Boutique Design - March 2015 - 28
2 Gold-colored threads reference
the gold dust from the legend
of El Rey Dorado, creating
visual interest, privacy and an
inexpensive yet elegant touch
in the W Lounge. The space's
centerpiece is a large mural by
a Bogotá-based graffiti firm.
alds and precious stones and sending him onto Lake Guatavita at night. With torches burning around the water's edge,
the king would throw the jewels into the water as an
offering to the lake goddess. After his safe return to the
shore, the party started in earnest with music and dancing.
"It sounds like a Broadway show," laughs Waisbrod.
"But rather than tell the story literally, we used elements
from the narrative throughout the design." So, instead of
relying on regional materials and motifs to establish sense
of place, Studio Gaia let this local legend anchor the
hotel's overall concept and guide each design decision. As
their vision evolved, they added some modern twists,
borrowing both literally and literarily from the magic
realism that characterizes the works of Colombia's literary
giant, Gabriel García Márquez.
Working with a framework of mythic proportions is a
plus for this complex project. Although the W benefits
from a hip address near the Usaquén district, it has a challenging footprint. The 168-room hotel occupies a vertical
pie-shaped slice of the Terra Firma complex, which necessitated substantial on-site R&D to fit wow design and efficient operations into narrow corridors, areas with dead
28
boutiquedesign.com march 2015
corners and a dual entrance-one on a lower level for cars
entering from the highway and a second for pedestrians
accessing the hotel from street level.
Guests get immersed in the magic of the local culture
as soon as they enter. An installation of amber-hued
bronze and resin butterflies dangling from strings references García Márquez's novel, "One Hundred Years of Solitude," while the legend of the bejeweled king lives on in the
organic bronze reception desks that resemble oversized
drops of molten gold. Overhead, mirrored tiles make the
low 8-ft. ceiling virtually disappear. "The building itself has
a very small footprint, so we had to manipulate spaces
height-wise to enhance the experience," Waisbrod explains.
The designers wanted to do more than retell a story;
they wanted to let guests live it. To suggest the drama of
the regal nighttime ceremony and the broader legend of El
Dorado, the illusory city of gold, the designers devised a
black tunnel leading to the lobby, using black porcelain tiles
underfoot, black ceilings at 10- and 12-ft.-high elevations
and a 3D wall comprised of concrete tiles in repeating black
diamond shapes punctuated by brass sconces.
The low-ceilinged tunnel opens up to the W Lounge,
http://www.boutiquedesign.com
Boutique Design - March 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - March 2015
Boutique Design - March 2015
Contents
From the Editor
In This Issue
The Buzz
Client Confidential: Michael Medzigian
Myth Master
Escape Velocities
Arts and Craftsmanship
Q+A: Artisinal Archeologist
Bdwest Preview: Soaring Ambitions
Products: Bath + Spa
Products: Fabrics
Last Detail
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Intro
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Boutique Design - March 2015
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Cover2
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 1
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Contents
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 3
Boutique Design - March 2015 - From the Editor
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 5
Boutique Design - March 2015 - In This Issue
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 7
Boutique Design - March 2015 - The Buzz
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 9
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 10
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 11
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 12
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 13
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 14
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 15
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 16
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 17
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Client Confidential: Michael Medzigian
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 19
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 20
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 21
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 22
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 23
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 24
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 25
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Myth Master
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 27
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 28
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 29
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 30
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 31
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 32
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 33
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Escape Velocities
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 35
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 36
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 37
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 38
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 39
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 40
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 41
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Arts and Craftsmanship
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 43
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 44
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 45
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 46
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 47
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Q+A: Artisinal Archeologist
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 49
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 50
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 51
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 52
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 53
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 54
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 55
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Bdwest Preview: Soaring Ambitions
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 57
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 58
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 59
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 60
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 61
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Products: Bath + Spa
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 63
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 64
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 65
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 66
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 67
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 68
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 69
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 70
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 71
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 72
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 73
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Products: Fabrics
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 75
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 76
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 77
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 78
Boutique Design - March 2015 - 79
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Last Detail
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Cover3
Boutique Design - March 2015 - Cover4
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