seams with thick leathers.
The drawings were developed and sent for prototyping. The durability of the vertical fluting proved suspect, also for the leather version it was very difficult to achieve the pillowing at the top so we agreed to alter this and make the detail horizontal and increase the size of the panels.
We wanted the furniture to be light so they could easily be moved. At this time people we starting to want greater flexibility to adjust the spaces after the interior design was complete.
We recieved the first prototype in linen to check proportions, comfort, alignment etc. The seam positioning needed to be tighter and the seat cushion needed deepeneing. The next prototype came in leather too.
Image credits: DavidEdward.com
Unfortunately there was no opportunity to visit the manufacturer before starting the design, if we had been able to see how they worked we could’ve created a design that used more of their existing processes but still retained a unique style.
It’s a little different when creating bespoke furniture for individual projects, but because this was intended for mass manufacture it would’ve been better if we knew more about their in-house workshops and suppliers.
We started off looking at many approaches to wingback chairs before settling on the collection developed above.
Collaborators: Mark von der Heide, Armando Iarussi and Mike.
Product Design
This CD Mixer Bracket was my first ‘real life’ design project after graduating so I think it’s important to share. This was a development of an existing single bracket to hold CD mixers and provide extra equipment space for DJs. It was created for mass manufacture so I developed the technical drawings, did factory tests to check the profiles didn’t allow too much flex then included adjustments to the reach to account for peoples varying arm lengths too. This might not be the most complicated design I’ve ever done but it gave me a real sense of achievement to go into a store, in this case Selfridges, and see a product I’d developed on the shelf. It made the years of studying and searching for a design job feel worthwhile.
The CD mixer bracket supports CD mixers or effects pads above the decks. The bracket is angled to bring the equipment closer to the DJ and it is reach and tilt adjustable for individual positioning. The upper arm is in a grooved adjustable scale to clamp the equipment in place and this bracket could fix to the X25 mixer/desk stand (shown above) or attach securely to any DJ bench.
The CD mixer bracket, in use at an event
A month later I saw a DJ using this and I grabbed the chance to get immediate feedback on the ergonomics and the performance after his set. I encourage all designers to ask questions, touch products and test things. If it’s a product design you see if you can adjust the tooling it for the next run and if it’s an interior design you bank that knowledge for the next space you create.
Image credits: Sefour and MixMag
Collaborator - Giles Wheeler (designer of the original bracket)