If you find yourself meandering through Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay, chances are you’ll meet eyes with a painting of a huge, Renaissance-style woman. Two stories high and peering out from the building’s charcoal exterior, she marks the entrance of J Plus by YOO, a design hotel that has been given a new lease of life.
The bold makeover was orchestrated by YOO Studio, who set out to unveil a hotel that would appeal to design lovers. The hotel was originally created by acclaimed designer Philippe Starck, and while the redesign was meant to reinvigorate the space, the design team made sure to be sympathetic to his original cutting-edge design. It’s been a process of taking the old, adding a unique twist, and making it fresh again.
“Our legacy is rejection of all things conventional,” says Mathew Dalby, Design Director of YOO Studio. “Original design enhances life. It is our mantra for every hotel we develop, manage and design.”
They started with the exterior, which was once devoid of features and has now been given a textured architectural look with spray-painted detailing.
The lobby is certainly an unconventional mix of modern, avant garde and street art elements – from the crystal pendant lights, to the playful gold hand seat, to the graffiti rug. Taking centre-stage, however, is French style lounge re-upholstered in fluorescent multi-coloured fabric. The fusion of old and new extends to the hotel’s suites, with elements of street art and classical European paintings featured in each room.
“[Hong Kong is] a city so synonymous with change,” says Mathew, “This iconic address is now redefined and refreshed for the future.”