Pennod 8 04 Wal

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-Tonight, a London hotel

-that's both Rough and Luxe.

-Cutting edge 21st-century design

-at the DuoMo...

-..and innovative Philippe Starck

-design in Buenos Aires.

-Welcome to 04Wal Gwestai'r Byd.

-A sedate north London Georgian street

-opposite Kings Cross station.

-It's an area

-with a chequered history.

-Rough Luxe Hotel

-stands in the middle of that area.

-Rough refers to the surroundings.

-Luxe refers to the luxury

-you'll find within its walls.

-The area is a little bit of rough

-in a luxurious London...

-..and the hotel is a bit of luxury

-in rough surroundings.

-Small is beautiful in this case,

-as we'll see.

-People at home must be intrigued

-by this strange combination.

-What inspired the design?

-The concept is to redefine luxury.

-To offer an enriching experience

-not offered by mass-market hotels.

-Here, the designer has worked

-almost as an archaeologist.

-The building has been stripped back

-to its very essence.

-During the refurbishment process,

-layers of wallpaper were discovered.

-That's a strong element

-of the Rough Luxe philosophy.

-They have amassed

-a quirky collection.

-The owl sits on a branch

-that shoots from the lamp.

-This rabbit clings onto the table.

-These items make you smile

-and most hotels lack humour.

-You don't expect to see such things

-in a luxury hotel.

-That collection of butterflies

-has great charm.

-Rabih Hage came up with

-a very detailed design...

-..though it appears

-to have come together naturally.

-This is a bedroom.

-If you're wondering why anyone

-should pay to stay in a hotel...

-..where there's no wallpaper,

-you may have missed the point.

-By exposing the walls, you reveal

-this building's past lives.

-Different periods appear,

-almost like ghosts, from the walls.

-The green, blue and red

-remind me of a Monet painting.

-Against the raw background,

-you have prints by Aki Kuroda.

-They're very modern

-and not to everyone's taste...

-..but they provide

-the room's luxurious element.

-New prints contrast

-with the old backdrop.

-Above the sofa,

-which doubles as a bed...

-..there hangs

-an undeniably rough chandelier...

-..compared to those in the picture!

-This room is on the top floor.

-There's a strong

-design structure here.

-There are no raw elements to it.

-It's more ordinary, in a way...

-..and yet, the idea of exposing

-the walls is used in the bathroom.

-The most amazing thing about it

-is the fantastic copper bath.

-The picture opposite the bed

-is a stroke of genius.

-It gives you a feeling of depth.

-It's a constant theme in this hotel.

-It's a Massimo Listri piece.

-You're drawn into it, aren't you?

-This is the breakfast room,

-in the cellar.

-Guests sit around this square table

-to eat their breakfast.

-The table is a patchwork

-of different planks of wood.

-The timber came from

-one of Brighton's piers.

-Probably the one that burnt down.

-The wind, the sun and the seawater

-has added interest to the surface.

-This creates an ambience

-in the room...

-..as does the collection of chairs.

-Every generation

-has brought something to the table.

-Behind me, a picture has been pasted

-onto the wall.

-There are cupboards behind it,

-which is clever.

-There's a picture of a church cupola

-on the ceiling.

-It all creates an illusion

-of space and luxury.

-Designs such as this

-make striking a balance difficult.

-Is it a success?

-It's a magical design.

-It's very charming.

-It certainly challenges you

-to think outside the box.

-It offers a different perspective

-on luxury.

-It's no bad thing because we often

-feel uncomfortable about luxury.

-It's certainly a new way

-of looking at luxury.

-The aim is to convince people

-that the exposed walls...

-..are every bit as valuable

-as that picture.

-We have travelled

-along Italy's Adriatic coast.

-Along Italy's backbone, in a way,

-to the DuoMo hotel in Rimini.

-It's an ultra-modern interior

-inside an ancient building...

-..or an old building, at least.

-It was designed by Ron Arad,

-which explains the red doors.

-What a strange experience!

-It's like being invited

-inside the walls of Jericho!

-The doors

-are like giant pinball flippers.

-The pillars

-add to that pinball machine feel.

-There's an amazing sight

-in front of me.

-I've been around the block

-a few times...

-..but I can honestly say

-I've never seen anything like this!

-It certainly redefines

-the reception desk.

-Yes, and it fills the room.

-It's a stainless steel ring...

-..set with a desk

-rather than precious stones.

-The round shape has softened

-the barrier between hotel and guest.

-It almost looks like a smile.

-Yes, this gigantic reception desk

-shatters your concept of gravity!

-It stands

-at a seemingly impossible angle.

-I've only moved from the front door

-to the reception desk...

-..and my jaw has hit the floor

-several times!

-That's what you expect

-from a Ron Arad design.

-He uses a lot of steel in his work.

-He also uses bulbous shapes.

-Ron Arad was born in Tel Aviv

-in 1951.

-He's a trained architect

-who's also a furniture designer.

-In 2009, he exhibited his work

-at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

-If you want home comforts,

-the DuoMo isn't the place for you.

-You won't find any here.

-This hotel's concept

-is all about new experiences.

-It looks like a futuristic

-sci-fi film set!

