1. First Impressions
What struck me upon entering the hotel premises were the chandeliers and lighting. I have never seen so many varying types in one hotel, from fan-shaped ones in Perspex at the lobby by Unolai Lighting Design & Associates, to an Art Deco one shaped like peas in a pod at Nan Bei Chinese restaurant by AvroKO.
The attention to the lighting in this hotel consumed my imagination and I had an unexpectedly good time exploring every level and luxuriating in the differently designed spaces.
For me, this is what immediately sets the Rosewood apart from the other luxury hotels in Bangkok—the asymmetry of design. No two public spaces had the same furniture, upholstery or lighting, yet they all melded seamlessly into each other and made you feel as if you were walking along the corridors of the same home. Well, that is, if your home were a modern-day aristocratic manor!
The other thing that pops out is the art and decor. From a pink-hued oil painting by Torlap Larpjaroensook at the foyer to a quietly humorous wooden sculpture of a man at level six by artist Korakot (aptly called “BTS Man” as he sits facing the BTS station) there is a lot of visual content to feast your eyes on.
Yet what increased the enjoyment of all this art is not their art gallery-like presentation but the opposite. The placement of décor pieces at the Rosewood Bangkok seems almost careless—a huge artwork is hung on a wall, skewed a little off centre, while a sculpture of a dog with its head shaped like a watering-can sits between two couches and seems almost wrongly postured.
Whether deliberate or not, Thai interior firm Celia Chu Design Associates got it right. The philosophy behind the Rosewood brand since it was founded by American heiress Caroline Rose Hunt in 1979 has always been about creating spaces that make you feel like you were coming home. Now, under its new owners (the Hong Kong-based Rosewood Hotel Group) this homely spirit remains palpable, and in this case, it’s largely due to the décor style that perfectly mimics the elegantly eclectic home of a wealthy nomad.