Thinking of a hospitality project as static
“I believe strongly in hospitality as being a driver for cultural and art-based” activations, says Mekhayech, whose firm’s projects include the Montage Cay in the Abacos Islands, Momofuku restaurants, the landmark NeueHouse Bradbury in L.A., among others. A mix of fixed and rotating pieces can be exciting, especially as more hotels do double duty as offsite galleries and unorthodox exhibition spaces. Champalimaud’s Elisabeth Rogoff appreciates this type of flexibility as long as it emerges from “an intentionally thoughtful process.”
Neuehouse Bradbury, located in Los Angeles within the iconic Bradbury Building, with Blade Runner-inspired art on the walls.
Photo: Courtesy NeueHouseForgetting to go with your gut and heart
“Art is a personality, it’s a feeling, it’s an emotion, it’s a reaction,” says Rogoff, who counts her mother and other relatives as professional artists. Merely fixating on pretty pictures can mean “throwing interest, whimsy, or provocation out the window. Complement the interior with the art, and think about what you are trying to accomplish by wanting to activate a space,” she says.
Getting too stuck on local
Many hotels and consultancies promote their local art programs, which can be a powerful tool to support surrounding creative communities. Context and project dynamics are everything, and art should add another rich layer to the brand and/or interior design vision. A mix might be best, such as Lendrum Fine Art’s deft curatorial work seen alongside Martin Brudnizki’s interiors at the Pendry West Hollywood. “If it ends up being local, great,” Mekhayech says, and yet looking farther afield need not be a deal breaker. Ultimately, beware of how the term local is bandied about as a marketing buzzword.
Playing it too safe
Each hotel has a distinct set of parameters, but art is meant to be fun, challenging, and push boundaries. (That said, violent or sexually graphic content is typically off limits.) With that in mind, designers should feel emboldened to experiment with materials and mediums.
Mekhayech, for one, has recently gotten into sourcing digital art, for instance. Designers need to confidently remember that their clients hire them for their eye and expertise—so don’t be afraid to expand comfort zones. With decor and furnishings, “We’re only going to put forward what we believe in,” Rogoff says. “That’s true for art too.”
Frank Stella’s Bene Come Il Sale (As Good as It Gets), from 1989, hangs in the lobby of the Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston.
Photo: Courtesy Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston
