I stayed at the most fabulous hotel on the weekend. I know, I know, my job has sweet perks… you don’t need to tell me. This particular perk seemed above and beyond what was necessary for the business trip in question, but I’m not complaining.
The room I was assigned had more custom fittings than you could poke a stick at. To start with, there was the one-of-a-kind table, with a curved glass top on an asymmetrical arrangement of polished driftwood. Then was a mirrored splash-back in the kitchenette – a rose-bronze colour – and, in the bathroom, a semi-frameless shower screen with gaudy bright gold hardware that somehow looked really chic.
Noticing a theme here? I’ll give you a hint: commercial glaziers in Melbourne could stand to take a leaf out of this hotel’s book. I couldn’t help noticing the various uses of glass in the suite and how they managed to elegantly tie everything together, despite each element being decidedly loud. I wasn’t aware that Auckland did interesting hotel interiors, so it came as a surprise to me.
The only thing that could have been done better is the railing on the grand staircase in the foyer, which looked oddly pedestrian to me. It could have been integrated with the rooms, perhaps by substituting it for a frameless glass balustrade. It’s got me thinking, though, that my own home could stand to undergo a renovation or two where that kind of thing is concerned. My stair banisters are really looking very dated (no, not vintage, just dated). Replacing them with glass panels could really lighten up the look.
The problem is that my staircase is quite an odd shape – almost a spiral. That means I’d probably need the glazier to be able to cut the panels to order. I wonder how I can get the number of whoever’s responsible for the fittings in that hotel? Either that or find someone equally skilled here in Melbourne.