Boutique Design - May 2015 - 44

2

It started with a phone call a few years back, when Cachet
Hotel Group (CHG) president and ceo Alex Mirza rang up Godfrey
and asked him to design a suite in the eco-friendly URBN Hotel
Shanghai for his nascent firm. Mirza had previously worked for
Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and Godfrey had designed a collection
of fashion-forward uniforms for W Hotels that launched in 2013.
"He said, 'Take your design aesthetic and vision from fashion
and bring that to the hotel,'" Godfrey recalls. "I'm a big believer
that a professional designer, regardless of discipline, can design
anything with the right team."
On the strength of Godfrey's design for the suite at URBN,
CHG tapped him to restyle the former 50-key JIA Shanghai as a
Cachet Boutique, focusing on branding and designing a new suite,
lobby, entrance and guest room updates. According to David
Laris, chief creative officer for CHG, "We wanted to take over a
hotel, put our stamp on it and use it as a lab to develop our own
design and operational ideas. It gave us an anchor in Shanghai
where we could entertain developers and show off Jay's work."
Situated on fashionable Nanjing Road, the 70,000-sq.-ft.
former apartment building had been redesigned in spare-noexpense fashion in 2007 under the direction of style-driven entrepreneur Yenn Wong. The JIA Shanghai quickly became one of the
city's hottest hotels. Seven years later, however, the property was
more than ready for a refresh. Laris says occupancy was low,
repairs were required in multiple areas and the guest rooms
44

boutiquedesign.com may 2015

needed to be upgraded. CHG saw an opportunity to use the hotel
as a testing ground for new ideas.
First and foremost, CHG wanted a modern, sexy space that
embraces and is inspired by local art. "We believe Cachet as a
brand, no matter where it is in the world, looks like it's Cachet," says
Godfrey. Visual brand pillars such as touches of gold, interesting
textures, clean modern lines and art set the brand apart from the
competition and also differentiate it from CHG's other brands.
Godfrey began by giving the building's nondescript façade a
facelift. Taking cues from New York's Seagram building, he worked
with CHG's in-house architect to design a new, more substantial
canopy consisting of a long rectangular slab of black painted steel,
with the Cachet logo and oversized door handles in brass.
Then, the 2,000-sq.-ft. first-floor entrance was gutted and transformed into the Art Salon, a gallery space with a carefully curated
selection of local art that is changed out biannually. Previously
dark and unwelcoming with upholstered walls, ornate carpeting
and wide-plank floors, the entrance is now sleek and fresh.
To help evoke that feel, Godfrey installed black marble floors
and white walls that impart a minimalist backdrop for artwork.
Two black video walls flanking the entrance bring the space to life
by showing pixilated color videos, while a 30-ft.-high ceiling creates
a dramatic upward sweep that's capped by a suspended lighting
system by Artemide. "We really wanted the Art Salon to be part
gallery and part sensual environment," says Laris. "The lighting is

2 White walls create a
gallery-like setting for
works by local artists in
the hotel's first-floor Art
Salon. The space's twostory ceiling is topped by
an Artemide suspended
lighting system; a black
marble floor adds its
own shine under foot.


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Boutique Design - May 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - May 2015

Boutique Design - May 2015
Contents
From the Editor
In This Issue
The Buzz
Working It Out
Q+A: Fab Four
Family Affairs
Hautel Couture
Digging In
Products: Seating
Products: Green
Last Detail
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Intro
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Boutique Design - May 2015
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Cover2
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 1
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Contents
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 3
Boutique Design - May 2015 - From the Editor
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 5
Boutique Design - May 2015 - In This Issue
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 7
Boutique Design - May 2015 - The Buzz
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 9
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 10
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 11
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 12
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 13
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 14
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 15
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 16
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 17
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Working It Out
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 19
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 20
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 21
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 22
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 23
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 24
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 25
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Q+A: Fab Four
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 27
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 28
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 29
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 30
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 31
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 32
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 33
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Family Affairs
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 35
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 36
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 37
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 38
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 39
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 40
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 41
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Hautel Couture
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 43
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 44
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 45
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 46
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 47
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Digging In
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 49
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 50
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 51
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 52
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 53
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Products: Seating
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 55
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 56
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 57
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 58
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 59
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 60
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 61
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 62
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 63
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Products: Green
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 65
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 66
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 67
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 68
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 69
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 70
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 71
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 72
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 73
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 74
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 75
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 76
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 77
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 78
Boutique Design - May 2015 - 79
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Last Detail
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Cover3
Boutique Design - May 2015 - Cover4
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