Internationally-renowned hospitality interiors studio JOI-Design recently received top honours in two prestigious design competitions. The creative team was presented with a 2014 Gold Key Award in the ‘So Cool’ category for their design of the Hotel-Kompetenz-Zentrum (HKZ), or centre for hotel design excellence, in Oberschleißheim near Munich. The designers have also won in the ‘Restaurant, Bar and Lounge’ and ‘Floor Architecture’ categories of the newly-launched Finest Interior Award competition for their renovation of the JW Marriott Cannes.
“We are thrilled to have been honoured on a global scale with awards that recognise high quality interior design ‘Made in Germany'”, says Peter Joehnk, co-managing director of JOI-Design. “I want to emphasise that this success is shared by the team of ‘JOI-Design’, with Wiebke Biss as Project Manager for the JW Marriott Cannes and Heinrich Böhm for the Hotel-Kompetenz-Zentrum.”
Gold Key Award
For the 34th Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design, sponsored by Boutique Design and HOTELS magazines and part of the annual BDNY and IHMRS trade fairs in NYC, a panel of nine industry experts considered entries from around the world and conferred the “So Cool” accolade upon the Hamburg-based studio.
The prize was bestowed for the team’s innovative transformation of over 1000m2 of floor space into HKZ, a curated gallery of ideas for hotel design from which professionals such as hotel developers, operators and managers can “shop” amongst diverse concepts and test a range of products for guestrooms, corridors, and public areas. In addition to spaceplanning the overall flow and coordination of the permanent exhibition, JOI-Design developed each space’s design from concept through to installation. The gallery floor reveals eleven diverse guestroom scenarios ranging from a comfortable three-star setting to an opulent five-star suite, as well as a large reception area plus a working bar and café.
The ability to compare so many different set-ups side-by-side helps hoteliers discover what is best for their own properties. An extensive library of materials enables an array of patterns, palettes and innovations in carpeting, wallpaper, tiles, etc… to not only be seen and touched, but to be instantly trialled in situ whilst exploring a wealth of combinations. This mix of diversity and ease guarantees an optimal decision-making method for investors, operators and hoteliers.
Finest Interior Award
The Finest Interior Award competition was launched this year by Danish furnishing company BoConcept to recognise creativity in planning and implementing new or revitalised designs. During the inaugural ceremony at the Royal Danish Embassy in Berlin, JOI-Design was honoured with the “Restaurant, Bar and Lounge” and “Floor Architecture” awards for their stylish modernisation of the JW Marriott Cannes.
JOI-Design was charged with re-establishing this hotel’s reputation as the place to see and be seen amongst the international jet-set in this glamorous destination. Located on the famed Promenade de la Croisette, the site is the former home of the Palais des Festivals, which was originally constructed in 1949 to host the Cannes International Film Festival.
The clean lines of the current building’s 1980s architecture have been carried into the new interior design. Tasteful elegance is expressed through pure materials, expert craftsmanship, refined details, intriguing finishes and an understated palette of greys, chocolate, charcoal and ivory accented with warm golden tones.
The bar itself is a statement piece of sculptural curves finished in Macassar Ebony timber and burnished gold, with glass pendant lights above adding a flattering ambience. Plush white leather seating at the high-gloss Champagne tables contrasts with the dark grey marble flooring, and an adjacent wall displays am imaginatively designed wine rack feature with bottles suspended within delicate rose-gold mesh.
The bar and lobby’s shared seating area opens onto an impressive five-storey “temple” of glamour, a dramatic, illuminated sculpture made from delicate gold leaves that cascade 20 metres into the centre.
The “Floor Architecture” award was bestowed for the designers’ clever use of flooring materials. Enlivened by a pattern of golden palm fronds, chocolate brown carpet defines the seating space. Inlaid bronze “meridian lines” sweep through the carpeting and the surrounding polished marble floor to strengthen the sense of connection between the areas.
“Designing the JW Marriott Cannes was such a joy”, explains Corinna Kretschmar-Joehnk, co- managing director of JOI-Design. “In a locale where seeing and being seen is an activity in itself, we have shaped its atmosphere so that both the glitterati and the star-gazers will feel cared for and immersed in luxury. We are delighted that our accomplishment has been honoured with two Finest Interior Awards.”
