MEETING…ALEXANDRA CHAMPALIMAUD
RIGHT: Champalimaud’s designs for the Presidential Suite at the Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
now been commissioned to refurbish a
further twenty suites. “We’ve incorporated some new construction
details,” she explains. “For example, we’ve altered the layout so that now the suites can have three bedrooms attached – which is really important because some guests like to move in with their families for extended periods.” Champalimaud’s previous work for the Dorchester – which celebrates its 80th birthday this year – has been a sophisticated blend of Art Deco and contemporary glamour. From the sounds of things, she won’t be deviating much from this formula. The Dorchester’s signature marble bathrooms will be retained, of course, as will existing wood panelling, but schemes will be given a fresher, more contemporary feel. Champalimaud’s overarching ambition with the Dorchester suites is to create something quintessentially English. “The Dorchester stands for something,” she muses. “It’s very aspirational but with a certain quirkiness. With a project like this we’re simply guardians of the heritage, moving it forward to the next generation. Which is why we can’t fall into the trap of making it too modern or gimmicky. Our job is to effect change without it feeling completely out of sync with where it was before.”
A bit of a tightrope act, surely? After all,
if you concentrate too much on preserving a property’s heritage you might end up producing something that’s simply a pastiche of the past. “You’re right,” she nods, “we do need to be careful to keep it in strict balance – which is why it’s important to have ‘model’ rooms where you can see the new décor, see if it’s right, and tweak it if necessary. That’s the
stage we’re at now. The design should neither be too contemporary nor too fuddy duddy, because it has to appeal to the new generation as well as the old guard.” For Champalimaud, the property and its
history always have to come first. Her pet hate is young designers who stamp their signature too heavily. “You always have to honour heritage and the story it tells,” she says firmly. “I hate it when a designer comes in with a certain arrogance and changes everything to fit their personal style. Don’t get me wrong, I think extreme modernism and contemporary creativity has its place – like the work of Philippe Starck. I like Philippe very much. He’s fantastic at what he does and you can put him in any city – provided you put him in the right place. But I am quite taken aback when legendary hotels lose their identity because of a designer who simply wants to impose himself.”
Respecting the heritage is as much a
priority at Champalimaud’s other current major project, the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. Like The Dorchester – and also part of Sultan of Brunei’s Dorchester Collection – it’s the kind of place people have very strong views about. Change may be needed, but not so much as to scare the horses. “Of course you can never make everybody
happy,” she shrugs, “and I think it’s good to give a place a bit of a jolt occasionally. But the jolt has to be very carefully and subtly prepared. The Bel-Air has an amazing personality – it has retained its glamorous roots. So we’ve made the most of that, creating an opulence that is very much 21st century but at the same time inspired by the golden age of Hollywood.”
038 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
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