Bellagio Shanghai remodel from WATG

WATG, the world’s leading hospitality design firm and Wimberly Interiors, the interior design studio of WATG, reveal the spectacular design of the new Bellagio Shanghai, Bellagio’s first ever hotel outside of North America. Wimberly Interiors worked alongside the Bellagio brand to raise the bar of ultra-luxury hotel design in Shanghai, China’s most opulent and vibrant city, known as ‘The Paris of the East,’ and ‘the New York of the West’.

BCFA members Lasvit and Decca were also highly involved in this project – read on to hear from them too…

“The architectural style is a fitting gesture to the neo-classical buildings across the Suzhou River but the Bellagio still maintains a contemporary appeal due to the clean, crisp and subdued geometric lines of its Art Deco style.” – Roger Gaspar, Associate Vice President and Senior Project Designer, WATG.

WATG and Wimberly Interiors’ sensitive yet dynamic design approach balances the cultural and architectural heritage of Shanghai with the next generation of luxury hotels. Clad in warm beige granite stone and accented with bronze metal and stone ornamental elements, the architecture is a reference to its location near The Bund district, where the buildings exude the elegance and glamour of the city’s period of greatest cosmopolitan excess – the 1930s.

“The design for Bellagio Shanghai is expressed through the lens of couture fashion, with reinterpreted silhouettes, textures and embellishments. We are thrilled to be part of such a monumental project for Bellagio and Shanghai.” – Oz Ekviriyakul, Associate Vice President and Creative Director, Wimberly Interiors.

At its southern side, the ten-storey hotel follows the direction of the adjacent Suzhou River in a rhythmic movement of stepped façades and vertical towers. The towers and grand porte cochère are punctuated by a procession of elegant Art Deco-inspired columns, while a signature tower highlights the front corner of the building. The 162 guestrooms and 22 suites have been meticulously designed to maximise the panoramic views of the Pudong skyline and famous waterfront. The focal point of the hotel’s interior is the decadent lobby. The impressive grand staircase, handcrafted with Italian white marble, is highlighted by a chandelier constructed from precious Czech crystals. The colour palette features a dramatic contrast of creams and blacks, stylishly accented with champagne-coloured details and bold emerald fabrics. The grand staircase leads to a four-storey atrium and multi-function events space that utilises wrap-around LED technology, allowing for a fully immersive events experience.

The hotel is complemented by a contemporary-designed all-day brasserie and a multi-level Chinese restaurant, complete with vintage steamer trunks and signature red chandeliers. WATG and Wimberly Interiors’ design for Bellagio Shanghai also encompasses over 2,000-square meters of retail space; a spectacular ballroom opening onto a stunning three-storey high, cascading crystal waterfall chandelier; a rooftop viewing lounge; a lavish spa with a stunning indoor pool and fitness facilities.

Others involved in this project were: Taiping (Carpet), Baccarat (feature accessory in main areas), Garret Leather, Innovasia (fabric distributor) and Diamond Life (Chinese Custom Lighting Manufacturer).

Lasvit

LASVIT glassblowers worked five months to cover the ceiling which stretches to a full 350 square meters. Under the designers’ supervision, LASVIT glassblowers created myriad flowers adorned by heart-shaped leaves. The glass meadow, which plays in the shades of violet and pink, is composed of almost 1500 components and  when you step into the room and look up, it’s like walking right into a child’s dream – a little girl’s fairytale fantasy, as innocent as it gets.

Small lights are placed inside the bole in the middle of the installation, so the light flows down like water pouring from a bucket to the ground. The use of metal chains also has its symbolism. A thing that normally constitutes incarceration or imprisonment hangs freely like a curtain to symbolize the very opposite – freedom and vivacity. LASVIT had the chains custom-made for this special project.

“At first, I was thinking of a waterfall, the water’s unrestrained strength, and the energy it has. Then I imagined how the water spills from the bucket, falls freely and then hits the ground, splashes and flows before it sinks into the soil.” – Luděk Hroch, in-house Designer.

As you walk through the ballroom, the fantasies will change and the further corner above the stairs, allows you to explore the darker corners of your imagination. Set your mind free when you look at the “Unchained” chandelier designed by LASVIT’s in-house designer Luděk Hroch. From a height of more than 13 meters falls a curtain of massive metal chains which are entangled with trimmings made of pure crystal glass.

The third bespoke installation designed by Věra Soukupová pushed the design frame even further. She managed to unite the quiddity of tenderness and roughness in one single lighting installation. The piece gives an impression of being made of stainless steel, but that is only an illusion – the components, all precisely combined into the overall 5,5-meter high cone, are all made of glass.

The metal look was achieved by the special final finish. Each component has a shape which resembles the organically shaped cage with sharp tips, and it was incredibly difficult to make such a shape in the glassworks only with the help of human hands and breath.

The outstanding installations in the ballroom and on the retail promenade are accompanied by other pieces designed by LASVIT which are placed on the walls in the ballroom and above the heads of the guests milling in the hotel’s lobby. Two five-meter wide installations illuminate the lobby lounge while the magnificent lighting made of fused glass hangs in the lobby itself.

It was the second time that LASVIT tied hands with Suning Real Estate. The installations from the Czech company also decorate their Hyatt Regency Wuxi hotel. Suning Real Estate is rapidly becoming the leading commercial real estate company in China, building an integrated and innovative real estate business chain which focuses on three development programs: commercial real estate, city and town, and residential real estate.

Decca

Committed to the highest-quality craftsmanship, Decca’s team ensured that this thoughtful design concept shines through all pieces. They wanted each piece to reflect what their company stands for: refined craftsmanship with emphasis on the innate beauty of organic materials.

Decca’s offices in Beijing and Shanghai supplied bespoke furniture for all public areas and hotel suites. Overall, Decca made about 1,500 pieces of furniture for the hotel lobby and lounge, Café Bellagio, restaurant Mansion on One, and LAGO restaurant by a two-star Michelin chef Julian Serrano.

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