A unique city spa in Kuala Lumpur designed by Interiors International brings relaxation and wellness to clients on the go. Olha Romaniuk writes.

http://www.indesignlive.sg/articles/projects/a-wellness-oasis-in-the-heart-of-a-city

The 7,340 square foot EOS Wellness Spa is the first prototype for the Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Berhad lifestyle property development group. It has been conceived as a solution to a perceived need to add wellness enhancement facilities within E&O’s developments. The wellness spa is the first of its kind, creating an urban sanctuary in the middle of a fast-paced city.

Designed to suit clients with busy urban lifestyles, the EOS Wellness Spa offers a relief to residents living in the developer’s properties in the bustling metropolitan city of Kuala Lumpur. “The target market are young urban professionals, men and women in their 20s, 30s and 40s,” says Peter Dunnachie, Design Director at Interiors International. “Directed to enhance and extend the quality and duration of life in optimum health, the spa aims to attract a community of people who live a fast-paced life, but are still interested in health and well-being,” he adds.

Merging various aspects of a spa retreat and a wellness clinic, the EOS Wellness Spa offers an escape from the outside world with a series of spaces that are neither rustic nor clinical in their design. Within the spa’s interiors, the Interiors International design team used sensual curvatures and soft architectural lines to draw visitors deeper into the facility as it unfolds and reveals itself.

The client-defined concept of ‘serenity on the go’ drove the overall concept of the spa. Interiors International chose to work with materials and textures that felt soft and evoked a sense of tranquillity, while maintaining the overall contemporary aesthetics. The team used light oak timber surfaces and screens with delicate patterns that allow daylight to softly filter into the wellness centre. Strategic lighting techniques accentuate the curves of the walls to create a tranquil and soothing setting.

“In a view to developing tranquillity, there are no standout areas. Everything is designed to merge seamlessly into a harmonious experience for the client,” explains Dunnachie. “The design was inspired by the human body – the idea of contours with a muted and sensual colour palette,” he added.

Exercising a level of restraint within the spa’s clean and uncluttered spaces, the design team, nevertheless, added a touch of vibrancy with its careful selection of furniture and art pieces for a more contemporary look. The team selected orange velvet chairs and a dusky pink sofa to brighten up the entrance and consultation area respectively. Metallic art finishes accented circulation spaces throughout the spa.

For the floors, the International design team used Bolon flooring for its unique texture and properties. The team selected the Flow Coral and Stream tiles for the aesthetic qualities of the tile’s weave. The unique construction of the tile also satisfied the team’s requirements for a surface that would not stain. According to Dunnachie, “The combination of colours, the natural yet smart look, the subtle sense of movement inherent in the weave and the shape of the tile all helped to make an easy decision to go with the Bolon product.”

With a unique concept and a strong mission to offer a variety of health and wellness services to urban dwellers, the EOS Wellness Spa reinforces its overarching mission with an understated and sensual design approach to its interior spaces.

http://www.xtra.com.sg/a-house-with-heart/

If walls could speak, the Bolon Lake House would have many stories to tell. A house that is more of an informal retreat for creative minds, rather than a hotel, a showroom or anything of that sort, the Bolon Lake House offers seclusion, companionship and irresistible charm within its countryside setting of Björkudden, Sweden. Aesthetically, it lends inspiration from the likes of Jean Nouvel and Giulio Cappellini, as well as friends and collaborators of Bolon.

“I AM OFTEN STRUCK BY THE FACT THAT THE FIRST THING MANY VISITORS DO ON ARRIVING AT BJÖRKUDDEN IS TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS.”

It is hard to pinpoint the exact reason behind the continuous draw of Bolon’s signature house on the lake. Originally a holiday home for the staff of the local newspaper, it was purchased by sisters Annica and Marie Eklund who took over the Bolon flooring company that their grandfather started in 1949 from their parents in 2003. The sisters had a vision for the house, much like they did for their company that was initially focused on producing rag rugs and camping mats. Over time, Bolon evolved into a global brand with a slew of A-list collaborators. The sisters saw the house as having a firm role in the ever-expanding Bolon family. It was to be a breathing space, a welcoming hearth and a source of creativity.

The breath-taking views of Lake Asunden from the house have proven to be inspiring for visitors of the remote destination. “I am often struck by the fact that the first thing many visitors do on arriving at Björkudden is taking photographs. By now there must be thousands of pictures of the Lake House spread all over the world,” says Annica Eklund. Indeed, the seemingly typical Swedish rural retreat done up in neutral tones and wood finishes and the sweeping landscape around the Lake House leave a lasting impression that beacons its visitors to return, time and time again.

But it is, perhaps, the conversations and the company within the Lake House, coupled with surreal and beautiful views of the surrounding countryside seen from its veranda windows, that continue to be the ultimate source of creative stimulation to the many visitors. With the kitchen at the heart of the Lake House and hearty family discussions, coupled with sumptuous food, which goes on and on around the table, the house dares anyone to leave uninspired.

Annica and Marie Eklund believe that the Lake House is never finished and is always evolving, much like the projects and collaborations that Bolon continues to undertake. For the Eklund sisters, the Bolon Lake House continues to be a source of inspiration not only to its guests but to them as well. In the sisters’ words, “New creative paths constantly open up. And at Björkudden, we have finally found the source that gives us more strength to achieve this.”