Hospitality Design - September 2013 - 61

perspectives

sketchbook

castell son claret
> Klaus-Michael Kühne was

not a hotelier, yet saw the
potential for a high-end hotel on
Spain’s largest Mediterranean
island. “I’ve been coming to
Mallorca for a few decades
and have witnessed ongoing
development,” says Kühne, who
bought the property in 2010 and
opened Castell Son Claret three
years later. He adds that it is an
emerging market: “The natural
beauty of the island remained
long unnoticed. However,
dedicated development and a
temperate climate will allow
Mallorca to continue to position
itself in the luxury market.”
Unlike other 5-Stars that boast sea views and golf courses, Castell Son Claret is set inland
on a vast 326-acre estate within the UNESCO-protected Sierra de Tramuntana. Though the
property dates back to the 1400s and the façade to 1888 when the Marquis de la Torre was the
householder, there is little left of yesterday, apart from repurposed Art Nouveau tiles and a
covered patio well.
Kühne’s wife Christine, along with Silvestrin Design, created 38 luminous rooms
spread throughout the manor house and its sandstone outbuildings, a blend of European
appurtenances and bespoke oak carpentry. As Kühne puts it, “Castell Son Claret is a sanctuary
in the heart of the Mediterranean providing a sentiment of bygone times.”

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the marlton
> On a rapidly changing New York street in the West Village—shoddy shoe stores making way
for the likes of an artisanal coffee purveyor and organic juice joint—comes the Marlton hotel.
Set in the circa-1900 Marlton House, a playground for celebs such as Jack Kerouac and Lillian
Gish before it morphed into a dormitory for the
New School, the Marlton Hotel is the brainchild
of New York hotelier Sean MacPherson, who
co-owns the Bowery, Jane, and Maritime hotels,
along with the Waverly Inn and Lafayette House.
“With its ornate moldings and French blue
corridors, it feels slightly more feminine than
some of my previous projects,” says MacPherson.
For the 107-room hotel, complete with a coffee
bar and skylit terrace-topped restaurant, he
opted for a vintage Paris-meets-circa Beat
generation Greenwich Village aesthetic. “We
used classic and eternal materials, such as stone,
wood, and brass. I’ve always gravitated towards
traditional and durable materials,” he says. “I
believe everybody benefits from a project with
some contextual sensitivity. I always try to listen to the space, the building, the neighborhood,
and the city of any project I work on.”
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