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Blackbird Hotel: Hotel in Bandung Enlivened by a Round Honeymoon Suite Trio

By livingasean
November 20, 2023
CULTURE,DESIGN

/ Bandung, Indonesia /

/ Story: Phattaraphon, Kor Lordkam / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Nilai Asia /

Blackbird Hotel in Bandung remembered for its modern white building has undergone exciting expansion by adding a trio of unique round shaped rooms to its vibrant Indonesian country garden setting.

The new extension, aptly called “The Drum Rooms” for its likeness to a set of percussion instruments, is the pride of the Blackbird Hotel located in the major West Java city about 3 hours’ drive from Jakarta, the capital.

Occupying 200 square meters of land inside the hotel compound, the trio of round shaped rooms offer opportunities to discover stimulating new experiences in travel, comfort and relaxation in the form of innovative design in synch with the rhythm of nature.

Blackbird Hotel Hotel in Bandung — A river rock path winds among the trees and round shaped rooms set on the ground, standing back to back for increased privacy.

Built of wood in varying shades of brown, the three of them sit beautifully ensconced amid lively green surroundings. They are viewed as a unit apart from the nearby main hotel building.

Marketed under the name The Honeymoon Suites, the new extension project was quite a challenge event for experienced builders. It was built while the Blackbird was operating normally. Like so, every precaution was taken to ensure that nothing would impair its ability to perform business functions.

This was achieved by avoiding wet construction, such as poured cement or concrete, at the same time focusing on dry construction, which included materials such as wood and steel framing preassembled in the factory.

The new extension now stands out from the rest thanks to the unique building envelope made of timber in a beautiful mix of brown tones. The wood used in the project came from many different sources.

For good ventilation, louvered wall panels let air flow freely into the room and illuminate the interior space during the daytime. Each of them has a bedroom with bath on the first floor. The second floor holds another bathroom with a bathtub under multiple pane skylights with a view of lively green treetops and blue skies.

For harmony, unity and variety, the extension project also contains penthouse suites built of timber in complementing shades of brown.

There is more. Besides the round shaped room trio, the extension project also includes two penthouse suites at the top of the main hotel building. Built of timber and steel framing to avoid impacting ongoing business operations, they come complete with a food preparation area, living room, and a small balcony plus a semi-outdoor Jacuzzi bathtub.

From a distance, they add visual interest to the white hotel building and prove a perfect complement to the round shaped room trio on ground level.

A beautiful array of large windows connects the penthouse bedroom with the vibrant natural environment.

Taken as a whole, they evoke admiration through size, color, texture and well-thought-out design. And the result of all this: a beautiful piece of modern architecture amid nature’s peaceful embrace. A unique travel experience, no doubt. Swing by the Blackbird next time you’re in Bandung.

Architect: RDMA (www.rdmadesigns.com)

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Sep’on Heartfulness Center: A Stylishly Chic Boutique Hotel with a Narrow Frontage

By livingasean
September 14, 2023
CULTURE,DESIGN

/ Nha Trang, Vietnam /

/ Story: Phattaraphon / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Duy Nhat, Le Ba Loc /

Here’s Sep’on Heartfulness Center, a small-capacity boutique hotel built on an elongated rectangle in Nha Trang, a coastal town in the South of Vietnam. Even with a narrow frontage to the street, it offers 600 sq. m. of accommodation spaces with views of the city landscape. The design-driven wholesome destination conveys a great deal about truth-to-materials architecture, which holds that everything is used in its natural form — unadorned, unpainted, neither polished nor hidden.

Named “Sep’on Heartfulness Center,“ the boutique hotel project is the brainchild of 324PRAXIS, an architectural practice based in Ho Chi Minh City. Their main mission: overcome every challenge on the project site and come up with a small stylish hotel, one that’s full of character and suitable for an urban environment.

The result is a five-story building that’s graceful and chic in appearance. Its front façade is made attractive by small balconies accessible from guest rooms on the upper floors. Enclosed by twisted wrought iron balustrades, they give good views of the cityscape, admit fresh air and add natural light to the interior.

Such is the elegance of design that’s also found in several places throughout the five-story concrete building. The ground floor contains a semi-outdoor sitting room and coffee bar decorated with greenery that has become a popular meeting place among locals and tourists.

Hotel rooms on the upper floors are accessible via metal staircases attached to the rear of the building. They are built outdoors to give the appearance of a more open engineering structure, thereby showcasing the true nature of building materials.

