Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok opens and marks the debut of Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants in South East Asia
IHG ® Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, brings Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’ signature heartfelt service and distinctive design to the heart of Thailand with the opening of Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok.
Located in Bangkok’s Langsuan area, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok offers convenient access to prime districts such as Sukhumvit, Silom, Siam, and Chidlom, and serene views of the tranquil Lumphini Park – one of the city’s largest green spaces.
The hotel takes its name after Maa-lai, the traditional Thai floral garland symbolic of welcome, good health, and respect to honor guests, families, and loved ones. This art form has inspired many contemporary interpretations and resonates perfectly with Kimpton in Bangkok, where age-old traditions take on a modern edge.
Kimpton spaces and experiences center on its guests, offering an inspiring design that evokes curiosity, to forward-thinking flavors that feed the soul. The hotel’s design narrative was brought to life by P49 Design and fuses storied Thai history with the urban intensity of the city, by mirroring the relentless tempo of life in the old capital through handwoven Thai textiles and echoing the edgy eclecticism of modern Bangkok. This resonates through raw concrete, oversized furnishings, and metallic touches, and translates into the inspired design from the hotel public areas to restaurants and bars, and the artfully designed guest rooms and private residences.
All 362 of the hotel’s rooms and suites – including 131 serviced residences – are the epitome of design-led luxury, each thoughtfully designed with bespoke amenities and inspiring décor, promising an immersive experience for all who stay. Whether guests are looking to relax in the comfortable 48sqm Deluxe Room after sightseeing and shopping or enjoy the whirlpool jacuzzi in the spacious 320sqm Celebrity Suite for an anniversary treat, there are layers of detail at every turn.
Bespoke HARNN bathroom amenities, a VIFA Helsinki sound system, robes by Christian Develter for Tube Gallery and a curated personal bar stocked with bottled cocktails by LAIBA and artisanal local snacks are just a few highlights of the luxuriously appointed rooms. Suite occupants also enjoy access to the Maa-Lai Lounge on the 30th floor, where they can savour the sight of lush Lumphini Park and Bangkok’s characteristic skyscrapers from dawn to dusk.
First-class food and beverage programmes play a big part in Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants across the world. Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok boasts four distinct and immersive dining venues. CRAFT is a haven for brew lovers with a unique selection of local and international single-origin coffee and coffee blends, beer and cocktails, while Stock. Room elevates the neighbourhood grocerant concept with seasonal pop-up kitchens serving Thai street eats to have on-site or take home. Sophisticated cocktail bar, Ms.Jigger, presents narrative-driven cocktails while Bar. Yard hosts a rooftop barbecue with tropical drinks, farm-to-plate comfort grills, DJs and stunning city skyline views.
The hotel’s lifestyle programming – part of Kimpton’s DNA – delivers memorable experiences; starting with a morning kickstart coffee and tea, to yoga lessons with breathtaking views from level 41 and Kimpton’s Social Hour, where the brand’s vision to enable human connection comes to life as guests mingle with locals. The hotel adopts Kimpton’s industry-leading pet-friendly attitude and provides all four-legged friends with their own amenities and menu.
With connection and wellness top of mind, the GYM provides professional-led nutrition consultation, high-intensity workout classes and zen stretches, while the amaranth spa by HARNN is a sanctuary of serenity with nature-inspired spa treatments, manicures and pedicures. Guests can also enjoy a refreshing dip in the hotel’s outdoor pool which overlooks the sprawling green park.
For more information, please visit: www.kimptonmaalaibangkok.com
ALCHEMY OF LIFE, OPUS ARISUGAWA by Curiosity
The new and exclusive residence with CURIOSITY’s aesthetics has been designed in Opus Arisugawa, a unique luxurious mansion, situated beside the lush green park in the center of Tokyo. The residence is a part of the renovation project, “R100 TOKYO”, led by ReBITA, offering exceptional residences with custom-made interiors with over 100 square meter space and unchangeable value for 100 years.
The new and exclusive residence with CURIOSITY’s aesthetics has been designed in Opus Arisugawa, a unique luxurious mansion, situated beside the lush green park in the center of Tokyo. The residence is a part of the renovation project, “R100 TOKYO”, led by ReBITA, offering exceptional residences with custom-made interiors with over 100 square meter space and unchangeable value for 100 years.
