To view the shortlist, visit: www.design-et-al.co.uk
To enquire about entering the awards, email: awards@design-et-al.co.uk
(Shortlisted for the International Hotel and Property Awards 2013 for three categories).
Favourite/ key aspect of the project?
Underground: pop lounge bar & Lunaplex
Luna2 leaves the primary colours above ground and turns up the funk down the spiral staircase in pop! lounge bar and Lunaplex cinema. pop! Lounge bar is the ultimate underground designer den of dignified iniquity. It features retro shades of purple, shocking pink, pan-am turquoise, post-box red and silver, complete with view into Mondrian-ic swimming pool. pop! lounge bar was inspired by the funky yet sophisticated side of the 60’s, and allowed Melanie to re-create a lit-up dance floor that her architect father designed in his 1958 Domus house in England.
Pass through pop! lounge bar to Lunaplex, the ultra-plush 16-seat cinema, showing new and old releases daily. The hottest ticket in town, this unique Bond-esque cinema has ultra-cozy lounge chairs and Lunafood to suit the mood. Guests can sit back and relax while the Lunaplex attendant serves champagne, popcorn, home-made ice-cream, ‘Lunaplex’ popcorn-infused cocktails, and a selection of reinvented favourite snacks. The pop colour scheme continues with retro-patterned padded walls and carpet, and a state-of-the-art cinema system to rival the biggest movie theatres.
Why does the design work so well?
Luna2 design works well as it has a strong unique vision; Luna2 respects the past, welcomes the future and likes to have fun in the process, with touches of nostalgia, futurism and fun infused throughout. We believe that this is a unique approach to design.
The references from the past century – Lego, Monopoly, Rubiks cubes, Twister and other classics – are nostalgic, yet are effortlessly brought up-to-date and beyond. The familiarity and the memories that these references evoke can’t help but bring a smile to guests’ faces, whatever their age. This nostalgia is combined with the latest mod cons and gadgets throughout Luna2 studios (including iPods and iPads in every room, underwater speakers in the pool, 2 flatscreen TVs and 1 retro Brionvega TV in every room, wireless headphones), and plenty of touches of fun with quirky pieces that make you giggle…life is not meant to be taken too seriously after all!
Why do you feel that the IH&P awards are important?
At Luna2 we feel that the IH&P awards are important as a way to introduce Luna2 studios to the world with its unique cosmic concept and vision. We see great synergy between Luna2 and Design et al and would embrace this opportunity to present our concept to its distinguished readers, as we continue to challenge the norm in terms of hotel concept, design, service and food & beverage. The international recognition attributed to being connected to this award is very valuable, especially for a new project.
The IH&P awards also offer a great platform for designers to share and appreciate others’ stories and vision. Awards like IH&P recognise this personal ambition, and it is especially poignant that the award is from her homeland (Melanie is British).
Final thoughts/ any other information
Luna2 is named after the first spacecraft to land on the moon in the late 50’s. Luna2 studios is the second property in the Luna2 collection, with flagship Luna2 private hotel landing on prime Seminyak beachfront in 2007. Identifying a niche gap in the market, Founder & Designer Melanie Hall introduced the new concept of “private hotel” for this exclusive-use five-bedroom property, which offers the super-star services of an exclusive hotel with the intimacy of a private home. After these starting points, Luna2 plans to expand first regionally, then globally, with the Luna2 collection of properties.
Land has been purchased and the concept design is complete for Phuket (Thailand), Niseko (Japan) and Lombok (Indonesia), with further hot-spots being identified around the world in which to expand. Luna2 has long identified a niche gap in the market of like-minded “jet-setting Lunatics” wanting to escape the norm of larger resorts, and seeking more privacy and exclusivity. The Luna2 collection is a spectrum of cosmic spaces in key hot-spots around the world, providing the ultimate forum for its Luna2 club members, to sustain their high-octane lifestyles.
Thank you Stephanie and Melanie for your time.
To view the entire Luna2 Collection, visit: www.luna2.com