Ground Floor Plan to 2nd Floor Plan Courtesy of 324PRAXIS

3rd Floor Plan to 5th Floor Plan Courtesy of 324PRAXIS

The same open-concept design applies to the roofed platforms and passages along the outside of the building. They are suited to serve several purposes, from outdoor sitting rooms and cityscape viewing spots to yoga workout class and room to practice meditation. It’s a calm and peaceful place to take a breath of fresh air and enjoy views of the city.

Even with its small capacity, the hotel is able to provide a variety of accommodations ranging from suites to deluxe rooms and duplexes consisting of two apartments. They share one thing in common — a design that faithfully represents the principle of truth-to-materials architecture.

This holds that any building material is used in a way that’s the most appropriate, while the method of construction is unhidden. Besides taking in views of the cityscape, it’s about bringing the outdoors into the room, thereby creating a comfortable ambience filled with fresh air and natural light.

Plus, furniture is kept to a minimum to ensure the room is uncluttered, safe and right for simple living.

Taking everything into account, Sep’on Heartfulness Center is a boutique hotel beautifully made to fit the circumstances that form the setting of the coastal city neighborhood. Despite the challenges and limitations, the design team at 324PRAXIS is able to create a place for board and lodging that’s stylishly chic. It’s a charming place to be next time you sojourn in this part of Vietnam.

Architects: 324PRAXIS (www.324praxis.com)

Lead Architects: Dat Dinh

Design team: Nguyen Ngoc My Ngan, Vo Ngoc Khanh Chi

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Goose Living From Row Houses to Charming Boutique Hotel Bao Long Office: An Old Shophouse Beautifully Renovated

Goose Living From Row Houses to Charming Boutique Hotel

By livingasean
July 6, 2021
CULTURE,DESIGN

BANGKOK / Inspired by pleasant memories of New York’s Central Park, Sarapa Vejpattarasiri converted old row houses in a bustling neighborhood off of Sukhumvit into a boutique hotel and cafe that blended the pretty looks of Tropical motifs with Modern design. Aptly named “GOOSE Living”, the stylish midtown inn was a reflection of her learning and life experiences after graduating in culinary science from the Big Apple.

It’s been a journey. Sarapa came away impressed with a vision of wild geese naturally living free against the spectacular backdrop of New York City. Hence the two adjoining row houses that had been in her family for over four decades transformed into an intimate little hideaway in the middle of a vibrant urban district.

The hotel keeps firmly to its concept – “Living a goose life (if you will forgive the pun) is about living happy, wild and free”.

GOOSE Living offers the opportunity to experience the excitement of simple yet chic living spaces. It’s a flexible form of living involving a new and innovative style. Situated on a corner plot, the hotel’s ground floor that houses a resaturant and cafe looks out over two intersecting streets. The result is a beautiful open concept entrance hall that’s warm and welcoming.

A team of architects from SIM STUDIO undertook the renovation project. Together, they took the five-story row houses out of their humdrum existence turning them into an architectural landmark that clearly enlivens the city’s Phra Khanong neighborhood. Besides the small restaurant and cafe on the ground floor, the 900-sq-m hotel offers 20 rooms and a bar on the top floor. As can be expected of a boutique hotel, each room is decorated in the style and colors that reflect the distinctive character of the wild geese of New York. Plus, all the living spaces are flexible and capable of fulfilling several functions.

The ground floor contains the hotel front desk that conveniently connects to a small restaurent and café. The interior space is divided without going full-wall, but by using different building materials from one room to the next. This applies to everything from floors to walls to ceilings. The focus of attention is the use of vertical design on the walls to imitate scenic views of trees in the forest.

To reduce the harshness of the texture of building materials, curving contours are integrated in the overall interior design. They range from curved furniture design to modular chairs that neatly wrap around dining tables. Besides increasing aesthetic appeal, mirror ceiling decor adds an exciting new dimension to the loft space that houses a restaurant and café. The restaurant itself is renowned for its menu with an Asian twist.

The erstwhile terraced houses come with design limitations, and hence two kinds of guest rooms – ones with a city view and ones without. The rooms with a view are positioned along the exterior wall. Those that stand as part of a continuous row have no access to natural light. To compensate for the shortcomings, the architects put a skylight in the roof that transforms all the back rooms with daylight and fresh air all the way from the fifth down to the second floor.

From the outside looking in, the hotel stands wrapped in a protective layer crafted of steel box tubing. The rigid structure characterized by regular lines and shapes forms a geometric design that’s easily understood. It doubles as privacy screens that make the covered area more peaceful and quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city.

