The hotel hot list 2018: Design destinations

This Shanghai hotel is the latest in Swire Property’s House Collective (the group behind Hong Kong’s The Upper House) and has quickly become a darling of the Shanghai design scene.

Located in Jing’an District, the interiors are the brainchild of Milanese designer Piero Lissoni, who channels a minimalist aesthetic with sleek, contemporary furniture in mellow sandstone and charcoal tones.

Interjections of jade green bamboo tiling throughout the hotel hark to its Chinese heritage. Grand entrances are something The House Collective does extraordinarily well; in the Middle House’s lobby, a breathtaking modern chandelier functions as the focal point of the whole hotel. Its 111 rooms are spacious and come equipped with glamorous Lissoni Associati soaking tubs and complimentary mini bars.

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The soaring limestone karst formations that make up the mountainous Guangxi region would be reason enough to visit this dreamy southern wedge of China, however a new reason is this striking, design-forward resort. Beijing-based practice Vector Architects completely transformed an abandoned 1960s, Mao-era sugar mill, preserving the site’s industrial heritage by blending the old with the new.

The original buildings house the hotel’s reception and a sunken plaza while new blocks on either side – with gabled forms that reference the original architecture – house 117 rooms and suites.

Opened earlier this year to much fanfare, The NoMad Hotel remains one of Downtown LA’s top accommodation offerings, and arguably its most design-forward. Spearheaded by the illustrious Sydell Group and designed by Jacques Garcia, the hotel occupies a spot in the Neoclassical 1920s Giannini Place building, which used to house the Bank of Italy headquarters.

Public areas feature rich colours, luxurious textures and ornate fittings, including jewel-toned brocade fabrics making up the sofas, chairs and curtains; marble columns and flooring; and plenty of greenery. Keep an eye out for design elements of the original structure that were meticulously preserved during the renovation process, including the lobby’s stunning coffered ceiling.

Meanwhile, many of the 241 guestrooms feature free-standing bathtubs, original artwork, custom-dyed Persian rugs and plenty of windows to let in the California sunshine.

Illustrations by Eun Yong Lim

To book a flight, visit singaporeair.com

SEE ALSO: The hotel hot list 2018: Heritage restored

This story originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of SilverKris Magazine