HOTEL REVIEW
ABOVE LEFT: The Scottish inspired Castle Peak Suite ABOVE RIGHT: The Lido suite features black lacquer furniture with gold accents
furnishings with delicate gold accents an allusion to the classic furniture found in well-to-do Hong Kong homes. The Lido Suite is an indulgent manifestation of bold black and gold, fashioned with classic Chinese black lacquer furniture, balanced by fine gold accents. Sleeper stayed in The D’Aguilar Suite, described by Yeo as “pure Regency... Chinoiserie gone mad” featuring deep orange- gold Ming Dynasty Court murals on wall panels throughout the room. Other suites have an Art Deco feel, such as
The Aldridge suite, with its lush aubergine- black carpets, velvet hand stitched wall panels, silverleaf bedhead, marble bathroom, and black crystal pelmets. The Pui O Suite pays tribute to 1930s Shanghai with its dark stained wooden flooring, Art Deco furnishing and stained glass panelling, cut glass table lamps, and oversized writing desk. The most modern design is to be found in the Casam Suite, a contemporary ode to Hong Kong’s growing pop art market, with boldly coloured paintings and larger than life statues. A painting sequence of Mao Tse Tung chewing bubble gum, and a large white sculpture of a handstanding pig are among
many modern Chinese art-inspired pieces on display.
More eclectic influences are evident elsewhere. Billowing white lace curtains, elegant Louis XIV white furniture and hand-crafted wood paneling combine in the Silvermine suite. The Scottish-inspired Castle Peak suite has deep, dark hardwood floors, and a foyer that features a hand painted library wall mural. Monochrome thistle- patterned wall fabric from Paris and an antler chandelier reference the Scottish descendants of Hong Kong’s founding colonial fathers. The design influences on the various restaurants and bars are similarly eclectic. Loong Toh Yuen, the Cantonese dining restaurant, also draws on the Regency / Chinoiserie theme with four beautifully designed dining areas, including two private dining rooms. The first room recreates the hustle and bustle of 1930s Hong Kong and its tea house culture, replete with Art Deco mirrors, a fireplace and a ‘pawn shop’ style bar counter. Adjacent to this is the Yuen Yue Heen Suite, an exclusive private-dining room, and an open courtyard called 50 Pigeons – a name inspired by the carrier pigeon
100 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2010 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM
houses mounted on the courtyard wall, the traditional home for the pigeons used to carry messages to boats on the harbour during the days when the Marine Police still occupied the building, before the invention of the radio. The main dining room draws upon Hong Kong’s colonial past and is inspired by design elements found in King George IV’s Chinoiserie library in The Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Oriental hand-carved wood panels, each individually designed and crafted, sit atop delicate traditional Chinese screens. The dining room also eschews typical Chinese lanterns in lieu of English-style oriental glass lamps with jade medallions above luxurious Chinese silk tassels. The Mariners’ Rest pub was once the
drinking establishment of the Marine Police and is one of Hong Kong’s oldest bars with a history stretching back over a century. Memorabilia and old photographs from the archives of the Marine Police now adorn the walls. Three original jail cells dating from 1881 where pirates, smugglers and other ruffians were once held captive, have been reinvented as private booths. St. George is the complex’s signature
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188