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Bedroom in the old part of the building works well and is romantic with the beams echoing the past and history. Click for the contemporary bathroom with its walk in shower, soaking tub and double wash hand basin
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Whilst the architect has managed to flood the building with light throughout, it seems that the interior designer's touch has become less assured as the guest moves away from the public areas. Areas around the lift access are treated uncertainly with lighting used with seating areas in a way that fails to invite or convince.
Bedrooms are a mix of somewhat heavy furniture, almost a pastiche of the Biedermeyer style and with unnecessary pieces that embellish without improving or adding a sense of 'over the top' luxury, such as the TV boxes, which remind me of my grandmother's mantelpiece.
Wallpaper too is harsh in contrast, lacking the subtlety of the handling of the public areas, or the confidence of the modern bar, and this uncertainty is compounded by the use of fairly anaemic contemporary rug design in the suites as attempted contrast. Similarly the use of a papered panel behind the bedhead fails to carry the luxury feel that could perhaps be achieved using something else such as leather. This lack of confidence in handling luxury is emphasised by the use of cheap reproductions of the grand masters, all at the wrong scale. See our Review of the boutique Marquis in Paris to see how this can work. Overall then whilst the bedrooms are luxurious they disappoint, failing to have the sense of style that is carried by the public areas.
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Standard bedrooms are generous with their space. Click to see the bedroom of a suite which has roof terrace, dressing room etc.
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Preserved fireplaces and plasterwork feature in the suites. Click to see the luxury of a standard bathroom with walk in shower, soaking tub etc..
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Bathrooms on the other hand generally work very well, and this designer is much more confident with the contemporary styling appropriate here than they are handling the bedrooms.
Some bedrooms have listed deep plaster work ceilings dating back to the 15th century. The rich plasterwork is breathtakingly beautiful in these rooms, which are suites, and each has its fireplace and dressing room as well as large bathrooms. However again within the decorative elements there are dissonant notes. Traditional furniture and bed treatment match the ceilings but there is then an uneasy contrast with the contemporary rugs chosen for the floor which lack enough drama to make a statement and subside into anonymity. Not only does the design not work visually but one has to ask why something more traditional was not chosen - or taken to another extreme and made more surreal to contrast, animal hide for example, or poodleskin perhaps to echo the garden sculture?
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Kempinski Dukes Palace
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