Silke Lorenzen spent her childhood in Asia – Pakistan, the Philippines, China and India. After an odyssey of her own through Germany – from Hessen through Bavaria to Hamburg and Leipzig – she finally settled in Berlin. Although finding city life nowhere near as effortless as in Asia, she has developed a taste for Berlin. Not from a design background, Silke cut her teeth on a variety of diverse jobs until she discovered her talent for organisation. She became an event manager dealing with the most demanding situations. After managing her hundredth event perfectly, she realised that she wanted to organise something that brought joy into her life. With Sarah Vollmer, who has a background in fashion design, created the Hüttenpalast. (continue reading…)

Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel founded Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel Partners in 1999, and since then the company has been operating at an international level developing complex long-term projects, including urban plans, residential and commercial complexes, industrial establishments, conservative restructuring of public buildings and planning of spaces for work, offices, showrooms and hotels. The practice is also active in the sector of corporate communication and implements projects for temporary events and exhibitions.

You said you took inspiration for the design of W St Petersburg from the city itself. What specifically about the city inspired you?
Our project took inspiration from the local environment, its spirit and architecture. (continue reading…)

Labor13 was established in 2007 by Martin Vomastek, Albert Prazák and Jirí Bardodej. The consultancy is based in Prague and has recently been working on a number of different projects, many of which have been in the Czech Republic. Currently the office is working on a variety of projects that include new public and private buildings, renovations of historical buildings, public and private interiors, museum exhibitions and the design of city public spaces. (continue reading…)

3LHD is a collaborative architectural studio, particularly interested in the integration of architecture, art and (urban) landscape. In 2008 it was featured in the Mare Nostrum exhibition of the 2nd International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam, as well as the joint exhibition at Harvard University – New trajectories: Contemporary Architecture in Croatia and Slovenia, and it represented Croatia at the Venice Biennale 12th International Exhibition of Architecture 2010. (continue reading…)

Paris-born Didier Benderli studied architecture at UP8 and History of Art at the Sorbonne. After his studies, he left for South America where he worked on a number of projects, mostly in Brazil. In 1989 he joined Agence Jacques Garcia, where he worked as artistic director for 12 years. In 2001 he set up his own business, Agence Kerylos Interieurs. Le Pavillon Des Lettres is the fifth hotel in the practice’s portfolio, which also includes furniture and lighting designs.

With so many legendary writers to chose from, how did you reach the final 26?
It was a combination of my own personal taste and wanting to cover the global literary landscape by choosing international writers. And the ones we chose had to evoke our themes, which are dreams, travels and the night. Also the extracts we chose had to physically sit well on the walls and spaces available – lines from a poem, play or text are an integral part of the design in every room – they are hand-stencilled above the bed. (continue reading…)

MKV is one of the most respected companies providing world-class interior design to the international hospitality sector. Its portfolio of projects reflects a wide diversity of design talent encompassing chic urban hotels, grand historic establishments, revitalised businesses and leisure hotels and large-scale, new-build resorts. It has a commitment of originality and integrity, understanding and respecting local architectural and cultural inheritance while reinterpreting them afresh to meet each client’s objectives. The company was founded in 1999 by Maria Vafiadis, who had previously studied architecture in Milan and worked there as well as in Vienna and Athens before moving to London. One of the most widely travelled and cosmopolitan hotel designers working out of London today, she is fluent in five European languages.

How did MKV Design secure this project? Bruno Schoepfer who heads the Qatari Diar division for Switzerland (Qatari Diar is the hotel owner) was staying at a lifestyle city centre hotel that we had recently designed in Vienna at the time he was planning the renovation of his hotel. He liked it! (continue reading…)

Architect and designer Marco Piva was a cofounder of Studiodada Associates in 1978, one of the leading design offices of the Radical period. Studio Marco Piva opened in 1984, becoming a multidisciplinary practice for architecture, interior, product and industrial design and exhibitions.

He develops projects all over the world, and realizes residential and tourist facilities for developers and tourist operators worldwide.

In 2001 Piva established Atelier Design, a design cell within his own practice, where research and development are the fundamental keys of design. Since 1999 Piva has combined his practice work with teaching at universities and design institutes both in Italy and abroad, and the organisation of the MA programmes at the Politecnico di Milano, Polytechnic School of Design and the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan. (continue reading…)

Matali Crasset trained as an industrial designer. She began working with Denis Santachiara and then with Philippe Starck. She quickly set up her own studio, through which she harmonises her principles of life, work and her visions of the future. All her projects follow a singular approach enabling her to work in a wide range of areas including interior architecture, stage design, industrial design, furniture, graphic design, exhibitions and art direction. She has also been made Knight of the Order of Merit by the French government.

The three Hi properties so far – HI Nice, Hi matic and Dar HI – have completely different settings and feels – bustling Paris, magical Nefta, seaside Nice. What is the unifying philosophy behind them? (continue reading…)

Trevillion Interiors is one of the leading design consultants within the hotel and leisure industry, providing a tailored service for newbuild, refurbishment and heritage projects alike. In addition to the Brooklands Hotel, recent projects include the Grand Hotel, Jersey, The Goodwood Hotel, and three properties for the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Frances Blackham is design director for Trevillion Interiors.

Trevillion has something of a pedigree in creating stylish hotels and clubs (including Handpicked Hotels, Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, the Oxford and Cambridge Club, to name just a few of its projects). Did the Brooklands Hotel present any unique design challenges due to the very specific history of the site?
It would have been easy to have heavily themed the hotel but we went out of our way to deliver a stylish interior influenced by its heritage rather than ruled by it. We were required to indicate the ‘finishing straight’ of the original racing circuit as part of the planning consent and this influence eventually developed further to include a unique art installation above it, providing a great talking point for guests and staff alike. (continue reading…)

Maria Isabel Andrade Silva – Nini – was born in Funchal, Madeira. She graduated in design at the Institute of Visual Arts, Design and Marketing (IADE) in Lisbon, and simultaneously ursued her academic and professional experience abroad, studying and working in New York, London, Paris, South Africa and Denmark. As well as being an acknowledged international architect of interiors and design, Nini Andrade Silva is passionate about painting and through her work has helped the underprivileged children of Funchal. Her paintings are included in collections of modern art in Ireland and New York. (continue reading…)