design et al are delighted to announce that Katharine Pooley Design have been shortlisted for Hotel Under 200 Rooms – Asia Pacific Award in The International Hotel & Property Awards 2019.
The world of motorsport inspired The Cachet Boutique Racetrack Hotel, which is situated beside the purpose-built world class racetrack, Zhejiang Circuit, in China. Katherine Pooley Design were responsible for the spatial planning, design, furniture and lighting throughout the interior of the hotel. They found that an exciting aspect of the project was the incorporation of the building’s surrounding grounds and its unique purpose, which in this case was luxury car design and futuristic architecture. These aspects strongly drove the design of the project, along with the client’s passion for luxury car design and high-performance formula one motor sports. Furthermore, the interior design was also hugely influenced by the unique shape of the buildings, which were designed by the architectural firm Ridge and Partners.
The design brief was therefore to create cutting edge spaces through architectural design detailing, combined with the luxury, comfort and ambience of a classic European city hotel. Inspiration for The Cachet Boutique Racetrack Hotel was discovered within the concepts of precision engineering, supercars’ design and finishes, aerodynamics and speed. These concepts were then incorporated into the design details, which has created an aesthetic that is successfully both sophisticated and innovative. One of the ways in which this was achieved was through the use of materials and textures found in luxury car design, which were then combined with beautiful high-end finishes. A number of leathers were used, as well as embossed leathers reminiscent of those found in car upholstery, alongside a large variety of polished and precision engineered metals. The combination of these materials and textures with high end finishes such as beautiful slab marble, metal resins, veneers and luxurious fabrics created the aesthetic sophistication and innovation desired for the interior of the hotel.
The inspiration behind the design of The Cachet Boutique Racetrack Hotel made this project unique for Katharine Pooley Design as never before had they drawn inspiration from abstract concepts including those of speed and aerodynamics, making this project a truly unique and exhilarating design experience for them.
