Business Central March 2024

| 95 T T Kelly Deeks ‘Design about storytelling’ The award-winning lounge bar was designed for Lady Naumi’s cabinet of curiosities. INTERIOR DESIGN Material Creative: Naumi Hotel Bar Wellington In the heart of bohemian Cuba Street lies the bold, whimsical, colourful, and intriguing Naumi Wellington and Naumi Studio Wellington, fit out by the award winning design team at Material Creative, who have added a number of awards to their trophy case with this project, including a recent highly commended in the commercial design category of the APT Innovation in Design Awards for the hotel bar. “Whenever we embark on a project, we aim to create a space that resonates with our clients and the end user,” says Material Creative co-founder and director Toni Brandso. “It’s a thrill to see our work regarded so highly, and is a testament to our client’s brief, their trust in us as designers, and the project team in bringing our vision to life.” Naumi Studio Wellington is placed in an early 1900s Edwardian building, originally opened by the Salvation Army and known as ‘The People’s Palace’. Material Creative was tasked with bringing new life and new design to the 116-room building, while emphasising its heritage features. “This project has broken down some more of the traditional New Zealand hotel aesthetic,” Toni says. “We are trying to deliver that unexpected experience. We love colour and we love materiality. Using materials in different ways is what really excites us.” Material Creative has curated the hotel around two fictional residents of The People’s Palace, the fictional character of Lady Naumi and her traveling merchant sailor husband. Lady Naumi is the hotel’s curator and she captures the zeitgeist spirit, thought, and feeling of the Edwardian era, the bohemian culture of Cuba Street, and the lifestyle surrounding music, art, literary, and spiritual pursuits. “Design is about storytelling for us, and working with a character really enhances this,” Toni says. “She became the essence and feeling we wanted to portray in the hotel.” Lady Naumi’s story was mapped out between Material Creative, branding agency Fuman, and their client. She gave everyone a solid platform to work from and a compass to come back to for a lot of the design decisions. Lady Naumi’s character weaves its way through the entirety of the hotel, creating a feast for the senses and captivating guests with eclectic spaces inspired by seafaring, the literary world, and the enduring love between Lady Naumi and her husband. The award-winning lounge bar was designed for Lady Naumi’s cabinet of curiosities, hosting her collection of treasures from her and her husband’s journeys, while also enhancing the beautiful Edwardian Building and creating a comfortable stay all day/night lounge bar. Corian Witch Hazel was used on the bar to create a warm, luminescent atmosphere at the focal point of the space. Material Creative had successfully used this at Naumi Auckland in 2017/18 and knew it was a tried, tested, and timeless material option. The layout of Naumi Studio Wellington has been flipped on its head and guests are greeted by the bar in their first instance, before continuing onto the reception, making the glowing bar a pivotal anchor to the guest’s experience. The 4 star 116 room hotel Naumi Studio Wellington is stage one of a two part story, with stage two, the refurbishment of the neighbouring 2002 tower block into 5 star guest rooms for Naumi Wellington, also undertaken by Material Creative and a dedicated team of consultants and contractors. The common spaces are created to service both hotel wings. CMYK Proud to support Material Creative to deliver this project on time and on budget • Painting Solutions was awarded NZ Master Painter of the Year 2021 - National Winner for this project +4 category wins • Winner Commercial Master Painter of the Year 2021 • Winner New Interior Commercial – Small to Medium 2021 • Winner Rework Interior Commercial – Character 2021 • Winner Porters Specialty/Industrial Coatings 2021 Commercial and Residential Painting Contractor in the Wellington Region 021 0323276 paintingsolutionz@yahoo.com www.paintsolutions.co.nz 0800 334 567 | www.gartshore.co.nz Photo Credits: Samuel Hartnett Building spaces where people want to be since 1956.

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