In the press
“Brutalist yet homely, that’s just how interior design studio Fiona Lynch Office envisioned St Ali & The Queen, a newly opened hospitality concept within the Munro Site community hub, part of Melbourne’s revitalised Queen Victoria Market.”
“Melbourne-based interior designer Fiona Lynch of Fiona Lynch Office has created an inventive way of living for clients of this penthouse residence, championing flexible living in not one, but two artfully expressive spaces.”
"Fiona Lynch Office’s latest collaboration with coffee icon ST. ALi affectionately highlights the history and community of Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market."
“Global citizens, designers and adventure seekers, BAR Studio defines luxury through inclusive values of comfort and authenticity. The studio’s hotel designs become a platform for experiences that are sensitive to place, culture and hospitality.”
"BAR Studio's design for The Ritz-Carlton is a contemporary urban retreat reflecting the local cultural landscape with a distinctly Melburnian approach to craft."
"BAR Studio’s design of the new Ritz-Carlton in Melbourne pays homage to the history and culture of the city, with symbolic motifs and a curated art collection."
"Speaking directly to the sophisticated traveller who understands and appreciates art, the BAR Studio-designed Ritz Carlton in Melbourne has crossed from corporate to luxury with a layer of art that is far from superficial."
"There is something extraordinarily celebratory about the opening of a new hotel with room for a 600 person extravaganza. The polish is there, the arrival is grand, the view is to die for and Melbourne is getting ready to party."
“The modernist villa pavilions of Patina Maldives are designed by architect Marcio Kogan of Studio M27 to be at one with nature.”
"Inspired by the beauty and metaphorical significance of the island landscape, Studio MK27 has orchestrated a delicate, rhythmic design for the new resort Patina Maldives."
“A new luxury resort in the Indian Ocean was devised to blend in rather than stand out.”
“Patina Maldives materialised earlier this year on the largest of the four Fari Islands. Though it spans 110 villas and studios, the resort is gracefully embedded in the landscape and sustainably designed with solar power, organic gardens and a vigorous replanting program.”
“Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ first property in Spain, opened on Madrid’s Paseo de la Castellana in late October, has an Australian connection. Melbourne-based BAR Studio devised the sophisticated interiors of the 154-room Rosewood Villa Magna as part of a comprehensive refurbishment and relaunch of a hotel that’s been a beloved city landmark since the 1970s.”
"Australian design firm BAR Studio, which recently opened an office in the Spanish capital, has cultivated a feeling of intimacy in the shared spaces, as well as in the hotel’s 154 guest rooms."
“Entering its new chapter, the refurbished property (Rosewood Villa Magna) has opted for smart and stylish over fuss and frills. Australian design practice Bar Studio – based between Melbourne and Madrid – was appointed for the makeover, producing a sophisticated destination that houses 154 guestrooms, 53 of which are suites.”
“Rosewood Villa Magna received a facelift by BAR Studio that marries traditional Spanish architectural elements with contemporary style.”
“Sustainably-constructed suites and villas, a solar panel park, an on-site farm — Cap Karoso beautifully suffuses a green-fingered ethos. The eco-focused launchpad invites travellers to soak in the nature, the culture, and the beauty of the Indonesian island that is Sumba.”
"Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono was designed by BAR Studio to bring the outside in, in this case the snowy, atmospheric and evocative mountains of Hokkaido."
"The hotel’s name, Circulo Mexicano sums up the design philosophy, the idea of a circular process where everything begins and ends in the same place."
"Sumba has captured the hearts of first-time hoteliers Fabrice and Evguenia Ivara, who are opening Cap Karoso there later this year."
"Designed by local architect Seiichiro Takeuchi to reflect the private home of an art collector, Node Kyoto houses 25 bedrooms in-keeping with their intimate gallery-like surroundings."
"Designed by Melbourne’s Bar Studio – in collaboration with local firms Nikken Sekkei and Fujita, and landscape architect Takano of Hokkaido – the Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono hotel is a stylish, year-round escape nestled on the north-eastern side of Mount Niseko Annupuri in Japan."
"This month’s global briefing from a Singaporean perspective sees Porter & Sail’s Matthew Lo explore the needs of modern travellers."
"A study by Design Hotels with consultancy The Future Laboratory also revealed the emergence of a new breed of traveller - the "Promad" or progressive nomads who will be more conscious of the impact of travel on the environment. They also want to contribute positively to the places they go to."
"Tucked in a maze of narrow lanes in Kagurazaka, Tokyo’s original geisha district now hidden in the heart of the urban sprawl, Trunk House is a rare boutique accommodation in a city that’s inundated with skyscraping hotels."
"K5 does a remarkable job marrying Japanese and Scandinavian design sensibilities."
"Game changers: top 50 titans of the travel industry. The principals of Melbourne-based Bar Studio have quietly, diligently and impressively assembled a series of world-class hotels across the Asia-Pacific."
"Mexico's hippest hoteliers, Grupo Habita, are known not just for creating cool hotels, but for channelling the energy of the sites where they open. Their new hotel, Circulo Mexicano, is bringing a buzz to Mexico City's historic downtown area."
"A neighbourhood-style hotel combining Swedish design with a traditional Japanese aesthetic and craft techniques has debuted in a restored 1920s bank building next to the Tokyo Stock Exchange in the heart of the financial district."
"Suzy Annetta chats with BAR Studio’s Felicity Beck and Stewart Robertson about running an international practice from Australia, working with the right people and delivering top tier hospitality projects for clients from Sydney to Shanghai."
International Traveller taps into Design Hotels’ Originals for insider tips across Phuket, Taipei, Kyoto, Cape Town and Crete.
"Travel can be a great source of inspiration. Peter Cole, CEO of Design Hotels, introduces destinations that will invigorate your mind, body and soul."