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The use of colour in interiors has, of course, never really gone away. There has been an emphasis on 'minimalism' that has not really been minimalist, simply bleak. Minimalism was all about balancing empty against intense, purity of shape and form and a specific kind of aesthetic. In hotels it was reduced to cheap - less is less as it were. Now an era of colour and pattern is upon us, with the digitisation of the production of wallpapers and fabrics allowing full creative freedom for designers. There is a return of the idea that hotel interiors should create drama, and a sense of place.
London's Arch hotel uses wallpaper just on the bedhead wall, a favorite technique now for designers seeking to add drama to a room. Colour use is restrained and refined but very effective
Lighting is changing rapidly, partly because of concerns about energy consumption, and the introduction of LED lighting is becoming a game changer. This gives a freedom to the designer and a purity of light almost unknown before. As the cost and rarity both disappear from the equation, the LED will become the dominant format and hotel energy bills will plummet. The ability to paint with light combined with digitally dyed carpets and digitally printed wallpapers and fabrics gives an unprecedented freedom to designers.
Like all freedom however, it comes with a set of rules. Colour and light can change the perception of space, and in an attempt to nail down 'advancing' or 'recessive' colour, and to see how lighting can change depth perception I knocked up a little 'light modulator'.
The 'modulator' had movable partitions, into which I could project light, whether white or coloured, to see the effects it had on the perception of space. By photographing onto slides (which were scanned for this article) I was able to project the imagery and play with it, as I shall explain. First published in the DesignClub on 15th Mar 2010This and other advance news articles, together with our ‘Ask the Experts’ column and our photo Gallery of hotel interiors, are available for an annual subscription of less than £1 a week. Sign up here for immediate access.
Shine white light behind the front plane and the space perception changes, lightest tending to be in front. Overlap plays a part in depth perception, as does size (it matters)
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LED lighting at Andels Hotel, Lodz. Colour changes periodically and imagery is also projected onto the walls. The holes punch through to let daylight into the heart ofthe building - here looking down into the conference breakout area
With white light shone straight onto the front - lightest in front, others disappearing into darkness, classic depth clues in tone
Each cut-out hexagon retains its triangle in a different position, making a solid across all the plates
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