One of my favourite things to discover in 2020 was the design hotel. It is also a big dream of mine to design one some day. Design hotels are hotels most notable for their architecture, design and /or furnishings. Design hotels can have the design as part of their strategy or may be judged as a design hotel after the fact. The Design Hotel is a celebration of interiors and architecture, often supporting the local design economy while creating a space that pushes the needle. As the years have gone by I’ve developed a list of design hotels I have to visit. One of the design hotels I’d love to visit is the Sun Seeker Hotel in Australia. I have mentioned it in the earlier post about Terrazzo.
A few months ago, after a brief but disappointing at a “luxury” hotel, I was thinking about designing hotels in Lagos. Off the top of my head, I could only think of Bogobiri and 16/16. The first I knew because it was popular and I had been to the restaurant. The second I also knew because I had been to the founder’s restaurant and stumbled on to it while looking at the restaurant’s Instagram page. I did a bit of digging around and I found two more that could count.
That brings the final list to 4;
1. Bogobiri House
2. 16/16
3. White Orchid hotel
4. Nordic Hotel
The list is short. I’m not sure about the rest of Nigeria but for a big city like Lagos to only have 4 design hotels- appalling. The drive to do the barest minimum and to charge the most is killing us in this city. Many high-end hotels charge about 200 dollars a night with nothing remarkable about them. I don’t expect the international hotel chains to drive this change in Nigeria because they are about big numbers and let’s be honest, the quality of service even drops once the franchise reaches the Nigerian shores. Although it is not unheard of, hotel chains do have smaller design/boutique hotels, especially in prime vacation destinations.
However, I feel like the burden lies on Nigerian/ African hoteliers and investors in the hospitality industry to commit to creating hotels that do become a personality to themselves.
Let’s dive into the 4 spaces that provide the unique experience that can only be found in a design hotel.
Bogobiri is a brand with lasting power. It is a 16-room boutique hotel located in Ikoyi that describes itself as Afrocentric and artistic. Since its launch nearly 2 decades ago it has crafted a brand for itself as a place to experience authentic African design. Although it may be argued that such is far from being adequately conceptualized and expressed, Bogobiri does make a daring attempt. Within the premises, there are gift shops, a gallery, and a restaurant and bar. The hotel was designed by its founders Tola Akerele and Chike Nwagbogu
Bogobiri’s experience begins from the gate. The gates have painted on and laser-cut motifs. The facade of the building is clad with brick, bamboo, reclaimed wood and danfo frames. The compound is filled with an array of greenery. The hotel also boasts of a rooftop bar with a view into the city.
To say Bogobiri was a maximalist would be an understatement. The dining area has terrazzo flooring and the walls are beset with pieces of broken mirrors. The walls are filled with art pieces. The ceiling is a mix of bamboo and raffia. The furniture is made from a myriad of materials sculptural ones from wood, metal chairs and regular fabric couches. The rooms are large with different design stories. There are rooms with large carved wooden beds, some with bamboo poster beds and even one with an Ankara canopy on the ceiling. The lighting tells its own visual story with various natural materials and found objects.
I think the most remarkable feature of Bogobiri is their shell bathroom. The bathrooms often. having no enclosure and having their walls entirely clad in shells. I think the materiality truly makes residents feel like they have come to a place to getaway.
Bogobiri is a lot of things, on a good day it should feel chaotic but the refusal to bend to rules on cohesiveness seems to work for them and perhaps that’s what makes people keep coming back.
16 by 16 describes itself as a design-focused residence and private meeting space. They take this ethos very seriously as they also serve as a creative incubator with artists and designers in residence. Within the premises is Thaithai; a Thai restaurant with a simple and tropical design that embraces natural woods, vibrant colours and a lot of plants. The food here is fantastic. I recommend it.
16 by 16 has 10 rooms with various characters. The most remarkable being the iamsigo room designed by Bubu Ogisi-a fashion designer. The room is described as a shrine to materiality and a space to celebrate African craftsmanship. This is exciting because design hotels sometimes have fashion designers and creative directors involved wholly or partly in their design process.
The rooms at 16 by 16 are largely minimalist relying on materials and design objects to convey the space.
One of their rooms is largely furnished with unpolished wood and the rest of the room falls back to spotlight the texture.
There are few pictures of their rooms online, but I found these on their Air b and b page
White Orchid Hotel is a boutique luxury hotel located inside the Ebony Life Center, Victoria Island. The rooms are design-led, combining traditional elements with a contemporary approach. The hotel is art-focused with a myriad of original works from contemporary African artists placed across the entire hotel. Each room has an art piece by Gerald Chukwuma, a Nigerian artist whose work speaks on the social landscape of Nigeria. The rooms are largely lean to an earthy and cosy scheme with dark floors and lighter hues on the furniture. Rain showers and vinyl players are present to make it a complete experience. As expected, wood, carved furniture, polished brass, aso oke, and cane make an appearance in the expression of the design spirit which is “African luxury”. I can’t but spot one of my favourite design objects: the Sisi Eko Light by Studio Lani.
The hotel also makes inclusive design take centre stage with its deluxe rooms being designed to be used effectively by people with disabilities
The residents have access to the cinema, Jinja-an Asian fusion restaurant, Turaka -a rooftop restaurant and bar and The Wrap -a casual dining space.
The hotel was designed by Tola Akerele for i- design
Named after its design ethos, the Nordic hotel is a boutique hotel chain with residences in Lagos and Abuja. The hotel is a celebration of Scandinavian design and its pursuit of restraint and high contrast. The Lagos hotel has 61 rooms.
The lobby opens with clean lines, warm lighting, and light wood tones. The marble welcome desk is a bit of glamour to the otherwise reserved lobby. The bedrooms are minimally designed with soft hues, large windows and contemporary and classic Scandinavian furniture and European art prints. Private balconies and reading corners help to elevate the experience. The entire space is punctuated with lush plants in service of the Danish concept of hygge.
The hotel takes its commitment to Scandinavia quite seriously as the suites are named after literary greats from Scandinavian countries. The restaurant is named Rye, after a grain that’s grown in Europe.
The hotel has an outdoor pool that takes a tropical yet restrained approach. They achieve this by combining Balinese tile with simple furniture.
That’s it. The 4 design hotels in Lagos. This is an expository post so I will not be offering any critique of the spaces. At this point, they are diamonds on the rough because we have such few design hotels. The hotels all seem to have a healthy amount of clientele and good reviews on Google so we know the market is there. In no way am I implying that good design is enough to make a good hotel? But, combined with good service, it’s a great place to start.
I wanted to put this out in time for Valentine’s day for anyone trying to make plans. I’m dying to know if there are any other design hotels in Nigeria. Let me know if you know any.
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