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Star Light, Star Bright

Guide

01 Best Of Lights

Words Vidula KotianDate 29 November 2022

In a literal sense, light allows us to see better, and in a metamorphic sense, light is a sign of hope, allowing us to see more clearly and avoid darkness in this uncertain world.

Whichever way you turn to light, there is no denying its intense effect on our state of mind. It is why we’ve turned the spotlight on the most arresting lights, big or small, among our member hotels around the world. Get inspired: See the light!

02 Best Of Lights (1)

Hotel Pacai A pendant light adds atmosphere to the 17th century palace

03 Best Of Lights

Santa Monica Proper Hotel Crystal mushroom lamps by Peill and Putzler

04 Best Of Lights

The Qvest Hotel Gräshoppa floor lamp by Greta Grossman

05 Best Of Lights

Parīlio Flamingo pendant lamp by Antoni Arola

Set in the heart of Vilnius, Lithuania’s Old Town, Yes Design Studio envisaged Hotel Pacai to perfectly echo this quarter’s 17th-century Baroque grandeur, yet augmenting it with a contemporary twist. Here, soft deep tones were used to dominate the hotel’s public areas and smooth lighting, such as the pendant light, used to complement historic elements, such as the arches and frescoes. Across the Atlantic, Santa Monica Proper Hotel reflects its sophisticated beachside setting  with artful interpretations of coastal elements, such as the midcentury mouth-blown crystal mushroom lamps by Peill and Putzler and the nautical Knotty Bubbles sculptural light (further down) by Lindsey Adelman made of handblown glass bound together with knotted rope.

A showcase and showroom for modernist masterpieces, the vaulted halls of The Qvest Hotel in Cologne, Germany, marries neo-Gothic architecture with a museum-worthy collection of modern design, art, and photography. In the hotel’s public space, the iconic Gräshoppa floor lamp, by the female pioneer Greta Grossman, stands attendance on Eames’ chairs. On the Greek island of Paros, Parīlio’s timeless Greek architecture and subdued color palette acts as a canvas for standout design elements, such as the Flamingo pendant lamp by Antoni Arola.

06 Best Of Lights

Wilmina A light installation in the former courthouse

07 Best Of Lights

Perianth The lights follow the streamlined modernity of the building

In Berlin, a former courthouse and women’s prison has been sensitively transformed into a hotel, Wilmina. Here, the spatial experience is softened by a huge and delicate light installation of little glass balls, like jars of fireflies, suspended from a glass ceiling that, at night, reflects them upwards into what appears to be a never-ending night sky. At Perianth, a modernist building from the 1930s has been reimagined into an unusual hotel where classic corridors have been spurned in favor of short hallways that link the lounge of each floor with the rooms. The interior design by K-Studio is directly inspired by the streamlined modernity of the architecture where even the lights follow the curves of the walls.

08 Best Of Lights

Palazzo Daniele Fortuny floor lamp by Mariano Fortuny

09 Best Of Lights
9B Best Of Lights
9C Best Of Lights

Minimalism meets majesty at Palazzo Daniele, in Italy’s Puglia where monastic décor exaggerates the grandeur of ceiling frescoes and standalone design pieces, such as the Fortuny floor lamp and the Taccia table lamp by the Castiglioni brothers in 1962. In L.A., award-winning designer Kelly Wearstler—instantly recognizable for her eclectic sensibility, fearless use of color, and penchant for custom pieces—brings her hyper-local approach to Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel. Drawing inspiration from the neighborhood, Wearstler layers vestiges from the 1920s, such as the rare Stilnovo style chandelier with elements of Spanish, Portuguese, Mexican, and Moroccan design.

10 Best Of Lights

Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel A 1920s Stilnovo style chandelier in the restaurant

“Light can be sensual; it can be comforting; it can even be dangerous. It goes beyond science or nature, or even art—it is as potent as life itself.”

Ingo Maurer, lighting designer

11 Best Of Lights (1)

Blique by Nobis Atollo lamp by Vico Magistretti

12 Best Of Lights
12B Best Of Lights
12C Best Of Lights

Nobis’ Alessandro Catenacci has a knack for handpicking historical buildings and turning them into world-class hospitality offerings. At Blique by Nobis, in Stockholm, a 1930s industrial warehouse structure is defined by beautiful concrete surfaces, with interiors awash in leather, textiles, and warm lighting, such as Vico Magistretti’s iconic Atollo lamp. At Nobis’ outpost in Copenhagen, a Paolo Rizzatto wall light provides directional light in the lounge area.

