Design in Bloom

FG Stijl’s Colin Finnegan talks about his approach to designing human-centric experiences for mega-brands in locations around the world.

Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf

Colin Finnegan, born in England, has called Amsterdam home for 25 years and is currently designing interiors in India, Dubai (Palm Jumeirah’s Hyatt Centric), Scotland, Germany and Austria. “Globalization doesn’t mean that the experience of travel should be ubiquitous,” says Finnegan. “It’s through design that I try to make a journey a celebration of the culture I discover in each place.”

Under company name, FG Stijl, Finnegan’s work in hospitality was born with designs for restaurants in Holland, several of which went on to be awarded Michelin stars after the redesign. FG Stijl was the creation of Finnegan and his then partner Gerard Glintmeijer, who expanded their reach in 2018 with the founding of Glintmeijer Design Studio in Dubai, with Finnegan continuing the work of FG Stijl from the Amsterdam office. Their approach to combining style and comfort at the highest level got them noticed by hotel groups, and their first hotel project – The College Hotel in Amsterdam in 2001 – won the prestigious Hotel Villegiature Award. Since then, the commissions and collaborations have taken Finnegan around the globe. Vienna’s Park Hyatt, Brussels’ The Dominican, Dusseldorf’s Hyatt Regency, Hamburg’s Sir Nikolai, Munich’s Kempinski and Mandarin Oriental, including Matsuhisa, part of the Nobu restaurant empire, are just some of the hotels that Finnegan has transformed into celebrations of hospitality. Non-hotel projects include BMW World in Munich and the flagship Do & Co Vienna, as well as the Summum Private Jet Lounge at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and branches of Nespresso in London.

“Throughout the course of a project there are many site visits,” says Finnegan. “Yet the focus is not only on a hotel shell or building site. Rather I take the time to look at what is outside and around, and see how history and people, climate and culture, and geography might have played a part in shaping a place. Then I work to reference these stories through design.” In practice, this means Finnegan is able to utilize the opportunities that a new hotel creates by ensuring that, wherever possible, the materials and fixtures are locally sourced from artisans or companies whose own history is interwoven with the area. “For the Kempinski hotel in Munich, we are working closely with the 266-year-old Nymphenburg porcelain producers,” says Finnegan. “As the royal manufacturer of porcelain for the Bavarian Court, their dinner services have long been featured on the tables of the Bavarian royal family, who are also very involved with the hotel. It made sense that the hotel should become a platform to showcase the work of this company whose history is so interwoven with its own.”

The Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf’s façade

Carlton Hotel Collection’s new Market Street hotel in Edinburgh, due to open in late spring 2019, is also looking forward to sharing local stories. “The location of this hotel is a stone building, set into the castle rock, where granite and solid stone has been our natural choice for basins, floors and walls,” says Finnegan. “Each room has a different tartan sourced from a local manufacturer who I found on the block – incidentally the Royal Mile – and whose mill is located five stories below the street level retail space. Instead of curtains, you will find oak shutters that close out the city, for cozy nights inside. We are bringing these typically Scottish elements into the fabric of the design so that a visit to the hotel ensures people feel they are living in the location and learning about its history and artisanal crafts.” In India, there are two hotels due to open this year, where many pieces are being ordered from local silversmiths and stonemasons.

“Through design, I’ve found that this approach is appreciated first by locals, who are proud of the chance to showcase their own culture and artisans,” says Finnegan. “And then, for the traveler, these elements are nourishing. A hotel is an opportunity to offer a guest the most authentic physical experience. History and culture is presented in bed linen, crockery, fixtures and fittings, decoration and materials. This is how global brands – who are benchmarking service levels – can ensure that their presence keeps local traditions alive and makes them relevant today.”

fgstijl.com

Matsuhisa restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental in Munich

The Bank Bar at the Park Hyatt Vienna