During Chinese New Year this February, a celebration also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, BraytonHughes reminisces on The Fairmont Nanjing, a luxury hotel located on the top floors of the iconic Jinao Tower in China, which appears as a geometric gem against the skyline and features interiors inspired by the beginning of spring in the city of Nanjing.
Nanjing, China, and the faceted, jewel-like nature of Jinao Tower informed the design in unexpected ways. BraytonHughes designed the hotel’s atrium to give the impression of standing inside a giant 30-story Chinese lantern. Guided by the plum blossom tree, the tree of Nanjing, BraytonHughes laser-cut silhouettes of the tree’s growing and falling leaves into faceted metal panels. Behind the metal panels are LED lights that change color to create different moods during different parts of the day or seasons. In addition to expressing the profile of the plum tree leaf throughout the public spaces, guestroom carpets, and fabric patterns, in the spa, the design team captured the crystal frost melting on the plum blossom trees and the full bloom of the trees. The softer, more fluid lines of the leaf and blossoms help balance the building’s faceted planes.
We hope the new year brings newfound harmony and balance into our lives.
