design et al are delighted to announce that DAAA Haus have been shortlisted for Hotel Under 50 Rooms – Europe Award in The International Hotel and Property Awards 2018.
Macina is set to be the most luxurious boutique hotel on the Island. The 12 individually tailored suites feature beautiful, contemporary designs. Macina is a testament of taste, quality and luxury, reflecting the lifestyle of the guests that will be residing in these ultra-luxury suites. Designing a modern contemporary hotel space in the unique Macina building called for a strong palette of raw natural materials and a great amount of respect for the building. Each room & corridor are unique and therefore called for bespoke furniture & carpentry throughout. The materials chosen had to be strong in character, high quality and well balanced like the building itself.
Combining natural and traditional materials with modern clean lines, the design juxtaposes what is truly old and of historic value with the new details. The hotel combines amazing and intriguing communal spaces, large high vaulted ceilings, ample natural light and unobstructed marina views, a minimal design was enough to create a luxury environment. Daaa Haus team designed custom furniture for every space in the building that were then crafted by local craftsmen & carpenters. For other pieces, Daaa Haus worked with reputable European designers to source unique lighting and finishing touches for each room. Tom Dixon, Flos & Louis Paulson lights sit with hand tufted wool rugs, Scandinavian furniture and bespoke Italian sofas and beds.
Bathrooms are a stark contrast to the chalk white walls and Limestone throughout the building. Bathrooms are lined in contemporary natural slate, with large walk in showers, marble vanities and separate dressing/wardrobe space; some rooms feature a very luxurious standalone bath tub. The rooms are luxurious in size and appearance. Large vaulted spaces with arches, mezzanines float above huge custom bathrooms and historical industrial features from Macina’s former life as a 14th Century ship repair building are on view everywhere. Rooms and common areas are washed in natural light through custom linen curtains.
Apart from the vaulted ceilings found in all rooms the two main key features are the vertical connections connecting to all levels of the Hotel; the iconic lift and the internal main stair case both found in the heart of the building. The modern materials used against traditional Maltese limestone, create a beautiful contrast. Going up in the lift or through the spectacular stairwell is part of the experience for the guests as there are iconic views of the surrounding architectural features. The designers found a way to combine both contemporary and modern designs and create harmony between the two. Bringing an old, historic building back to life. The Daaa Haus team have stated that it was a privilege to work on such an iconic building, a one-off piece which featured architectural elements dating back to the 14th century, merged with contemporary design.