The winsome ways of B+H’s CHIL interior designs
Winner of Best Suite Design for Hotelier magazine’s Design Awards – presenting the Royal Suite, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
The opulent elevator lobby (top) by the CHIL team used deep, regal hues in the carpeting, new marble flooring and restoring the African Sapele wood paneled walls. Ornate bronze gates (right), originally used to secure the King’s and Queen’s quarters during the Royal Visit, are a focal point of the 14th Floor Common Area.
CHIL Interior Design, the hospitality studio of B+H Architects, a member of Surbana Jurong Group, has been in the news with its knack for marrying class with a modern and understated sass. It has won two notable awards for its projects with icons of the hospitality industry.
Most recently, its interior designs for Fairmont Hotel Vancouver won an IDC Value of Design Award (VODA) of Excellence in the category of Innovation in Hospitality Design. This is a prestigious and national award bestowed by the Interiors Designers of Canada (IDC) for the best in Canada.
Engaged to update the luxurious Fourteenth Floor Heritage Suites of the historic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, the CHIL team drew inspiration from a former era defined by luxurious travel, visiting monarchs, elaborate garments, brocade fabrics, and royal tapestries. The design commemorates the city’s monumental Royal Visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, who stayed at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver during its grand opening in 1939.
“We wanted to capture the romanticism surrounding the luxury of travel and royal visits,” said Adèle Rankin, Principal and Design Lead at CHIL Interior Design. “The design language is rich, ornate, layered and highly detailed – a one-of-a- kind experience that honours the hotel’s history and reputation.”
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, known as the “Castle in the City”, with its chateau-style green-clad copper roof and gargoyles is an architectural landmark in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. It has symbolised grandeur and timeless elegance, renowned for its service and hospitality.
“The Fourteenth Floor is the foundation of Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s identity, and holds great historical significance both for the hotel and the city of Vancouver,” commented Mr Brent Iverson, Sales & Marketing Director, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. “CHIL Interior Design was able to retain the character of the suites while infusing modern amenities, giving the feeling of travelling between past and present. Hotels aren’t built like this anymore and we are proud to have invested in our ongoing legacy.”
Hotelier magazine design awards
Riding on the same creativity and meticulous story-telling approach through design details, Hotelier magazine announced in August that CHIL Interior Design had won four out of six Hotelier Magazine 2019 Design Awards. These were:
Best Suite Design – Royal Suite, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The magazine noted how CHIL’s redesign of the suite bridged the past and the present, while paying homage to the hotel’s royal legacy with the use of heirlooms such as the suite’s guestroom door. It was made in 1939 of English harewood with bronze inset doorplates. The bathroom (below) was redesigned in marble to give an airy, spa-like feel.
Best Renovated Space – Hyatt Regency Vancouver. The magazine described its use of bold details to deliver high-impact design; with a colour palette than evokes the metropolitan landscape and towering mountains.
Best Guestroom Design (below) – Sheraton Guildford (in Surrey, BC, Canada). Hotelier magazine noted that the CHIL team used geometric elements and an inviting palette that suited the timeless appeal of the client’s brand.
Best Restaurant/Bar Design (below) – Shoe & Canoe, Delta Calgary Downtown (Calgary, AB, Canada). The casual brew-pub concept was inspired by the 1830s book, The Shoe and the Canoe Or Pictures of Travel in the Canadas, said the magazine. CHIL had created a distinct Calgarian feel with copper and brick accents paired with natural wood tones.
Hotelier Magazine is Canada’s leading magazine for hotel executives and has grown and evolved into the authoritative voice of the dynamic US$16.4 billion hotel industry.
The annual awards recognise Canadian hotel-design excellence. The winners were judged on originality, creativity, aesthetic appeal, functionality of the space, as well as sustainability of the project and impact of the design project.