Location: GOOSE Living
3/6-7 Sukhumvit 71, Phra Khanong Nua, Wattana District, Bangkok
Tel. +6686 978 6232
FB: Gooseliving
IG: Gooseliving
LINE: @Gooseliving

Owner: Sarapa Vejpattarasiri
Photo: PanoramicStudio
Design: SIM STUDIO
Story: Wannaleela

Amdaeng, The Most Romantic Hotel in Bangkok

By livingasean
December 22, 2020
CULTURE,DESIGN

Time and budget allowing, it’s not hard to find a Chao Phraya riverside hotel in Bangkok for a night’s stay. What’s harder is to find a place rich with art and an atmosphere that makes you feel at home while taking you back in time to an earlier age in the river’s history.

/// THAILAND ///
Story: Korakada /// Photography: Soopakorn, BEE+ /// Owner: Passapol Limpisirisan, Wiboon Lee /// Creative: MONDAY /// Architect: Anupap Onsard /// Interior Designer: Sutida Pongprayoon /// Landscape Architect: Sawin Tantanawat /// Artist: Studiojew+

This 10-room contemporary hotel with a taste of “Thainess” stands on 100 square meters in a tiny alley just off Chiang Mai Street, in the same neighborhood as the fascinating tourist destination Lhong 1919. “Amdaeng,” the hotel’s name, belonged to a fabled woman from the past and was suggested by the “Amdaengkhlee” on a former owner’s land deed from the Rama V era.

All the main architectural elements inside and out are painted vermilion: posts, beams, floors, walls, ceilings, so that looking from the other side of the river it stands out clearly from its surroundings. Coming in from the other side you approach the entrance through a maze of alleyways, as the scene gradually opens up to reveal a red building that seems to be composed of separate sculptures joined together to become one grand form in which the architect envisioned people living.

Inside is a restaurant with a quiet calm feeling, lowering the dial on the red, and also more masculine: The feminine “Amdaeng” calls for some male balance, so the restaurant is named “Nye,” meaning “mister” in Thai. The restaurant materials and décor are simple and straightforward but rich with art, bringing to mind the phrase “blue and white,” for the indigo-patterned tile of China favored by Chinese social clubs and found everywhere in old China. Up above is a fabulous roof deck with a sort of “grandstand” for viewing the river rising upwards in tiered circles like the chedi of a Thai temple. In the future this area will be a nighttime bar.

Guest room décor shows a mix of styles reflecting Thai as well as other cultures: Chinese, European, Indian. To recall an earlier era when the dominant cultures were mixing in a formative way, aging techniques are used to alter the look of the glass, the floor tile is dimmed with a charcoal color, antique furniture is used, and remodeling has added beauty and refinement to an atmosphere of bygone days so as to live up to the catchphrase, “The most romantic hotel in Bangkok.”

Contact: 12/1 Soi Chiangmai 1, Chiangmai Road, Khlongsan Bangkok, Thailand
FACEBOOK: AMDAENG
WEBSITE: amdaeng.com
TEL: 02-162-0138

Link: www.baanlaesuan.com/90546/design/directory/amdaeng-hotel/

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A New Boutique Hotel in Singapore’s Historic Chinatown

By livingasean
October 3, 2017
CULTURE,DESIGN

Embracing warmth, comfort, and privacy, a new boutique hotel takes up a row of six former shophouses in Singapore’s historic Chinatown. The beautifully renovated Hotel Mono retains the charm of Southeast Asian styled architecture, while highlighting the distinctive personality of Rococo-era ornamentation.

/// Singapore ///
Story: Weena Baramee /// Photography: Hotel Mono

An expression of art and the interior inside the Lobby at Hotel Mono

Its Rococo aesthetic is apparent in the lightness of interior design, cozy spaces, and the tall and narrow windows that speak to the French stylistic period. The gentle black and white theme on the exterior seamlessly interweaves with the lifestyles of traditional Singapore and the city’s urban bustle.

Loft style décor that is a component in interior design

A striking new landmark on historic Mosque Street, the 46-room Hotel Mono is an independent hotel catering to the needs of design-conscious travelers. Its statement-making black-and-white facade has been turning heads. The hotel occupies a row of six conservation shophouses, which have been completely transformed in an extensive refurbishment by President Design Award-winning firm Spacedge Designs. Hotel Mono was officially opened in November 2016.

The stylishly chic hotel presents an appealing proposition for discerning travelers – high quality rooms and service standards at very attractive prices. “We want to provide accommodations that are the best value for the money and a five-star service experience,” said GM Glenn Quah.