The Opus Arisugawa has originally rooted in the richness of collaboration between architects and artists. And how a designer can connect the building’s image to the living space in a dialogue between the creations of various artists and artisans. The answer is to create a lifestyle beyond the resident can imagine. More than a spatial intervention, this is exploring the fundamentals that rhythm our daily life. It is a bridge between the richness, experiences of the past, and the expectation of future lifestyle. Japan’s landscape, architecture, and interior are created by the so-called: “selected views”, a series of life compositions carefully framed and composed. The Opus space is developed as a choreography, where you are guided through a series of such sceneries. This is not a blank canvas of a traditional lifestyle, but a thoughtful sequence of different scenes, stages, and situations that cannot happen in normal conditions.
The entrance is magnified by the composition of unique calligraphy by Shuko Tsuchiya, a representation of a bonsai on Japanese paper, reflecting in the mirror and creating a dynamic effect. The small andon, a paper framed lamp, symbolizes the welcoming. The dark stone floor with rough texture is a reminiscence of a Japanese house. The suspended volume reveals part of the interior and the narrow entrance in the right.
Artists/suppliers who collaborated with:
Ink art (entrance): Shuko Tsuchiya
Paintings (living room): Tsutomu Hoshitani
Vases: Shingo Ohira
Ceramic art (dining table): TOGAKUDO
Japanese paper (sliding door): Wajue
Fabric (bedroom wall): Reiko Sudo/NUNO
Meridiani presents ‘Storie di case’, the precious book that embodies the company's ability to create versatile collections
Meridiani presents ‘Storie di case’, the precious book that embodies the company's ability to create versatile collections, reflecting the personality of houses and their inhabitants. ‘Storie di case’ is a new book that depicts the various design solutions offered by the furniture manufacturer, founded in 1996 and led since day one by the artistic director and designer Andrea Parisio.
Places to live and protect our memories,
places inhabited by people and objects,
where each detail embodies the story of who we are.
Meridiani homes are homes with a perfectly recognizable style, yet ones whose details express the individual personalities of the people who inhabit them. ‘Storie di case’ is a new book that depicts the various design solutions offered by the furniture manufacturer, founded in 1996 and led since day one by the artistic director and designer Andrea Parisio.
For this project, the company has collaborated with four stylists and four photographers, each one having interpreted and immortalized the brand and its collections in different settings, adding a personal artistic touch. Four stories for four locations, each one with its own lifestyle, in which the innate versatility and ability of Meridianifurniture to interpret different contexts give rise to unique spaces. The interior design projects extend from the living room to the bedrooms, offering a complete vision of the home as a synthesis between interior architecture and furniture.
Context is what transforms a product into a unique experience. But timeless objects have a role to play too, outliving trends and fashions while bringing the character to their surroundings. For this reason, Meridiani has consistently designed its collections while thinking of interiors as ‘clothing’, something to be worn.
As such, ‘Sara's shadow’ became a tale of sophisticated style, a home with a distinct personality in which each detail speaks its own refined language, also through the uniform, the neutral colour palette in the tones of grey, white and brown.
‘The Light of the sunset’ is the realm of eclectic personalities who live amid sophisticated furniture and artwork, daring features and bold colours, in an exercise of contemporary design and comfortable spaces. The residence of the chapter ‘A whole week to themselves’ perfectly embodies the dialogue between interior and exterior, a vivacious space with clean, essential, yet decisive elements that capture the cosmopolitan taste of the inhabitants.
Marble, gold details and finely decorated fabric are the classic features of the home seen in ‘Milo's future,’ revisited with an au courant touch that balances rigour and lightness, traditional craftsmanship and innovation.
The relationship between rooms and products is made possible not only by the design of the furniture but also by the materials and the vast, varied textile collection, which has distinguished the brand since the beginning: materials that dress objects and transform spaces, creating unique, personalized results.
All of this made possible by quality, artisan skills, technical expertise and in-depth knowledge of the materials, which are the pillars of the brand and its collections, exquisite tributes to the exclusivity of the made-in-Italy products.
For more information, please visit: www.meridiani.it
IMAGINE THE ‘IM’POSSIBILITIES: BAMBOO
BAMBOO will present the work of ten artisans from Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, whose practices will run from 26 September through to 31 December 2020.
