Constructive conversations

W Changsha, China

It would also be interesting for us to know what kind of ‘East meets West’ approach you choose considering the scope of your firm’s work. “East meets West” refers to refining the essence of Western design with Eastern culture as the axis; telling detailed stories to create design “resonance.” For example, we based our recent renovation of the Suning Zhongshan Golf Resort on its geographical location and its important role in the history of modern China. The property is located right next to China’s first golf course, built by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China in 1929. In the 1930s, this field served as a key platform for negotiations between Chinese and Western politicians. This is what informed CCD’s transformation of the hotel with a design that emphasizes the link between past and present, the intersection of East and West, and the integration of an elegant European style. We used the latest techniques to design this luxury accommodation, reopening it to the public after ten years of work. Such an operation must also include the skillful use of greenery since it enhances the guests’ experience. We therefore lined the road leading to the hotel with Chinese parasol trees. These robust, locally grown deciduous trees with their glistening branches and leaves provide the perfect respite during the hot months. The building’s entrance with its copper doorway opens onto a reception area adorned with blackwood paneling, a golden ceiling and a stone floor. The subtle blend of black and golden tones recalls the city’s prosperity and old-world charm. Even the octagon-shaped layout of the reception area is a reminder of the past since it was inspired by the graphic symbol of the Bagua. Attention to detail is also evident in the hotel’s restaurants and guest rooms. Here, the visual connection with the landscaped garden enlarges the space towards the outside, underlining the important role of the site’s natural aspects in the project.

What about the value and role of craftmanship in your work? Does it connect local culture to your creativity? Now that the structure of our lives is changing, our education, tastes, identity and other aspects are changing too. I think people’s needs for hotels and homes are no longer about covering their heads with tiles and having beds to sleep in. They care if a space has particularly strong natural and cultural characteristics. So, I think interior designers should consider factors like local culture and a sense of story. Take DongFengYun Hotel Mi’Le - MGallery, for example. The hotel is located in Dongfengyun Art Town,

Mile, Yunnan Province. Made of local red brick, the artistic, post-modern buildings have a dramatic appearance. The design fully respects the architectural structures and the local culture. Plain materials like local burnt-red brick, cement and clay were used to unify the hues of the interior and integrate it with the architecture. By using local red brick and drawing on the form of the grape trellis, the walls create infinite possibilities in diverse ways. Meanwhile, the characteristic local pottery used to adorn the space strengthens the sense of history. The names and design of all the guestrooms pay tribute to local art forms like painting, pottery, dyeing and composition as well as specialties and treasured objects, fully embodying the aesthetic concept whereby “art dialogues with everything and inspiration portrays life.” Please tell us about your relationship with Italy…and with Made in Italy design. I have been to many cities in Italy, including Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice. I like the humanity of Italy very much. Italian architecture and clothing all have a strong cultural and fashion heritage. I also admire Italian creativity and design. CCD uses many Italian products in their designs such as fabrics, objects and so on. WOWU Art Consultant, a subbrand of CCD, has also used Italian products like furniture, lamps and artwork. CCD also designed a faucet with the Italian brand NEWFORM, which was exhibited at the Milan fair. Other Italian brands have reached out to partner with us in recent years, and maybe we will launch more co-designed brands or products in the future.

Can you tell us about a few of your most recent work? Although affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, CCD projects are proceeding in an orderly manner, and many new projects are about to be launched, including the Banyan Tree Nanjing Garden Expo, the Hotel Indigo Jiuzhai, the Tang Paradise Hotel and the Hoiana Hotel & Suites.

Dongfengyun Hotel Mi’le Mgallery, Mile City, China

On the island of Crete, The Royal Senses is stepped on a rocky terrain, featuring measured, geometric spaces. PeppasNarchitects chose an open arrangement free of boundaries, connecting the inside with the outside and celebrating light and the sea. The interiors by HBA and Constantina Tsoutsikou give a modern interpretation to local authenticity

In Panormos, the Royal Senses Resort features views over turquoise expanse of the Aegean Sea, which the dry summer wind renders and intense blue. It elegantly aligns, in a geometric and conceptual counterpoint, with the rocky curves of the north-western part of the coast of Crete where it stands. PeppasNarchitects’ construction choices — as well as those for the interior design by HBA / Hirsch Bedner Associates and Constantina Tsoutsikou of StudioLost — borrows their logic from the landscape, both in terms of design and a concept of relating with the context that aims to highlight the local culture and its excellent craftsmanship, albeit in a modern key.

Located next to its sister property, the Royal Blue, a few kilometers from the picturesque city of Rethymno, the new resort in the Troulis Royal Collection follows the slope of the land in a series of structures distributed along six natural levels, at the base of which are common spaces, with the structures at higher altitudes holding 179 suites and villas. Accessory services, such as kitchens and corridors, are at the rear of the hotel, while the main services are in the front. The water features are striking both for their number and their contribution to the composition: private infinity pools organically are dug into the rock part of the ultra-luxurious 200-square-meter villas, the four

Owner: Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel operator: Troulis Royal Collection by Hilton Architectural design: PeppasNarchitects Interior design: Dome of engineering, PeppasNarchitects, StudioLost Lighting design: Foss Landscape design: Livingscapes_Mathioudakis Furnishings: on design

Author: Antonella Mazzola Photo credits: Nick Kontostavlakis / Globe & Trotter

large communal pools and the 74 private infinity pools flanked by elegant sun loungers and cabanas that seem as if they flow from one level to another like a single large waterfall. The buildings’ positioning and its interior spatial sequences were orchestrated to ensure “unobstructed views to the endless blue of the Aegean sea, wherever you are,” the architects Nikos Peppas and Katerina Tsiolaki explain. The intensity of the light and the perception of the surrounding environment are also controlled by the careful design of its windows and doors. This boundless, converging perspective creates the conditions for guests to enjoy a new kind of hospitality. They get the benefit of a private view and can reconnect to the environment around them. As visitors move through water features and olive trees, they come