Minimalism Not A Fit For Luxury Hotel Design

-- Hotels, 6/1/2008

Initially a designer with one of Germany’s most reputable furniture companies, Peter Silling, of Hotel Interior Design, has since become an international fixture in high-end luxury hotel design. Known for the richness and opulence of his design solutions, Silling and his 50-person HID team are headquartered in Cologne, Germany, and Hong Kong.

HOTELS: The path that led you into your current position as a high-profile international hotel designer started with interior decorating. Tell us a bit about how your background uniquely impacts what you do today?

Silling: My background as an interior decorator has certainly trained and provided me with a unique sense of colors and materials and a very thorough knowledge on fabrics, carpets, furnishing etc. that are fundamental for all hotel design.

HOTELS: I understand custom design figures prominently in your design work. Can you comment on this?

Silling: In fact, we do custom designs on all interior FF&E items, creating custom finishes and textiles as long as we find there is a need to match the design schemes/directions. The custom design of any pieces should always be mentioned together with other FF&E combinations in the room/ an area as a whole.

HOTELS: Please talk a bit about your design philosophy—merging shapely custom furnishings, fabrics and carpets into the environment in which they will serve?

Silling: It is always important that we conduct a thorough research of the project city and its country to create a sense of place. For all high-profile projects we work on, we always maintain a very close working relationship in cooperation with the project owner to ensure we are carrying out their needs and expectations on our design. This has always dictated the direction we go with our design on custom furnishings, fabrics/ carpets etc.

HOTELS: Your design work can be found in high-end luxury hotels in Europe (Ireland, Germany, Portugal, Austria), Russia, and most recently in the Maldives, Hanoi, Mexico, India and Abu Dhabi. What are some of the signature elements of your design style that can be found throughout?

Silling: In a nutshell? Quality and richness

HOTELS: When you first moved beyond your familiar European design turf, what were you most excited about? What have been the biggest challenges?

Silling: The sizes of the buildings, the heights and the overall scale of space

HOTELS: Looking at guestrooms you've designed, many have quite an opulent feel to them with lavish use of luxe fabrics and upholstery, and very graceful shapes. Referencing the current design projects you are working on, what are some of your favorite examples of hotel room designs that truly swath the guest in astounding opulence?

Silling: Private taste is not important. What is important is the design has to match the client's expectations and also cater to the users' needs. For example at the Ritz-Carlton Moscow, it is a very cold country and we felt that the guests staying at the hotel would require and appreciate a traditional Russian, homey design. In Hanoi, however, which has very hot climes, and is also a hot new destination stylistically, we are creating a light contemporary design at the JW Marriott that seems in keeping with this setting. We are doing this while still providing the richness required of a luxury hotel.

HOTELS: How do you balance current guest desires for clean, bold, contemporary design with your more traditional design leanings? Can you give a few examples from your recent work of how you balance the two?

Silling: The BBH hotel in Dusseldorf is a very good example. It is a boutique hotel with a balanced use of contemporary/traditional furnishings and materials that brings the environment a little bit of a traditional flavor in a contemporary way. For instance, we used clear cut black marble with little molding details instead of granite. (Granite is usually seen as bold and contemporary nowadays). We went with marble because we feel this stone is a traditional material that has the important richness we needed for the design. Our focus then became shaping a modern design interpretation with what has in the past been a traditional material.

HOTELS: In February 2008, Christiane May and Stefan Segebarth became your business partners. As you approach a new-build design project, which elements do Chris and Stefan gravitate to most to assist with the design?

Silling: Ms. May and Mr. Segebarth are the lead persons to take care of the design process but I oversee design for each project.

HOTELS: When working with small spaces, what are some of your design solutions?

Silling: We are currently working on a project in Jaipur, India, which the room scale is relatively smaller but we can play around with open-up bathroom design to create still a spacious environment for the guests. Also especially in metropolitan cities like Hong Kong, the space is limited and we have to think of a creative way to make good use of the space.

HOTELS: Working on hotel design, do you draw inspiration from the buzz of the metropolis, nature, industry? What are some of the compelling muses that help you shape your designs for furnishings, fixtures, fabrics, carpets and the rooms themselves?

Silling: It must be the traveling experience. I do a very thorough research on the area of the hotel to understand its history, local culture, architecture, colors and natures. In India, for example, this can even be visualized with something as simple as a stroll through the local markets where you will colorful fruits, vegetables and goods reflecting the taste of the city.

HOTELS: Which current trends in hospitality design do you find most promising, exciting, compelling?

Silling: Open plan ideas—especially in the guestrooms like opened-up bathrooms.

HOTELS: Which current trends in hospitality design do you find most disturbing, negative, disappointing?

Silling: Minimalism. It is not suitable for luxury hotel design because it usually lacks of the sense of richness and has no homey feeling no matter it is a modern contemporary design or a traditional design.

HOTELS: Looking across the industry—or beyond it to other industries—who are some of the designers whose work you most admire, and/or whose work influences yours the most?

Silling: The design of the Bentley car has always impressed me. The Bentley is designed not only for its function but also for comfort, nice interior design, quality and richness.

HOTELS: Please talk a bit about your current approach to restaurant design? How has this changed in the last several years?

Silling: Restaurants are no more just the space for dining they are to create an experience. So design must be more experiential.

HOTELS: As you navigate into the second decade of the new millennia, what are some of the design milestones you hope to reach?

Silling: Finding new and exciting cities for high-profile hotel designs like those we are already doing in India, Hanoi and Abu Dhabi. There are so many exciting developing cities—it is fascinating to study the areas and interpret the sense of place into our design.

HOTELS: What materials are you experimenting with in your designs?

Silling: Glass

HOTELS: Have you noted any trends in hotel uniform design that you find especially noteworthy?

Silling: The uniform should be another expression of the sense of place and the culture of an area. I think Singapore Airlines’ crew staff uniform is a great example of this.

HOTELS: What interesting things have you been trying with lighting in guestrooms? What about bathrooms?

Silling: Indirect lighting is becoming a major element in lighting design instead of the decorative lighting piece. It is becoming a major element to create the atmosphere of the environment both in guestrooms and in bathrooms.

HOTELS: You have designed some spectacular spas. Is this an element of hotel design that you are especially drawn to? What new things are you trying with spa design?

Silling: Yes. We always have to be very careful with spa design. Again, spa design is about the sense of place and the culture and not only purely interior design. For instance, in Japan we have onsen. For Asia in general, we need to design special message experiences into the spa. No matter what the cultural and regional differences may be, it is important that we ensure the same quality standard.

HOTELS: I noted that you are currently working on a very creative design for a pool at the Elaa Hotel and Resort in Maldives that doubles as an in-the-water cocktail lounge. What fun! What was the inspiration for the design?

Silling: The inspiration is to create something that is new and not existing yet.