VitrA Çağdaş Mimarlık Dizisi - Arkitera

The idea of restoring a hundred-year-old former residential building to be re-used with
a similar function provided the impetus for the design concept. With all rooms designed
as individual apartments, the main concept of the design was the effort to interpret and
re-create the various cultural and architectural styles that have existed in Beyoğlu, Istanbul
during the last century. Avoiding the disturbing effect that variety might have on
the general habits and preferences of the users, “Istanbul Rooms” were chosen without
giving up the comfort of the conventional hotel room. Illustrations depicting Istanbul by
Aydan Çelik are displayed in the additional rooms. Listening to the voice of the space
and emphasizing the richness of the existing building, the modern conservation approach
was taken beyond physical conservation, and contributes to a deeper definition
of popular concepts such as “Hip Hotel”.
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HIP Hotels (Highly Individual Place) represents a new sort of accommodation option that
has become popular as tourism standards have risen. It is a place which serves its customers
according to their needs. Different from other accommodation types, HIP Hotels
have their own style, which goes beyond the expectations of comfort and standards in
traditional approaches. The new type of user demanding this kind of hotel is one who is
self indulgent and focused on pleasures in life, who wants to get to know the dynamics
of the city and who has high levels of design pleasure and culture.
Hotel Lush was constructed by completely renovating a historical building, leaving intact
only the front façade, located on Sıraselviler Road in Beyoğlu District of Istanbul. It
has 22 rooms, each different from the others, and an 80-person capacity cafeteria and
service areas. All of these facilities were designed in different styles to serve new generation
customers. In addition to Hotel Lush designed in 2006, in 2011 modern apartments
were opened for rent under the name of Lush House in two different buildings
in Beyoğlu as well as additional apartments for rent in a mansion in Anadolu Kavağı.
These structures include different views and are intended to give personalized service
to the costumers. Since these buildings, which were originally designed as houses, were
refunctioned with adaptive reuse, all of the rooms were designed to reflect the rich
house culture of Istanbul.
The historical building itself offers the sort of reality and authenticity sought by users
who want unique experiences fine details and a variety of indoor designs, offering a
feeling of depth which increases the pleasure of experience. One extraordinary distinctive
feature of the project is the “Theater in the Hotel”, a play written especially for the
hotel, which is shown once a week in “Diwan Lounge” as a special feature of Hotel Lush.
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