A journey into balanced oppositions

AB Concept’s design for the public areas of Waldorf Astoria Xiamen is luxurious and refined, capturing the city’s colonial history and reflecting it with elegant, contemporary style This iconic design by the international firm AB Concept was applied to the sprawling lobby of the five-star Waldorf Astoria Xiamen (part of Hilton). The meticulous interior design pertained to the entrance, concierge and reception, lounge, VIP room, and two restaurants. The design deftly conveys the allure of the historic port city, a former tea trading hub where Victorian-era colonial architecture mingles with elegant modern buildings. It has a European architectural form reinterpreted with contemporary elements, incorporating structural features

Owner: Hilton Hotel operator: Waldorf Astoria Interior design: AB Concept (Common spaces and restaurants) Furnishings: all custom made

Author: Manuela Di Mari Photo credits: courtesy of AB Concept

typical of the city such as arched gates, corridors with pillars, mullioned windows, and wooden floors. The entrance immediately conveys the feel of the place, with three high arched doors flanked by lanterns that make you feel like you are entering the portico of a magnificent manor house. In the Trellis Lounge — a grandiose double-height room— seats are arranged in small groups to allow privacy for both business and leisure. It seeks to create the feeling of being outdoors through large arched windows, interior balconies, and skylight-style lighting that recreates the effect of natural light. Marble, warm wood, velvets, green tones, and bronze finishes make this atmosphere visually lush. The reception counter, set back in a recessed arch is in shades of blue — evoking the nearby sea — and features perforated details inlaid in metal. An adjacent VIP room becomes a sumptuous space for private check-ins. Discretion and elegance reign everywhere, masterfully recreated in spaces with generous forms, using several partitions made of silk-screened glass with a bronze frame, like those in the meeting rooms. Textured glass is an oft-recurring motif: in the tall French-style arched doors, in the crystal ceiling lights, a modern interpretation of a crown, and in the towering chandeliers. The two restaurants also feature powerful markers of style.

In Peacock Alley, with a terrace and garden, a stucco ceiling with Victorian details, the delicately patterned wooden floor typical of the grand commercial history of this part of China, the internal staircase with colonial-style spiral balustrade, and the bar in marble with domed metallic frames. The entire space uses a plethora of natural materials and patterns, including onyx, marble, leather, rattan, and light-colored wood paired with antique mirrors and from a spectrum of greens and warm colors for a gentle, romantic, nostalgic feel. The Chef’s Table, which is particularly intimate, was designed by AB Concept to echo the culinary creations of Southeast China, featuring the use of jade, shades of light green, gray and teal, warm wood, and bronze details — including an intricate ceiling — paired with sumptuous leathers and contemporary finishes. A green lacquered door opens to show the kitchen where the chefs can be seen at work from the central circular table. AB Concept’s design approach is unique here

too, after having plumbed the local culture to create a tailored overall effect based on the meticulous attention to detail. Ed Ng, AB Concept’s co-founder, says, “It was a pleasure to work with Waldorf Astoria for this opening. Partnering with a name that is the embodiment of timeless luxury in such a culturally interesting place let us act as visual storytellers, integrating the history and craftsmanship of the local area in a contemporary interpretation. It is especially gratifying, in such a difficult time, to see a vision like this come to life.”

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