An extension of Crafts on Peel’s inaugural exhibition, IMAGINE THE ‘IM’POSSIBILITIES: BAMBOO, stems from long-term research into contemporary bamboo craftsmanship in Asia. Co-curated by Penelope Luk, Creative Director of Crafts on Peel and Benjamin Wang, Contemporary Artisan from Taiwan, the exhibition takes visitors on an interactive journey divided into three key sections that explore the utilitarian elements, contemporary aesthetics and traditional craftsmanship of bamboo. Each section draws attention to the texture, form and natural qualities of bamboo, as well as the processes and historical context that have shaped our engagement with the material over thousands of years.
Crafts on Peel’s first thematic exhibition
celebrates the reinvention of traditional bamboo crafts
“The exhibition is the result of extensive research trips and studies which continue Crafts on Peel’s exploration of Hong Kong’s traditional bamboo craftsmanship, and which reinterpret the connections between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary lifestyle. We are glad to continue to provide a platform for collaborations not only across generations but also across regions and cultures”.
Penelope Luk, Creative Director of Crafts on Peel and Co-curator.
BAMBOO will present the work of ten artisans from Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, whose practices will run from 26 September through to 31 December 2020.
An extension of Crafts on Peel’s inaugural exhibition, IMAGINE THE ‘IM’POSSIBILITIES: BAMBOO, stems from long-term research into contemporary bamboo craftsmanship in Asia. Co-curated by Penelope Luk, Creative Director of Crafts on Peel and Benjamin Wang, Contemporary Artisan from Taiwan, the exhibition takes visitors on an interactive journey divided into three key sections that explore the utilitarian elements, contemporary aesthetics and traditional craftsmanship of bamboo. Each section draws attention to the texture, form and natural qualities of bamboo, as well as the processes and historical context that have shaped our engagement with the material over thousands of years.
The exhibition opens with a section titled, Assimilate into the Environment, which traces the development and history of bamboo crafts for practical purposes, and how these have adapted to specific environments and cultural settings. Bamboo’s utilitarian nature comes to the fore in contemporary iterations of historical agricultural tools, for example, Benjamin Wang’s Lamp, assembled by a fruit tray, a duck feeding bowl and a chicken cage, which highlight the practicality and wisdom embedded in once everyday items, passed from generation to generation. The curatorial narrative continues with The Pursuit of Elegance, a section in the exhibition dedicated to showcasing how lifestyles and values developed during China’s Song Dynasty elevated bamboo ware from items of primarily rustic purpose to crafted objects of aesthetic value. Hong Kong contemporary artisan, Ting For Chun’s Tea Funnel and Hexagonal Chrysanthemum Pattern Coaster, and Moonlight Gardenia by contemporary artisan from Taiwan, Chen Yung Sheng, celebrate the development of finely-made bamboo vessels embodied in the traditional rituals of tea ceremony, incense appreciation and flower arrangement. The third section, The Beauty of Daily Objects, echoes the concept of ‘Beauty in usage’ by Japanese philosopher Yanagi Sōetsu, first articulated in the 1920s which upholds a belief that the aesthetic value of craft lies in its practicality. Japanese contemporary artisan Tamotsu Nishimoto’s Teppachi Morikago and Takezaiku Basket focus on ‘achieving beauty in life at the moment of usage’ and combining art with functionality.
A collaborative series of unique bamboo crafts by Cheung Foon & Jinno Neko, Chan Lok Choi & Dylan Kwok, and Tuck Chong Sum Kee & Lawrence Ting, will continue from the inaugural exhibition. They allow the public to revisit touchpoints of relationship between traditional craftsmanship and the modern world, and explore how traditional crafts and techniques can be reinterpreted and perpetuated in a contemporary artistic context.
“Embodying a spirit of purity and infinite creative possibility, bamboo is a material with an elaborate living culture across Asia that transcends countries, cultures and history. Linked by this shared cultural heritage, the artisans presented at Crafts on Peel articulate a unique exchange of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary aesthetics that immerse the viewer in the infinite possibilities and creativity of ‘bamboo’”. Benjamin Wang, Co-curator and Contemporary Artisan.
