What was your client looking for in the design of this interior?

Olivia Macfarlane (OM): Naumi has a strong brand identity. It is expressed well by explaining that the design of every Naumi hotel is built behind a story of architectural and artistic concept, brought to life by modern, cutting-edge design visions. Each Naumi property represents a definitive hospitality style, “fuelled by the desire to be whimsical, experiential and innovative”. This hotel was to have a dramatic point of difference – by merging the boundaries between landscape, interiors and art – so it needed a dramatic material selection.

How did you arrive at the overall concept?

OM: Flying into Queenstown is a surreal experience. The proportions, shapes, shadows, textures and colours combine to create a sense of utter wonder. All this unfolds in a single moment: a single feeling. It is this impression that we set out to capture in our interior. This moment brings to mind the snow globe – an iconic childhood artefact that, when shaken, opens the door to a whole new world. We strove for a bold aesthetic, verging on biophilic surrealism, in a bid to recreate that moment of child-like wonder sensed with a glimpse of the Alps or a shake of a snow globe.

The colourways in each room and every space are different. What led you to choose deep red and dark green for the lounge and bar area?

OM: The client had one request: that we avoid whites, neutrals and grey tones. We responded by aligning the levels of the three-storey building with their outlooks: the ground floor nods to the pink and red tones of the flora outside; the first floor alludes to the greens of the treetops; and the second storey reflects the moody blue tones of the sky. From the outset, we were careful in our palette selection.

The challenge was that every singular colour needed to work with every other colour from each floor’s scheme, in order to come together in the hotel’s lounge area.

Warwick Fabrics’ velvet seemed to be an entirely fitting material selection for this project. Tell us about where and how you used it.

OM: We were looking for fabrics with extensive and diverse colour palettes so that we could colour-match the fabric selection with other finishes across the interior. The depth of colour saturation across the velvet collection palettes is profound.

For the booth seating, we wanted a fabric that would exaggerate the curves of the furniture, reflect light and add depth so we applied Plush velvet for all the lounge furniture. It provided the ideal fabric and colour solution for the space. The deep, rich tone and luxurious texture of Warwick Mystic velvet was perfect for all of the curtains throughout the reception, bar/lounge, bedrooms and corridors while also offering the fire-resistant properties and price point we needed.

Art direction and photography by Thomas Cannings.

See more in the Material Focus series, including inspiration from the New York Grill, Naumi Hotel (Auckland), Fabric Bistro and more, here.

ArchitectureNow and Architecture NZ work with a range of partners in the A&D supply sector to create appropriate content for the site. This article has been supported by Warwick Fabrics. 

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