Impactful Entry Space: Mira Moon
In this Impactful Entry Space blog series, we will feature a designer or artist that has created an attention-grabbing design for the main lobby space of a building. Drawing inspiration from completed entry spaces around the world, we travel beyond the image by diving into the design process and concepts behind it.
Today, we feature our interview with Mark Davison of Wanders & YOO about the lobby design of Mira Moon Hotel in Hong Kong.
GPI Design: What did the lobby space mean to the building as a whole?
Mark Davison: A hotel is an opportunity to create a fantasy world, where guests can escape the everyday and the lobby must embody this. The lobby is the first encounter the guest has with the interior of a hotel – it is the start of the story and therefore is one of the most important aspects of a hotel. When developing a design concept for a hotel, we can be outlandish and playful, creating a space that is fun and whimsical to be enjoyed for a finite amount of time. The design is not one the guest has to live with on a daily basis but one that provides an escape from reality. The Mira Moon Hotel in Hong Kong is an excellent example of this, designed by Wanders & YOO around the poetic and romantic Chinese fable of the moon goddess.
GPI Design: What were your functional and conceptual goals for the lobby?
Davison: At the Mira Moon the guest can journey to the moon and back without ever leaving the hotel. Aspects of the story unfold in elements throughout the hotel, each space is a new chapter and tells the next part of the tale. The lobby is where the story is first introduced, and it must set the right tone while embodying the design concept. Functionally a lobby must welcome and guide guests through the hotel but beyond that the lobby has the function of setting the tone for the entire guest experience. The lobby of a hotel is that initial ‘hello’ or first impression and therefore is key in establishing the personality of the hotel.
GPI Design: How did you use specific design tools (such as color, form, materiality, lighting) to create the space?
Davison: The ancient Chinese folk story the design is centred around has many facets which were drawn upon to create an immersive sensory experience. The aim is to delight the customer at each and every turn. The characters of the story – the moon goddess, rabbit and the moon are represented by 3 handcrafted timber lanterns with pendants each symbolising the characters. Reference to the folk story also features in the images and the use of the Peony flower on the walls in the corridor, the carpet and the printed ceramic tiles. Other details can be found in the lucky charm feature wall in the foyer which represents the signs of the Chinese zodiac for prosperity.
GPI Design: What makes this space impactful?
Davison: The design concept is also inspired by the legacy and beauty of Chinese craftsmanship with the use of ceramic, carved timber and cut crystal materials throughout amenity spaces. These materials not only pay homage to Chinese workmanship but also relate to the Dutch influences and inspirations inherent in Wanders & YOO. This combination of Dutch and Chinese heritage has given the lobby a unique vibrant style with the twist of Wanders & YOO artistic expression, the uniqueness of the design is what provides a true impact when a guests first enters the Mira Moon hotel as it is unlike anything that has come before.
______
Many thanks to Mark for sharing the design inspiration for this space. Stay tuned to our next Impactful Entry Space interview coming up in two weeks. For more visual inspiration, follow our Impactful Entry Space board on Pinterest.
Image credits: Visuelle, Wanders & YOO