In the beginning of the new millennium many renovations are taking place, from the heavy-handed décor and traditional style to create a lean, uncluttered look. The Hilton of Toronto located strategically downtown, was a prime candidate for such a renovation. Thomas Payne of the Toronto-based firm Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB) masterminded the hotels $17 million overhaul. Payne played off the large scale geometry and created luminous detail and undulating surfaces, for an uncluttered look throughout. .
Payne created the illusion of arrival by paving the entrance in cobblestones and adding a backlit fabric canopy. Granite flooring funnels the foot traffic towards the check-in, the powder-coated steel pipes define the lounge areas while preserving an open layout on the ground floor. The atrium as a centerpiece and a metaphor for lighting up the lobby leads to the mezzanine level, united by a dramatic staircase of back-lit onyx, glass, and steel. .
In daylight hours, these qualities foster openness while integrating the Hilton into its urban surroundings. At night, however, light effects are brought into high relief against the modern backdrop, and the space becomes seductive, says Payne, "a place of fantasy and romance- befitting a world-class hotel.
Review of Literature.
Selected Reference:.
Restaurants & Institutions.
Tony Chi: On the subtlety and substance of restaurant design.
Author/s: Allison Perlik.
Issue : April 1, 2002.
Synopsis:.
Tony Chi & Associates, his New York City design firm have been in high demand across the globe, putting his signature on restaurants from San Francisco to Singapore. Chi tries to make his designs less visible, the subtleties of understated decors rather than flamboyant restaurant interiors are essential in creating a look that has timeless beauty. Chi designs his restaurants with out the "wow- factor in a persons face, he feels invisible design is what touches the person not what is seen.