Crafts on Peel: Address: 11 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am – 6 pm; Close on Sunday to Monday and Public Holiday
Note: To minimize the risk of COVID-19 spreading in the community, the opening hours of Crafts on Peel and the number of visitors will be limited according to the latest social distancing policy from the Hong Kong Government.
For more information, please visit: https://www.craftsonpeel.com/
Public Enquiries: hello@craftsonpeel.com / (852) 2510 0637
Japanese Artist Ryotaro Muramatsu / NAKED launches a Global Scale Artwork Connecting the World's Prayers for Peace
Ryotaro Muramatsu / NAKED: the artist and founder of the Tokyo based creative company NAKED, INC., has launched a new art initiative Breath/Bless Project. The Project aims to install his digitally augmented artwork Dandelion in multiple locations around the globe to create an interactive artwork that connects people’s prayers for world peace. Although Muramatsu is known for his many works incorporating interaction and communication in projection mapping spectacles and immersive art exhibitions as creative director of NAKED, INC., this is the first time for him to present an artwork that connects internationally in real time.
Ryotaro Muramatsu / NAKED: the artist and founder of the Tokyo based creative company NAKED, INC., has launched a new art initiative Breath/Bless Project. The Project aims to install his digitally augmented artwork Dandelion in multiple locations around the globe to create an interactive artwork that connects people’s prayers for world peace. Although Muramatsu is known for his many works incorporating interaction and communication in projection mapping spectacles and immersive art exhibitions as creative director of NAKED, INC., this is the first time for him to present an artwork that connects internationally in real time.
Our world has changed in so many ways since the beginning of 2020, and difficult times continue. People all over the globe, from every background, wish fervently for a better world. It is my hope that our shared adversity will not divide us but will, instead, bring us closer together.
This artwork is alive.
As more Dandelion installations are set up around the world and more people participate, their many prayers will connect within this large and ever-expanding artwork.
Ryotaro Muramatsu / NAKED
Ryotaro Muramatsu / NAKED
A Public Art that Connects Cities and Creates a Network of Unity
Breath/Bless Project aims to install Ryotaro Muramatsu’s Dandelion in locations around the world. Dandelion is an interactive artwork that evokes the feeling one gets from making a wish on a dandelion. When the viewer blows a breath on the Dandelion installation, the fluff floats away, eventually landing on the ground and producing a new flower. Breath / Bless Project will not only install Dandelion artworks in real locations but will also have a platform online. This way, Dandelion can be accessed by anyone from anywhere in the world. People’s prayers for peace will connect both physically through the installations, as well as virtually on the online platform. For example, when someone in Paris blows their breath on an online Dandelion, the fluff will float to Tokyo and produce a new, beautiful flower at a real Dandelion installation in Tokyo. As more installations are set up around the world and more people participate, their many prayers will connect within this large and ever-expanding artwork. Real locations and the virtual world synchronize, as the network itself, which connects the many prayers, becomes the artwork.
The Journey begins in Tokyo and Singapore
In early November 2020, Breath / Bless Project will reveal its first series of Dandelion installations at multiple locations in and outside of Japan. Planned locations are Tokyo Tower, Shibuya Station area, Moomin Valley Park in Saitama, and Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. In accordance with protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, this particular series of installations will replace the interactive “blowing” element with a sensor that responds to physical gestures. The project will be offering special content such as virtual tours through Gardens by the Bay, for participants who support the project through its fundraising campaign.
Breath / Bless Project Fundraising Campaign: https://camp-fire.jp/en/projects/view/314807
The Inspiration Behind Breath / Bless Project
After the Paris Attacks in 2015, Ryotaro Muramatsu developed the concept of Breath / Bless Project, which calls for the placement of Dandelion installations at monuments of peace around the world. He believed that even sites which remind us of a tragic history could be connected with the world’s prayers for peace and bring out smiles and hope for the future.
This year, as the world becomes ever more divided in many different ways, is the perfect time to deliver the fundamental message of peace. “I believe that this artwork can bring out the kindness in people, as it reminds us of the pure, simple childhood feeling we all remember and can relate to beyond the constraints of race, nationality, or belief”, says Muramatsu.
