The Designer Edit: Sarah Dudley, Founder & Creative Director, Spacebrand
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We are delighted to have Spacebrand onboard at IHS24 and are looking forward to seeing their designs of the Hotel Business Stage and Dining Room come to life in October. The team caught up with Sarah Dudley, Founder & Creative Director, to find out more about their designs and what inspired them.
Tell us about your design for the Hotel Business Stage at the Independent Hotel Show this year?
The “Tree House” concept for the hotel business stage stood out as the perfect metaphor to communicate the Independent Hotel show’s sustainability values and encapsulate the idea of escapism, wellbeing and seeing the world from a new perspective.
What inspired the design?
The timber structure to the stage combined with an eclectic mix of furniture and lighting reflects a rather grand tree house made from scavenged and reclaimed elements found by children creating a place to gather and play together.
Tell us about your design for the Dining Room at the Independent Hotel Show this year?
The design for the Dining Room attempts to harness the balance between wellbeing and practicality, The “Den” concept is simply somewhere to breath freely away from the hustle and bustle to find a moment of calm. The timber beam structures house the soft seating around the central servery and dining area and create a contrast between “indoor” cosy nooks that are warm and inviting with more rugged “outdoor” elements such as planting and the woodland backdrop.
What inspired the design?
The Design for the Dining Room is inspired by nature, childhood woodland adventures and building fantastical dens to rest and take shelter.
How do these designs relate to the show’s theme of escaping the hustle and bustle?
Each design is a symbol of freedom and adventure that appeals to the carefree child within us all, somewhere to escape the mundane and every day.
Why are you eager to meet with independent hotels?
Spacebrand create hotel brands and interiors for hotel developers, and we are eager to meet with independent hotel owners to help them to responsibly build robust hospitality concepts and marketable brand experiences.
What sort of work does Spacebrand do with hospitality businesses?
We help hoteliers bridge the gap between design feasibility and product viability by blending unique brand storytelling with resonating interior design to connect guests to their hotels. We have developed a strategic framework to help stakeholders define their product, articulate their point of difference, establish their hotel story and determine the look and feel of their property.
What trends are popular in the world of hospitality design this year?
While greater personalisation through technology, instagrammable art installations and feature walls are among the most common trends within hospitality design this year we’ve seen more focus on Sustainability and Eco-Friendly design thinking.
Nature inspired and biophilic design has encouraged the use of natural materials that are renewable and biodegradable. We’re finding that we are specifying more sustainable materials such as stone, wood, bamboo and cork instead of synthetic materials like vinyl and plastic.
The use of cohesive design narratives within hotel interiors that are more focused on crafting a unified story and guest experience is another trend that is here to stay. “Lifestyle” hotels and a new generation of independent Boutique hotels aim to immerse guests in their story to make guests feel like an authentic part of the local experience. A unique design narrative is woven into the entire guest journey allowing the hotel to stand out amongst an industry chasing the same design trends. Hoteliers wanting to differentiate themselves look to more curated design to incorporate local craft and makers, unique events and more provincial F&B offerings, this enables these hotels to offer a more personalised experience and create a destination for locals as well.
Spacebrand is not ever governed by aesthetic design “trends” as every hotel has a different story to tell, understanding how popular design thinking can add value and make a hotel more profitable is very much the key to our business.
Join us at IHS24 and see Spacebrand's designs come to life. Register today for your complimentary ticket here.
