CENTRAL PRIVATE HOTEL BY NAUMI HOTELS

Stepping from the aircraft onto the runway of Queenstown airport, we are stopped in our tracks by the sheer scale and majesty of the landscapes that surround us. The striking proportions, dramatic shapes, deep colours and wild textures—all combine to create a sense of utter wonder.

A sense of magic, in a single moment. It was this feeling, that moment, we set out to capture in our interior design concept for Central Hotel.

This idea brings to mind the snow globe—that symbol of childhood that, when shaken, opens the door to a whole new world. And this is how we saw it: an unassuming, dome-like exterior, encasing a world of possibilities, of stories waiting to be told.

And so the snow globe became our guiding icon. We employed innovative and peculiar design details, playing with exaggerated scales, installations and disproportionate sensory details, to create a tactile and memorable experience for our curious travellers. We drove towards a bold contemporary aesthetic, verging on surreal, in a bid to recreate that moment of child-like wonder experienced with a glance to the Southern Alps on the horizon, or with the shake of a snow globe.

Project: Hotel fit-out, procurement and construction management
Location: Central Queenstown
Area: 825sqm
Photography: Two Bearded Men