Related News
Home » Sunday » Home and Design
Making a date with calendar-based hotel
By Yang Di |
August 12, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
IN addition to well-preserved architecture, a peaceful local lifestyle and waterside views, Zhouzhuang watertown now has another attraction in the shape of a newly-opened boutique hotel.
The 20-suite Zhouzhuang Blossom Hill Boutique Hotel has been created from three old Ming Dynasty-style buildings which had each previously been divided into four separate homes.
French designer Thomas Dariel from Dariel Studio said he was thrilled to take this project, with the aim of preserving the property's history and charm by giving it a new life, rather than turning it into a "new, edgy hotel."
The renovation aimed to restore the spatial unity of the building, while also preserving the architectural heritage. Dariel Studio has spent almost six months repairing and altering the existing buildings - including adjustments on the ground floor, reinforcing the main structure and preserving old wooden window frames.
Every old decorative item, window frame, stone, and tile were carefully collected and catalogued before renovations. These old materials were reused where possible, and in instances where the originals could not be reused, reproductions created.
Dariel said the core concept of the hotel design is the 24 seasonal markers of the Chinese traditional solar calendar. In ancient China, the solar year was divided into 24 terms according to traditional farming activities, with each term corresponding to the sun's position.
"It fits the heritage building and the atmosphere of Zhouzhuang very well," Dariel said.
The rooms are divided into four seasonal areas according to their exposure to the sun and natural light intensity during the day. These rooms symbolize the four seasons, with colors from light yellow, bright orange to deep purple.
Each room is named after a flower based on different seasons. The designer also chose several important solar terms to define the hotel's communal spaces.
Among design highlights, Dariel drew attention to three areas: the entrance; the restaurant; and the rooms. The entrance has 12 different styles and colors of pots as a reminder of the core solar calendar concept.
The restaurant takes the themes of the summer and winter solstice. The contrast in colors of the repainted Ming-style chairs set beside the bar, complete with typical French-pattern ceramics indicate the opposite seasons.
A combination of East and West is reflected by a Western-style bar with Chinese furniture, said Dariel.
The mix of Chinese and French culture is also reflected in the library, which contains a fireplace and a piano that not only make guests feel warm, but that also portrays a calm and comfortable ambience similar to traditional Parisian salons, said Dariel.
The 20-suite Zhouzhuang Blossom Hill Boutique Hotel has been created from three old Ming Dynasty-style buildings which had each previously been divided into four separate homes.
French designer Thomas Dariel from Dariel Studio said he was thrilled to take this project, with the aim of preserving the property's history and charm by giving it a new life, rather than turning it into a "new, edgy hotel."
The renovation aimed to restore the spatial unity of the building, while also preserving the architectural heritage. Dariel Studio has spent almost six months repairing and altering the existing buildings - including adjustments on the ground floor, reinforcing the main structure and preserving old wooden window frames.
Every old decorative item, window frame, stone, and tile were carefully collected and catalogued before renovations. These old materials were reused where possible, and in instances where the originals could not be reused, reproductions created.
Dariel said the core concept of the hotel design is the 24 seasonal markers of the Chinese traditional solar calendar. In ancient China, the solar year was divided into 24 terms according to traditional farming activities, with each term corresponding to the sun's position.
"It fits the heritage building and the atmosphere of Zhouzhuang very well," Dariel said.
The rooms are divided into four seasonal areas according to their exposure to the sun and natural light intensity during the day. These rooms symbolize the four seasons, with colors from light yellow, bright orange to deep purple.
Each room is named after a flower based on different seasons. The designer also chose several important solar terms to define the hotel's communal spaces.
Among design highlights, Dariel drew attention to three areas: the entrance; the restaurant; and the rooms. The entrance has 12 different styles and colors of pots as a reminder of the core solar calendar concept.
The restaurant takes the themes of the summer and winter solstice. The contrast in colors of the repainted Ming-style chairs set beside the bar, complete with typical French-pattern ceramics indicate the opposite seasons.
A combination of East and West is reflected by a Western-style bar with Chinese furniture, said Dariel.
The mix of Chinese and French culture is also reflected in the library, which contains a fireplace and a piano that not only make guests feel warm, but that also portrays a calm and comfortable ambience similar to traditional Parisian salons, said Dariel.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
