Boutique Design - March/April 2011 - 17

A R T- I N S TA L L AT I O N

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The Redbury SBE in Los Angeles. “The design concept for the property lent itself to a vintage feel, so we sourced our art and accessories package almost exclusively from local ea markets. We lled the spaces with unique collectibles and objects. So both the public areas and guest rooms felt authentic,” she says. Collections offer another route to resolving the less-is-more approach to art budgets. More and more, designers and consultants are shopping for series of etchings, prints, photographs and graphics that provide an unexpected visual showcase. In a few cases, like the Hotel Eclat Taipei, it’s the client who supplies the art. LRF Designers (Hong Kong) had the once-ina-career opportunity to draw from hotel owner George Wong’s art collection—one that included some of the best of current Chinese art as well as a pair of Salvador Dalí sculptures.

Artwork in the prefunction space at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe.

the thrill of something new each time they visit; the hotel gets added marketing support from their creative partners and the artists get major exposure to a new pool of prospective buyers. ”We had a very limited art budget for one project, so we reached out to the local Art House Another approach that’s gaining momentum art community. We arranged for our client is enhancing a core art program with exhi- to contract with a local art gallery to install bitions mounted in the lobby or restau- works by local artists on consignment,” rants. Working directly with artists or says DeRosa. Beyond the nancial reasoning, some local galleries, hotels can change up their art programs with each show. Guests get hotels seek out art installations to up the
Avenue Los Angeles’ design for a guest room at The Redbury SBE.

cultural ante of the space. For example, Marco Milocco, general manager of the Regina Hotel Baglioni in Rome, treats his property as a dynamic exhibit space to add another dimension to the cultural and artistic side of the city. He typically nds artists among his own social connections and friends. Milocco contracts directly with the artist. His secret to keeping this arrangement on track? “Basically, the artist supplies the art—all we do is provide the space and the marketing,” he says, adding that the hotel does not take a commission on anything sold. It’s not a cheap way of using art (a two-week exhibition can cost $5,000), but it transforms the hotel into a destination, he says. Not all designers embrace dynamic displays, however. “I am always worried about ‘art turnover’ when galleries want to use the hotel premises as a supplemental exhibiting window for themselves; I’d rather encourage a gallery to suggest to meet some artists than to propose readymade art,” Knoll says. No matter whether a hotel’s art is commissioned, inventoried or consigned, such installations offer an opportunity for a locale to make a big impact for a relatively small chunk of its overall budget. That means designers and hoteliers need to draw on all their collective knowledge and expertise to deliver on guests’ expectations of an artful experience. BD

Boutique Design | March+April 2011

Mary Hannah (Ritz-Carlton); Matthew Rolston (Redbury)

Boutique Design - March/April 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - March/April 2011