Nhow is an international hotel chain belonging to NH Hotel Group based on a disruptive concept in which each hotel is in itself a unique work of art, with an architecture and interior design cared to the maximum detail coupled with a disruptive art materialized through visual works of large dimensions that give their spaces an atmosphere in which creativity and inspiration flow on every wall.
nhow Amsterdam Rai Hotel
nhow Amsterdam Rai is a 4-star hotel designed by the prestigious architect Reinier de Graaf, located next to the Rai Convention Center in the city of Amsterdam.
In collaboration with the architectural firm GLG Architects, in charge of the interior design, I created the headboards of the 650 rooms of the hotel whose theming is inspired by the cardinal point towards which they are oriented (East, South, North, South West, South East and North West) and the culture associated with it.
www.nhow-hotels.com/en/nhow-amsterdam-rai
WORKS OF ART FOR 650 ROOMS
For the hotel rooms I have created 6 models of mural to be printed on fabric and then mounted as headboards and 6 models of wallpapers for the wall coverings and carpets of the rooms. The creative concept of a mixture of world cultures, which serves as a common thread to the imaginary of the hotel, is catalyzed in these proposals through compositions with a marked Pop Art style.
Each mural model shows a character representative of one of the world’s cultures. Each character is associated with a pattern that accompanies him or her on the walls and carpet of the room and “invades” parts of the collage itself, establishing a dialogue between character and form that builds an exotic and modern cultural representation.
ROOMS ✵ EAST
The first artwork created for the Nhow Amsterdam Rai project was the figure associated with Japanese culture. A geisha holding a pai pai fan floats in the middle of a background flooded by a traditional Japanese pattern, this pattern goes into some areas of the figure and merges with it, diluting the visual boundary where the figure begins and the background ends.
*The geisha is a cultural symbol historically associated with the submission of women to men, but the staging of this figure for this headboard is framed within the extensive work of experimental art that I have created around the symbol of the geisha, in which I develop, based on its most recognizable identity characteristics, a free, disruptive woman, full of power and personality, alien to any kind of submission.
ROOMS ✵ NORTHWEST
The figure associated with Scottish culture, with a markedly modern aesthetic, incorporates a variety of tartan patterns in the different elements of his clothing with which I developed a visual proposal rich in nuances and colors. The strength and vigor traditionally associated with this culture are represented through a tone equipped with a subtle “Gentleman Hipster version” style that brings a dose of sophistication and elegance to the character.
PATTERNS: Patterns for headboard and walls are intended to create an atmosphere of elegance.
ROOMS ✵ NORTH
The traditional aesthetics of the Netherlands, popularized in Western culture through iconic works of Dutch painters, is transformed into a feminine representation that I would define as “Hipster-PopArt”, due to the unusual mixture of elements and styles associated with both visual trends.
PATTERNS: The patterns for headboard and walls, with a marked Nordic air (which seeks to combine Nordic and Dutch culture) seek to generate serenity through a soft chromatic palette and an iconography that flees from stridency.
ROOMS ✵ SOUTH
Africa is probably the most culturally rich continent on the planet, a land where literally hundreds of cultures coexist. This representation of a female character (symbolizing women as the true engine of Africa’s evolution in every sense) is not intended to focus on any particular culture, but to express the iconic beauty of the essence and nuances that shape the dynamics of its aesthetics and idiosyncrasies.
PATTERNS: The patterns for headboard and walls are highly allegorical, both in their color palette and motifs, of Africa and its visual hallmarks.
ROOMS ✵ SOUTHEAST
My Pop revision of the millenary Indian culture is materialized in a composition starring a Sadhu ascetic, a type of monk who follows the path of austerity to obtain enlightenment and happiness. Through a PopArt transformation (always from the respect) I develop an iconographic character that stands out for its deep presence and feeling of mystical transcendence.
PATTERN: The dominant kaleidoscopic pattern on the headboard and wall enhances the aura of magic and exoticism of the composition.
PERSIAN CARPET DESIGN
I designed a circular Persian style rug for the room, which completes the room. Unlike the rest of the room models, for the Indian culture we thought of creating a unique rug, which was not based on the pattern associated with the room.
I was commissioned to create a unique circular rug inspired by traditional Persian rugs. From this concept, I elaborated an intricate design full of details and nuances that completes the proposal for oriental cultures by adding this reference to Persian culture.
ROOMS ✵ SOUTHWEST
The visual richness of the Andean culture, its music and aesthetics, full of bright colors and complex patterns, is the protagonist of the proposal for the Suroeste rooms. This representation updates the signs of identity of this culture, taking it towards an iconic and modern PopArt vision.
PATTERNS: The patterns for headboard and walls, in warm chromatic tones, seek to expand the initial concept of Andean culture and extend it to all of South America.