“In past years, I have created works that integrate virtual and real, digital and analog; what I wish to offer the world today is an artwork that transcends barriers to unite people’s hearts. Flowers need no words. They are completely impartial. Their seeds fly to new places and bloom there. Through this art, I hope to spread this spirit, to plant flowers of peace throughout the world.”
How to be a Part of Breath Bless / Project
Find out more about how to enjoy this artwork from your own city and how you can support this global scale art project through Ryotaro Muramatsu / NAKED and NAKED, INC.’s official platforms.
-Official project website: https://breathbless.com/
-Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/breathbless.project/
-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breathbless.project
-Fundraising platform: https://camp-fire.jp/en/projects/view/314807
-NAKED, INC. official website: https://naked.co.jp
AMAN NAI LERT RESIDENCES BANGKOK TO DEBUT IN 2023
In anticipation of its ceremonial ground-breaking in the fourth quarter of 2020, the latest urban Aman Residences will soon rise in one of the most vibrant destinations for global travellers, Bangkok. Pre-eminent hotel and resort brand Aman has signed a long-term partnership with Nai Lert Park Development, a subsidiary of Nai Lert Group, to manage Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, which will comprise of branded residences as well as a luxury hotel slated for completion in2023.
Aman, together with Nai Lert Group, mark a milestone with a formal sales launch and ground-breaking for Aman’s first branded residences in Bangkok
In anticipation of its ceremonial ground-breaking in the fourth quarter of 2020, the latest urban Aman Residences will soon rise in one of the most vibrant destinations for global travellers, Bangkok. Pre-eminent hotel and resort brand Aman has signed a long-term partnership with Nai Lert Park Development, a subsidiary of Nai Lert Group, to manage Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, which will comprise of branded residences as well as a luxury hotel slated for completion in 2023.
Aman Nai Lert Residences Bangkok has been met with an exceptional level of enthusiasm in advance of its formal sales launch, which is scheduled for 10th September. A preview gallery of the residences has also been newly completed in time for the launch.
Nestled in the century-old tropical gardens of Nai Lert Park, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok will offer a unique connection to the rich heritage and history of Bangkok enhanced by the gracious traditions of Thailand. A haven of calm amid the leafy embrace of its namesake park, residences of unrivalled style and luxury will rise from its leafy canopy alongside a 52-suite Aman hotel. World-renowned architect, Jean-Michel Gathy, founder of Denniston and a long-time collaborator of Aman is tasked with conceiving a contemporary urban sanctuary of architectural distinction inspired by the stunningly vast Nai Lert Park, which has been owned exclusively by the Nai Lert family since 1915.
The harmony of the architecture and design, combined with elements of the local milieu, is a classic hallmark of any Aman, and this is no exception. At the same time, every Aman destination draws inspiration from the culture and history of its location. Gathy sought to remain faithful to the Aman identity, at the same time drawing upon a rich tapestry of influences at Nai Lert Park Heritage Home to infuse an exceptional and authentic sense of place.
Housed within a 36-storey edifice in Nai Lert Park, Aman Nai Lert Residences Bangkok will be built in the spirit of Aman and located on floors 11 to 28 providing a lofty sanctuary amidst the lush oasis of the park. With uninterrupted views of Nai Lert Park and the Bangkok skyline, the residences will be limited in numbers with no more than 50 units split across 18 floors. The one-, two-, and three-bedroom units and penthouses have a private entrance, offer an abundance of space, and most feature private terraces.
Residents and their guests will have access to several exclusive residents-only facilities. These will include a private Dining Room & Lounge serviced by its dedicated chefs, a Garden Lounge with a library and business centre opening directly onto Nai Lert Park, and a private infinity swimming pool on the 30th floor. A private Aman Fitness Centre and Yoga/Pilates Studio will be for the exclusive use of residents and their guests. They will also enjoy preferential access to the hotel’s comprehensive Holistic Wellness Centre and all its facilities.
Residence amenities will also include a private Aman Kids’ Club and a children’s swimming pool, as well as a private garden within Nai Lert Park. At this moment in time, access to space and nature has never been so important.
Also, among the intuitively selected additional offerings at the pet-friendly property are the Nai Lert Butlers, in-residence spa and salon, sommelier, chef and dining services, and “away from home” maintenance.
For more information, please visit: https://www.aman.com/resorts/aman-nai-lert-bangkok