Project Spotlight: Fairmont Nanjing

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.

Project Spotlight: Casa San Pancho

On November 1st and 2nd, during one of the most spectacular Mexican holidays known as Dia de los Muertos, people dress in vibrant colors and decorate their homes, inviting loved ones who have passed to return and celebrate life with the living. While in most cultures, death is seen as something to fear and separate from life, this pre-colonial, Mexican tradition turns death on its head, with joyful depictions of skeletons and skulls and reminders that ancestors who have died live on in memory and in the lives of family members.

The artistic, whimsical energy of the holiday is seen in Joel Villalon’s “Casa San Pancho” located in Guanajuato, Mexico. With the help of the original architect, Francisco Moran, Joel created spaces for entertaining large groups and for the art, accessories, tile and textiles collections that mirror his life journey. Just as altars or “ofrendas” on Dia de los Muertos spill over with photographs, flowers, candles, and offerings to commemorate the life of a loved one, Joel’s colorful art and spirited textiles accumulated over the years create a beautiful ofrenda that shows his love for traveling and commitment to keeping cherished moments alive.