A penthouse is the opportunity for a designer to paint his or her masterwork. The sheer scale of these spaces lend themselves to grand statement, whether it’s through opulent materials, dramatic focal points or edgy concepts.
However, it’s also not as if designers have carte blanche to create that masterpiece. Even though the space needs its own character, there still as to be an aesthetic flow. Whatever works in the penthouse has to be just as effective a design statement when it’s scaled down in the rest of the hotel.
That was the inspiration behind Aidan Cavey’s vision for the renovation of the penthouse suite at Dublin landmark The Merrion. “I wanted the penthouse to sit at one with the rest of the guestrooms at The Merrion — staying true to its Irish roots, but with an edge, creating a specific identity for the suite through touches of unusual color in beautiful fabrics and intriguing wallpapers from start to finish,” Cavey said.
So, for the two-floor suite at the 142-room hotel, Cavey wanted to use the materials to establish that statement. A hand-woven rug by Western Irish carpet maker McMurray and inspired by the Irish artist Maine Jellett decorates the floor. Wallpaper designed by Piero Fornasetti and sofas upholstered in fabric by London-based Sanderson add a more pan-European feel to the rose-and-cream space.
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