Florence Deau 
My last post about discovering Studio Piet Boon headquarters now brings me to the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel. Located in the cultural heart of the city next to the fashion & museum district and famous Leidseplein, the venue is Marriott’s first European hotel, opened in 1975.
Last Friday, I was kindly invited to stay over at this hotel and join the celebration of their 40th Anniversary. As you may easily imagine, I couldn’t decline the invite! To mark its 40 years presence in Europe, Amsterdam Marriott asked high-end design practice Studio Piet Boon to renovate their 396 guest rooms and give them a new modern dimension.
At Piet Boon’s headquarters, we got the chance to get a sneak peek of the project as the design team revealed to us the plans for two new guest room designs. As an interior designer, I loved that part of the presentation and was curious to learn about how the team had wrapped their head around that project. It was great to get to feel the material samples and have a look at the inspiration boards and the real sketches.
The challenge for the designers’ team was to create an inspiring and contemporary interior design that would revitalise the guests’ experience whilst providing excellent comfort with the latest technology. I have to admit I was happy to know that the traditional guest room interior’s look with the gold-dotted burgundy carpet was be out of the way!
So to sum-up : brightness, minimalism, elegancy & multi-functionality for the modern Marriott traveller. I really loved the low-key blue & grey tones, the soft concrete floors, and the mix of many carefully-chosen textures like that delicate Japanese-inspired wallpaper. Special mention for the pair of golden wooden clogs hanging on the wall : a lovely arty (Piet’s owl) twist embracing Dutch lifestyle! As for the bookings, you’ll have to wait a bit to enjoy these new rooms. The refurbishment is expected to be completed by early 2016. Hope I’ll visit again.
In the meantime … Happy Birthday Amsterdam Marriott and congrats on this collab!
xo, Flo
About the designs – Inspired by the ‘brutalism’ movement, which originates from the French béton brut, or ‘raw concrete’, the purpose of the new room design is to optimise the use of space whilst creating a warm and contemporary atmosphere in which architectural elements, refined raw materials, thoughtful details and smart space solutions form a balanced whole. A soft colour palette of white and grey tones builds on the theme and serves as a basis for fresh neutral colour accents and accessories.
Photos © Florence Deau
Many thanks to the Amsterdam Marriott & Studio Piet Boon for having me ♡
