Hospitality Design - January/February 2011 - 36

perspectives
french fantasy

sketchbook

TREETOP HIDEAWAY
The Treehotel in Harads, Sweden, has taken the idea of childhood treehouses to another level. As the name implies, it’s a collection of six uniquely themed hotel rooms housed in trees, the brainchild of husband-and-wife owners Kent Lindvall and Britta Jonsson-Lindvall and a collaboration of ve architects. There’s the Mirrorcube by Tham & Videgård Architects, a lightweight aluminum cube hung around a tree trunk and clad in mirrored glass, which blends even further into the Boreal forest thanks to its re ecting surface. The Nest by Inredningsgruppen, is just that: an oversized bird’s nest that sleeps four in its modern interior. The rm is also responsible for the aptly named UFO room, which looks as though a ying saucer landed on the trees. The Blue Cone by Sandell Sandberg is actually red, made of split birch, and its cone-shape allows for two rooms, one lofted over the other. The three volumes of Room With a View by Marge Architects give guests various never-ending views of the Harads landscape. And the Cabin by Cyrén & Cyrén looks like a rectangular log cabin and boasts a rooftop deck.

Jean Coucteau’s 1946 lm La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast) provided inspiration for Morgans Hotel Group’s Mondrian Soho, set to open late February in New York. Lush topiaries and whimsical elements like a double-sided cottage swing, a unique color palette of blue and white, the use of chrome and mirrors, and oak oors create a dream-like space, courtesy of Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz and the Morgans design team. “Landscape is a key design element,” says Morgans’ senior vice president of design Mari Balestrazzi. “We’ve planted a grove of trees along the entrance and one of our two dining rooms will be housed in a glass roofed garden. In the guestrooms, the powder blue ceilings alongside oorto-ceiling windows give you the feeling of oating in the clouds.”

all in the family
The fourth generation of the world-renowned Cipriani family is expanding its restaurant and event empire—this time to hotels. Dubbed Mr. C, the ﬁrst property is set to open in Los Angeles this spring, “It’s the essence of how I envision travel and hospitality today,” says Ignazio Cipriani, who handled the design with Marcello Pozzi and Tedeshi USA (Gensler did the architecture). “Beautiful design, modern-day amenities, a comfortable environment, and a personal approach to customer service—all of which have been at the core of our family for four generations.” In true Cipriani form, the 138-room hotel promises to be a modern take on European glamour. Dark hardwood ﬂoors, a burgundy and gray color palette with crisp white accents, and marble and teak ﬂooring in the bathrooms contrast against blackand-white photography. For the well-to-do, there will be ﬁve multilevel, 3,000-square-foot bungalows designed by Californian architect Ray Kappe, each boasting a private garden and plunge pool. Other highlights include a 4,500-sqaure-foot outdoor pool surrounded by lush landscaping, a private event space with sweeping city views, and a Mr. C restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - January/February 2011