in the know

The bottle

Purist Gin \

Bruce Walker calls his Purist Gin ‘The Art Gin’. With good reason. Each batch features a label designed by an emerging independent artist. Exciting for fans of the gin but great for the artists – not only do they have a platform for their work (you can also purchase prints from the Purist Gin website), they receive a percentage of the sales. puristgin.co.uk

In the hotseat

Virginie Boulenenger, art programme curator for studio be-poles on telling stories in hospitality through art

Art has become increasingly important in bars, restaurants and hotels. When do you recall this shift first coming into play and what do you put it down to? The shift was probably initiated with the trend of a new kind of hospitality about 15 years ago: smaller properties, inns and guesthouses that had a greater residential feel to them and forced the larger properties and industry to review their offer and reconsider their approach. They realised that their identity could not only be conveyed through good graphics and marketing but should be felt as a whole 360-degree experience that encompasses a more global and personal visual impact on guests throughout their stay. For be-poles it all started with NoMad New York in 2010. Apart from visual appeal, what are the benefits of a bespoke art programme in hospitality venues?

For the guests, the experience is more intimate, residential – the stay is emphasised via the art journey. It’s more enriching and distinct than being in just another hotel room.

For the brand, the opportunity for expressing its identity and storytelling becomes broader. It gives the brand a new medium for expressing its narrative besides the brand identity, the architecture, the interior design. The bespoke art programme becomes an opportunity to invite guests further into the brand storytelling, giving them the opportunity to feel more emotionally invested and connected.