Multinational hotelier Accor Hotels deemed the timing to be right for Auckland to join the small and sophisticated group of SO/, a chain of just seven 5-star boutique hotels, which have had creative input from some of the world’s most creative fashion visionaries.

Christian Lacroix, the late Karl Lagerfeld, Viktor&Rolf and Kenzō Takada have all lent their unique styles to SO/ hotels in Bangkok, Singapore, Berlin and Mauritius. Now, in collaboration with Benny Castles of fashion house World, they have brought Auckland in to join their company.

“SO/ hotels and resorts are a playful mix of sophistication and the dynamic style of each locale,” explains Marilyn Chang, General Manager of design and technical services for Accor. “We see each SO/ as an avant-garde masterpiece, highly creative, fashion-led and imaginatively inspired by an iconic, signature designer.”

While SO/ came to the party with its distinctive DNA, local interior design firm Space Studio and Castles were given the task to design and implement a vision specific to Auckland that would sit within those brand parameters.

“We’ve worked on a number of Accor brands,” says Vee Kessner of Space Studio, “but what makes SO/ different is the stronger narrative that is built around it. It’s about telling a story with a twist.”

In this case, Chang and the larger design team opted for a narrative centered around “the birth of an island”. According to Kessner, New Zealand’s status as a young island nation offered a fertile “connection between the active geology and the youthful innovative spirit of the country”.

Looking at both location and aspect, SO/ draws from two very distinct inspirations – the hotel’s immediate location on what was once the site of the Reserve Bank and its gold bullion holdings, and its greater surroundings, in a city built amongst a group of volcanoes.

Each of SO/ Auckland’s 130 rooms references the volcanic premise, with themes based around the three states of matter: vapour, liquid and solid. With glazing on all four sides of the building, rich, dark interior spaces are lifted by an abundance of natural light and overlaid with colourways alluding to these three states. Vapour rooms feature curved ceilings and lighter palettes, liquid rooms have shots of orange lava on details such as the headboards, and solid rooms have slate walls that run throughout.

In every room, the bathroom is open to view, which again speaks to the target market – a little brave and somewhat edgy – but the design response and implementation has cleverly ensured privacy from the outside world.

Traces of ‘gold’, predominantly in the form of brass and bronze, are cleverly interwoven throughout the scheme, as if brought up from the vaults themselves, which are now home to a wellness floor and meeting spaces below ground level.

Indeed, the former underground stronghold and its extremely thick concrete walls were perhaps one of the most challenging aspects in the repurposing of the building. The vast concrete columns which ascend the building interrupted a typical clean floor layout, and become drivers for the room design in many ways; the result is a somewhat organic asymmetry throughout.

The SO/ design team chose a restrained underlying material palette of stone, metals and natural finishes, which provided a solid base for the flamboyant spirit brought to the table by Castles.

Castles’ colourful and slightly irreverent stamp is evident throughout. The hotel’s emblem, as playful and bold is World fashion house itself, is a graphic representation of a volcanic crater, with a mesmerising quality about it. Its swirling nature is splattered around in the form of sculptural artwork on the walls, the pillows on the beds, and even the interiors of the wardrobes, promoting a fantasy-like, almost out-of-this-world experience.

Castles’ touch is also evident in the staff attire: a collection of evening-wear-influenced pieces that seem to be straight off the catwalk, with not a name badge in sight. “As we designed, we had a person in mind that we felt suited the look and feel of the hotel,” explains Castles. “The collection needed to have that movement and personality – it had to say ‘come out and play’.”

The result of this collaboration between hotel design specialists and a fashion designer is, to say the least, energetic. As guests arrive at SO/ Auckland, the mood is one of play. Conventional hotel norms are broken from the outset, with the traditional reception area giving way to a luxury bar fitted out with elegant, eye-catching and somewhat Alice in Wonderland pieces from Dutch design house Moooi. These include the world’s largest floor-to-ceiling chandelier and a couch that has been turned so that it is a vertical, dark, moody piece of furniture with burgundies and sparkle. Here, a mixologist or a tea expert will bring guests drinks while room cards are being prepared.

On the upper floors, the design flair continues unapologetically. The HI-SO rooftop bar, located on the 16th floor, includes large terraces offering spectacular views to Rangitoto, Waiheke and beyond. Volcanic-like rock forms the walls and parts of the bar here while Castles’ emblem, in resplendent neon, continues the geological theme.

One floor down is the Harbour Society restaurant, boasting Michelin-star French chef Marc de Passorio and taking in a lighter palette of cream and brown: light and airy with a touch of classic sophistication. At the time of writing, there are plans for a Club Signature, a large, members-only space.

“We are definitely looking to connect with the community,” says Chang. “SO/ is all about great service, fun and social interaction, and guests want to feel part of the city. But we also know they might want privacy and quiet so Club Signature will offer that sense of retreat and exclusivity.”

SO/ Auckland is certainly the vivid cocktail of luxury, sophistication and style that Accor promotes – “an audacious burst of local energy with an unmistakable playful twist”.

This article first appeared in Interior magazine.

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