Besides charm and comfort in every room, guests enjoy better quality beddings, bathroom amenities and more spacious rooms, for prices comparable to the budget accommodations in the same area. Rates at the 46-room Hotel Mono start at just $160 net per night for a Double room, while a Family room sleeping four people costs under $300.

The bathroom ensemble reflects simplicity with contemporary flair.

Its bathrooms represent the conceptualization of a hip retreat for design-savvy travelers (and locals) – guests who appreciate the originality of design. A bold and contemporary design language is relevant throughout the hotel. Every room features a seamless integration of metal bars that traverse the space like lines drawn in the air, meantime, functioning as light fixtures, coat hangers and sculptures.

The boutique hotel celebrates the quality of being the only one of its kind. Due to restrictions and particulars in the floor plans of shophouse styled architecture, no two rooms are identical. Their unique characters are manifested in the name that affirms the validity of these bold and original design concepts.

Link : http://hotelmono.com/

Sekeping Kong Heng: A Boutique Hotel Treasures the Charm of Ipoh

By livingasean
March 18, 2017
CULTURE,DESIGN

/ Ipoh, Malaysia /

/ Story: Wuthikorn Suthiapa / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /

In the old town of Ipoh, a stylish boutique hotel named Sekeping Kong Heng not only blends into its historical surroundings, but also contributes to restoring all its former glory.

The history of Ipoh dates back to 1880 when Hakka immigrants arrived for work in tin mines and made a permanent home here. As mining industries continued on the decline, the once exuberant town was losing its luster.

A pleasant twist of fate, the waning days of Ipoh attracted the attention of many designers, who banded together to keep the old-world charm from disappearing. Giving it their best shot, they succeeded in bringing Ipoh back in the limelight.

Among the projects aimed at restoring glory to Ipoh was Sekeping Kong Heng, a small boutique hotel designed by Ng Sek San, an internationally renowned Ipoh-born architect.

The charming small hotel is tucked away on the upper floors of a three-story Colonial-era shop-house complex in the old town. The first floor is reserved for a famous local coffee shop known for a variety of Chinese-style coffees and Ipoh’s favorite dishes.

Its food menu includes the noodle dish called Hokkien Mee, satay, and spring rolls. Its existence guarantees that hotel guests will never run short of delicious foods and beverages.

To check-in, know that the entrance to the hotel lobby is located on a small alleyway. Sekeping Kong Heng offers three types of accommodation — standard rooms, a family room and glass boxes.

With its location, hotel guests can expect the authentic Ipoh experience. They wake up each morning to the heavenly smell of coffee being brewed fresh in the shop below. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. The same applies here. Come breakfast time, expect to eat with locals and like locals do. Time well spent is time spent exploring this and other alleyways a stone’s throw away.

The boutique hotel’s time-honored appeal blends seamlessly with Ipoh’s old-world ambience. It’s obvious the Ipoh-born architect has intended to keep this part of town like it has always been.

In the process, the hotel’s existing structure is left intact. A loft-style twist adds contemporary feel to the hotel’s interior, while patches of greenery adorn the exterior walls keeping the building cool.

The open-concept design provides easy access connecting the café to retail shops and a flea market nearby. The architect’s thorough understanding of Ipoh’s lifestyle is manifested in the way the boutique hotel is neatly restored. Sekeping Kong Heng now contributes in its small way to breathing new life into the old city.

Architect: Ng Sek San of Seksan Design Landscape Architecture and Planning

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Blog : Boutique Hotel

Blackbird Hotel: Hotel in Bandung Enlivened by a Round Honeymoon Suite Trio

Blackbird Hotel in Bandung remembered for its modern white building has undergone exciting expansion by adding a trio of unique round shaped rooms to its vibrant Indonesian country garden setting.

Sep’on Heartfulness Center: A Stylishly Chic Boutique Hotel with a Narrow Frontage

Goose Living From Row Houses to Charming Boutique Hotel

Amdaeng, The Most Romantic Hotel in Bangkok

Time and budget allowing, it’s not hard to find a Chao Phraya riverside hotel in Bangkok for a night’s stay. What’s harder is to find a place rich with art and an atmosphere that makes you feel at home while taking you back in time to an earlier age in the river’s history.

A New Boutique Hotel in Singapore’s Historic Chinatown

Sekeping Kong Heng: A Boutique Hotel Treasures the Charm of Ipoh

In the old town of Ipoh, a stylish boutique hotel named Sekeping Kong Heng not only blends into its historical surroundings, but also contributes to restoring all its former glory.

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