The red brick building of Sheraton Pelikan, built in 1906 and converted into a hotel in 1993, features 147 guestrooms with 4.25 metre high ceilings and large windows. JOI has designed Sheraton with a blend of industrial authenticity with contemporary style and comfort.
The concept for the guestrooms draws upon the art of writing through individual elements that refer to the building’s previous life. The carpet design is evocative of stylised ink splashes floating on a background of hand-sketched lines while curtains depict a soft pattern of cascading ink spots. Three glass pendants above the desk lights from a Tom Dixon collection are reminiscent of the shape of a glass ink bottle, while the bedroom side tables have soft edges inspired by the bottle’s lid. Each room features a unique piece of art, an illuminated glass panel set into the headboard, and back painted with a handwritten quote.
Famous quips have been inscribed in the script of team members from both the hotel and JOI-Design, giving a commentary on the individuality of the handwritten script in an age of impersonal emails and text messages. Hand-drawn lines are featured in the guestroom corridor carpet design from one side of the corridor as in a left or right. The pattern of lines is punctuated with large stylised elliptical “ink blobs” demarking the guestroom entrances.
There are high vaulted ceilings, which gives a loft-like character to the rooms. Large windows let low natural sunlight to enter the room, making it airy. The colour palette of natural tones is themed around the traditional writing set of parchment paper and inks. Contrasting accents, such as the saffron yellow leather desk chair with stitching detail, add a vibrant splash to the deep espresso base colours of the guestroom furniture.
To match the building’s architecture, the interior detailing is minimal. The spaceplanning has been done carefully to create a luxury hotel room within a relatively small space, down to the angle of the bed and exact positioning of the TV.
