Description:

I was commissioned by Te Mataiki Toi Ora to design the interiors for a 33 room boutique hotel, located in 3 connected Category 1 listed heritage buildings in Christchurch’s Arts Centre.

“The Observatory Hotel”, completed in 2022 is housed within the original University of Canterbury’s Observatory, Biology and Physics departments. The Gothic Revival buildings were designed by architect Benjamin Mountfort and constructed in 1896, during the height of the Arts and Crafts movement.

This movement, defined by economic reform, a rejection of the industrialisation of design, and a revival of traditional techniques and craftsmanship inspired my interior design direction from the outset. A central idea of the Arts and Crafts movement and the architecture of the Neo Gothic period was to champion honest design that had no intention of disguising the makers hand or involvement. Where adornment and decoration are not only appropriate to the function of the object but are an expression of individuality.

I wished to reflect and respect the principles that are inherent to the original architecture of the buildings themselves and that in many ways are parallel to the ethos of The Arts Centre and its community to this day. I committed to engaging a large cast of local craftspeople to produce handmade, reimagined period pieces in a contemporary way.

In seeking to minimise the visibility of a traditional transaction and enhance the personal experience, I created a version of a hotel that felt more like a large private house. Guests arrive in the Reception Room which acts as a large drawing room. Against a backdrop of original pointed red brick and reclaimed rimu flooring a central arts and crafts style library table is piled high with New Zealand art, architecture, history, and garden books. Various seating arrangements made up of custom designed furniture in orange horsehair, yellow chintz, recoloured Morris, dark pink velvets and indigo prints sit alongside locally sourced antiques, lacquered black side tables, brass and ceramic lamps and calm sisal rugs.

As no two rooms are architecturally alike, paint was employed to highlight classical architectural details and to create a connective tissue between rooms and all three buildings. Each guest room has a distinct personality and its own entirely original scheme. They are richly layered, utilising the very best materials; velvet, lacquer, stone, linens and brass. William Morris was one of the most prolific Arts and Crafts designers and his iconic prints were an important historical touchpoint throughout the design process. I chose to include Morris fabrics in every room, pairing the original designs with wild colour combinations, catapulting them into the 21st Century.

Unique, oversized headboards were created to accentuate the high ceilings in the relatively compact bedrooms. The bedside table and desks, Georgian in concept, were made locally and lacquered in an array of vivid colours. Inspired by a retrospective of Gordon Walters I designed a colour blocked wool carpet in shades of blue, purple, pink, green, brown and fawn.

Through partnership with The Central Gallery a revolving exhibition of fine art is on display in the hotel’s public spaces. Works by renowned artists Neil Dawson, Elizabeth Thomson, Dick Frizzel, Leigh Martin, Kirstin Carlin and Emma Camden are located in the Reception, Sitting Room and Stairwells.