Wallpaper 11

ILLUSTRATION: EOIN RYAN

2: Number of people

who can have an

informal meeting on

the leather and

metal rocking horse

designed by

Timorous Beasties

400: Number of books

used to create the

freestanding columns

on the mezzanine level

442: Number of

painted tiles used to

create the specially

commissioned

murals by artist

Laura Carlin

Local hero

BANKSIDE HOTEL, LONDON

The Bankside Hotel takes up residence in

architect Ian Simpson’s recently completed

One Blackfriars building in London’s

Southwark. Interiors, by Dayna Lee of LA

design agency Powerstrip Studio, feature

bespoke midcentury-style furnishings and

artworks by British craftspeople that

reference the local area. Ceramicist Laura

Carlin has created two wall murals comprised

of tiles depicting life on the South Bank,

where the Tate Modern, the British Film

Institute, the Globe Theatre and Borough

Market are all noteworthy neighbours.

A series of side tables by Małgorzata Bany

are cast from Jesmonite and are based on

the designer’s Pilotis range, inspired by the

architectural columns used historically to

raise buildings above ground or water (much

like the huge and now redundant red pillars

that lank nearby Blackfriars Bridge). As well

as 161 serenely decorated rooms, the Bankside

will also house a library/cocktail lounge

and restaurant serving seasonal food in a

dramatic, artful setting. Emilee Tombs

2 Blackfriars Road, London SE1, tel: 44.800 221222,

banksidehotel.com. Rates: from £290

10: Weight in kg of

wild penaga laut

flowers needed to

produce 1g of absolute

essential oil, used for

the new Datai scent

54: Number of spearheads

used to join the columns

and rafters of the vaulted

wooden ceilings

3,238: The distance

in km the wooden

horse sculptures (in

the lobby) travelled

from Mumbai

Newly opened on the sugary white beaches

of Muravandhoo Island on the Raa Atoll

in the northern Maldives is the art-focused

retreat Joali. Istanbul design irm Autoban,

together with the Tokyo-based Studio Glitt,

laid out the resort to include 73 beach and

overwater villas, each with private ininity

pool and butler service, as well as four

restaurants, a liquid nitrogen ice cream

corner, a lower garden ofering botanical

workshops, and a store packed with both

local and international artworks and

specially-curated artisanal knick-knacks.

Meanwhile, an art studio and gallery hosts

an international roster of guest artists,

from Studio Glithero and Porky Hefer (see

page 132) to Misha Kahn. Other diversions

include snorkelling with manta rays,

wakeboarding, waterskiing, and chartered

yacht and dhoni excursions. However,

you’re most likely to ind us lounging on our

private deck as we marvel at the sea life in

the clear blue waters below. Lauren Ho

Muravandhoo Island, Raa Atoll, Maldives,

tel: 960.793 9168, joali.com. Rates: from $2,270

Art break

JOALI, MALDIVES

1,672: Number of

Brancusi-inspired

wooden columns

within the entrances

of the villas

52: Number

of hand-carved

wooden abacuses

used in the

restaurant to create

private areas

2,000: Length

in metres of the

curved wooden roof

of the arrival jetty

King of the jungle

THE DATAI, LANGKAWI

For the past 25 years, The Datai has been

singled out by discerning travellers, as much

for its location on the Malaysian island of

Langkawi, amid a ten-million-year-old

rainforest, bristling with ancient trees,

waterfalls and mangroves, as for its design

by architects Kerry Hill and Didier Lefort.

Now, after a tip-to-toe refresh – led by Lefort

• the 121-room property has reopened to
  include three new rainforest pool villas, a new
  ive-room villa with 24-hour butler service,
  and a dedicated nature centre. Meanwhile,
  a technology update, low-key lighting and
  a sleek understated colour palette enhance
  the guest rooms and restaurants where,
  thankfully, the food concepts have remained
  the same, with the Gulai House still serving
  its delicious beef rendang. And, of course,
  the landscape continues to please, not least
  in the open-air lobby lounge, which is
  still the best spot to sip on a cocktail or two
  while admiring panoramic views of the
  rainforest and the Andaman Sea. LH
  Jalan Teluk Datai, Langkawi, tel: 60.4 9500 500,
  thedatai.com. Rates: from MYR2,100 ($507)

Travel

ARTFUL LODGE R

From island retreats on sugary white beaches

to a serene stay in a London landmark, this

month’s new openings are waterside wonders

214 ∑