13 Best Of Lights

Kruisherenhotel Maastricht Celestial creations by Ingo Maurer in the former monastery

14 Best Of Lights

Santa Monica Proper Hotel Knotty Bubbles by Lindsey Adelman

15 Best Of Lights

Kazerne Graphic lighting series by Aptum in the stairwell

16 Best Of Lights

Parkhotel Mondschein A multilayered chandelier by Mazzega

“Design shouldn’t be trendy. Good design should last over time, until it wears out.”

Achille Castiglioni, designer

For an extraordinary hotel, such as the Kruisherenhotel Maastricht, a renovated 15th-century monastery of the “Crutched Friars” in the Netherlands, nothing less than an extraordinary lighting designer would do, namely, Ingo Maurer. His celestial creations throughout the hotel are a fitting ode to this once divine place. Another beautiful old building, this time in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Parkhotel Mondschein is resplendent in historic stucco, wide corridors, high ceilings, ornate carpentry, original herringbone parquet, and a grand multilayered chandelier composed of oval amber and frosted and clear glass elements by Mazzega.

17 Best Of Lights

Kazerne Big Bubble pendant lights by Alex de Witte

18 Best Of Lights
18B Best Of Lights
18C Best Of Lights

Set in a former military barracks and an adjoining industrial warehouse, Kazerne in Eindhoven, Netherlands, is made up of inviting functional spaces that are fluid, open, and largely devoid of visual barriers, such as walls. Instead, stimulating visual design in the form of Aptum’s innovative lighting line, consisting of graphic shapes, has been custom-made to hang in the stairwell, while Alex de Witte’s Big Bubble pendant lights draw one deeper into the gallery space. The last spotlight on this list is fittingly a Bauhaus floor lamp BH 23 at The Robey whose playful form includes an arm that can be aligned with a counterweight. It’s everything we love about good design: irreverent, striking, and space defining.

Featured Hotels

Hotel Pacai Vilnius (1)

Hotel Pacai

Vilnius, Lithuania
SantaMonicaProperHotel-LosAngeles-US-T.jpg

Santa Monica Proper Hotel

California, Los Angeles, USA
T Wilmina Berlin Germany

Wilmina

Berlin, Germany
PerianthHotel-Athens-Greece-T.jpg

Perianth Hotel

Athens, Greece
T Generic 01 Palazzo Daniele Gagliano Del Capo Puglia Italy

Palazzo Daniele

Gagliano del Capo, Puglia, Italy
T Downtown La Proper Hotel Los Angeles Usa

Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel

California, Los Angeles, USA
BliquebyNobis-Stocholm-Sweden-T.jpg

Blique by Nobis

Stockholm, Sweden
T Nobis Hotel Copenhagen Denmark

Nobis Hotel Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark
T Kruisherenhotel Maastricht Netherlands

Kruisherenhotel Maastricht

Maastricht, Netherlands
T Generic 01 Park Hotel Mondschein Bozen Italy

Parkhotel Mondschein

South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
T Kazerne Eindhoven Netherlands

Kazerne

Eindhoven, Netherlands
TheRobey-Chicago-US.jpg

The Robey

Illinois, Chicago, USA
TheQvest-Cologne-Germany.jpg

The Qvest Hotel

Cologne, Germany
Parilio-Paros-Greece-T.jpg

Parīlio

Paros, Greece

Featured Hotels

Hotel Pacai Vilnius (1)

Hotel Pacai

Lithuania, Vilnius
SantaMonicaProperHotel-LosAngeles-US-T.jpg

Santa Monica Proper Hotel

USA, Los Angeles, California
T Wilmina Berlin Germany

Wilmina

Germany, Berlin
PerianthHotel-Athens-Greece-T.jpg

Perianth Hotel

Greece, Athens
T Generic 01 Palazzo Daniele Gagliano Del Capo Puglia Italy

Palazzo Daniele

Italy, Gagliano del Capo, Puglia
T Downtown La Proper Hotel Los Angeles Usa

Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel

USA, Los Angeles, California
BliquebyNobis-Stocholm-Sweden-T.jpg

Blique by Nobis

Sweden, Stockholm
T Nobis Hotel Copenhagen Denmark

Nobis Hotel Copenhagen

Denmark, Copenhagen
T Kruisherenhotel Maastricht Netherlands

Kruisherenhotel Maastricht

Netherlands, Maastricht
T Generic 01 Park Hotel Mondschein Bozen Italy

Parkhotel Mondschein

Italy, Bolzano, South Tyrol
T Kazerne Eindhoven Netherlands

Kazerne

Netherlands, Eindhoven
TheRobey-Chicago-US.jpg

The Robey

USA, Chicago, Illinois
TheQvest-Cologne-Germany.jpg

The Qvest Hotel

Germany, Cologne
Parilio-Paros-Greece-T.jpg

Parīlio

Greece, Paros
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