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What’s Hot: W Seattle adds local color to public spaces, F&B

The Living Room, W Seattle. CLICK HERE TO VIEW FULL GALLERY
The Living Room, W Seattle. CLICK HERE TO VIEW FULL GALLERY

W Seattle has reopened its public spaces after a three-month closure and US$2.5 million renovation project.

W Hotels Global Brand Design Group and Skylab Architecture, Portland, Oregon, worked together on the project. Skylab’s overall concept is to see the W Seattle as a “Sonic Lodge,” where Pacific Northwest history and craft meet Seattle’s aspirations.

“The interior draws connections to the geography and regional culture with the organization of the space and with furnishings and finishes,” said Jeff Kovel, principal of Skylab Architects. “Design is employed as abstract storytelling. In this case we are extracting the history of the future to conjure a unique experience around the W Seattle identity.”

The space now incorporates 31 floor-to-ceiling sculptural “lodge” or “totem poles.” At the center of the Living Room, a three-story fireplace draws inspiration from a traditional national park service look-out. Nearly 1,000 stainless steel tiles cover the fireplace in a nod to Seattle’s place in aviation history. The Living Room also includes a DJ booth high above the fireplace and features bright pink blown glass chandeliers from Esque Studio in Portland, Ore.

Native American weaving patterns inspire the fabrics used in the Living Room banquettes, while hanging string curtains are reminiscent of a fabric loom.

The library, in the northwest corner of the Living Room, offers a large community table for group meetings or social gatherings. The wallpaper, created by Skylab and New York City’s Flavor Paper, features classic record albums in funk, soul, early rap and rhythm and blues.

Trace, the W Seattle’s new restaurant and bar, features a bar surrounded by concrete panels that allude to Pendleton blanket designs. The bar itself is made of a fine concrete mix with embedding light-conducting channels. Soft brown embossed ceramic floor tiles that look like tree rings cover Trace’s floor. A 10-seat sushi bar offers sustainably caught wild seafood to diners in low-slung wooden chairs at a walnut counter top.

Trace’s 12-seat private dining area has a modern gaming theme and a table that resembles a backgammon board.

The restaurant’s interior design features shades of bronzy metallic gray, chrome, glossy black, and shimmering gold. The south end of the restaurant has a large lenticular mural designed by The Felt Hat in Portland, Ore., which could depict a jellyfish in Puget Sound or a fighter jet in flight, depending on one’s viewpoint.

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