NEWS
BRIEFING
ROCCO FORTE
IN ROME
Rocco Forte Hotels has
unveiled the eclectic
Grand Tour-inspired
interiors at the luxury
hospitality group’s newest
property in Rome, Hotel
de la Ville, designed by
renowned Italian architect
Tommaso Ziffer following
his appointment by Olga
Polizzi, Director of Design
at Rocco Forte Hotels.
Inspired by The Grand
Tour of the 18th and
19th Centuries, Ziffer has
created a thoughtful
and contemporary
retrospective to this lavish
time in European history.SUMMIT HOUSE
Summit House, The
Office Group (TOG)’s
new flexible workspace
in Holborn, London, has
opened following a major
refurbishment led by
Stockholm-based interior
design and architecture
practice Note Design
Studio. The Grade II listed
building has a distinctly
modern yet art deco
aesthetic, featuring a
striking façade. Summit
House will offer members
a number of new spaces
including a green roof
terrace, a drop-in lounge
workspace set within
a beautiful open-plan
ballroom, private offices,
meeting rooms and
events space.JAGUAR LAND
ROVER X
ULTRAFABRICS
Ultrafabrics, the Japanese-
American performance
fabric manufacturer, has
collaborated with luxury
car manufacturer Jaguar
Land Rover (JLR) to offer
its materials as one of the
seating options for the new
Range Rover Evoque.
Two bespoke colours,
Ebony and Cloud, were
developed specifically to
meet JLR’s design and
performance needs.Shalini Misra, has unveiled new interiors for the redesigned
Chakra restaurant in Kensington. The inspiration for the new
design came directly from the restaurant’s name, which
refers to the seven centres of spiritual power in the human
body. Shalini Misra paid particular attention to the second
Chakra, ‘Svadhishthana’, when creating the interiors. This
Chakra means “one’s own abode” and is associated with the
element of water as well as the unconscious, emotion and
the act of taste. Svadhishthana, which is illustrated as a lotus
with six petals, was incorporated into the space through adramatic plaster ceiling rose placed centrally on the ground
floor. All seven Chakras feature on the basement ceiling,
which is gilded and digitally cut, and then again in the tile
work on the terrace, which represents the tessellating
patterns of the Chakras. Aside from the Chakras, the design
concept also encompasses ‘Navaratna’, a Sanskrit word
meaning ‘nine gems’. The gems include the ruby, pearl, red
coral, emerald, yellow sapphire, diamond, blue sapphire,
hessonite and cat’s eye, which represent the Sun, the Moon,
Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the ascending
and descending lunar node respectively. As a combination,
the nine gems are recognised as sacred in almost all of
Asia and have important cultural significance in Hinduism,
Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
http://www.shalinimisra.com | Image by Mel YatesSHALINI MISRA
UNVEILS THE NEWLY
REDESIGNED CHAKRA
Nottingham and Leicester-based Franklin Ellis
Architects is set to deliver multiple hotel schemes
across the UK over the next 12 months, having seen
the demand for its hotel work increase by 20 per
cent in the last year. To help deliver these schemes
for client brands such as IHG Marriott and Hilton,
the firm has announced the promotion of one of its
longest standing interior team members, Denise Ellis,
to Associate Partner, and the appointment of Kath
Hinsley as Senior Interior Designer. Kath, who will
work from both Franklin Ellis offices in Nottingham
and Leicester, brings with her more than 25 years of
interior design experience and will manage projects
across a range of sectors, including hospitality, retail,
education and office design. Kath will work alongside
Denise, who has worked at Franklin Ellis since its
inception 25 years ago and heads the team of
interior designers and technicians at the practice.
http://www.franklinellis.co.uk
Image: L-R Denise Ellis and
Kath Hinsley, Franklin Ellis ArchitectsHOTEL WORK
ON THE UP!News