-It looks like a spaceship

-that hops from planet to planet.

-This lobby also feels futuristic.

-Like the reception desk,

-it reverses design expectations.

-They have created a room

-in the corridors.

-The futuristic tone is evident -

-it's quite an alien experience.

-Having said that, it's comfortable.

-Sculpture, architecture

-and furniture all seem to blend.

-This is oversized,

-like the reception desk.

-It goes from floor to ceiling.

-The lights are inserted

-flush with the walls...

-..maintaining the clean lines.

-Everything is sleek

-and design-led...

-..but the numbers look

-as if they were painted by a child!

-The graphics are also

-the designer's work.

-This is his handwriting.

-It looks a bit rough, doesn't it?

-Yes, it contrasts

-with the sleek walls.

-Yes, but the metallic paint

-carries echoes of its surroundings.

-We've already seen a red room

-and this must be the purple floor.

-This is a three-storey hotel.

-Each floor has a different colour,

-working with a monochrome palette.

-There's a purple floor, a red floor

-and a lime floor.

-You can see Ron Arad's hand

-in every detail of the interior.

-If the hotel had a signature,

-I think it's this pod.

-The idea of the egg within the box.

-Yes, Ron Arad's background

-is in industrial design.

-That's evident here.

-Everything is packaged here.

-It's engineered

-and all integral to the design.

-It wasn't decorated, it was created.

-There's a bathroom within the pod.

-It's separate from the main bedroom.

-Just when I thought that this hotel

-had yielded all its surprises...

-..I come across

-one more amazing nugget.

-This room is it.

-It's a bar, a nightclub

-and a dining room in one.

-The bar top defines the room.

-From one angle, it looks like liquid

-flowing from corner to corner.

-From another angle, it looks

-like a Henry Moore sculpture.

-Tying the design together

-is this glorious bronze.

-It's like a ribbon,

-flowing to the far end...

-..up the wall, along the ceiling

-and out of the hotel.

-In order to set a hotel

-in its context in Wales...

-..designers tend to use

-local materials.

-Ron Arad has made no effort

-to do that here.

-No, nothing here reflects Rimini

-or Italy in general.

-This hotel immerses you

-in Ron Arad's imagination.

-He has a really active imagination!

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-The Faena hotel, in the redeveloped

-Puerto Madero area of Buenos Aires.

-The building looks like a typical

-northern England cotton mill.

-In fact, it is built

-from Manchester bricks.

-It was actually a granary

-rather than a cotton mill...

-..built when Argentina was one

-of the world's economic powerhouses.

-Look at some of its features.

-The classical structure,

-the windows...

-..and this F, the personal motif

-of the owner, Alan Faena.

-This is the entrance,

-which is quite intriguing.

-How can such a large building

-have such a narrow door?

-There's a touch

-of Alice In Wonderland about it.

-The carpet of red tiles...

-..the wonderful brass poles

-and the large flowerpots.

-You can sense something special

-lies within.

-Converting an industrial building

-into a luxury hotel isn't easy.

-That's why they employed

-Philippe Starck...

-..to create this masterpiece.

-The corn motifs on the mirrors

-recall the building's original use.

-They're also cruciform,

-and there are religious overtones...

-..in the red stained glass

-and the underlit benches.

-The lobby

-is known as The Cathedral.

-There are religious touches

-dotted around the whole building.

-The really striking thing

-about the lobby is its length.

-It seems almost endless.

-You're a fan

-of Philippe Starck's work.

-Has he created

-something special here?

-As you enter the hotel, you see

-a temple of beauty and adventure.

-It conveys the Belle Epoque -

-the Beautiful Era.

-The gold and red...

-..and the long corridor

-are a part of that.

-It's a theatrical experience

-and you're the star.

-Is it also essentially Argentinian?

-As you'd expect

-in a Philippe Starck design...

-..there's real wit here.

-The gnome table is witty...

-..as are the swan-shaped chairs.

-The colours are Argentinian.

-Starck worked with Alan Faena,

-who comes from Argentina.

-The full name of the hotel

-is Faena Hotel and Universe.

-What is the Universe element?

-It reflects the confidence

-of the hotel's owner, Alan Faena.

-Off the long corridor...

-..are a series of rooms

-conveying aspects of Buenos Aires...

-..both its business side

-and its creative, artistic side.

-They're separate worlds.

-The darkness of The Cathedral

-becomes bright white in the bistro.

-It has the glorious plaster ceilings

-and magnificent chandeliers...

-..that were favoured by the city's

-early 20th century cake shops.

-There are imperial touches

-on the furniture.

-The sofas against the wall

-look like pumped-up dining chairs!

-That in itself would offer

-a rich dining experience...

-..but the unicorn heads

-take the design to another level!

-The red eyes are the cherries

-on the icing on the cake!

-This is the only suite in the hotel

-not designed by Philippe Starck.

-Alan Faena himself designed it.

-He uses this suite

-when he stays here.

-There are two 40-inch TVs here,

-one on either side!

-You can do that in a room this big.

-It's symmetrical.

-There are Chesterfields

-on both sides of the room.

-The design of the chandelier

-is echoed in the carpet.

-They're similar shapes.

-What about the kitchen?

-Could anyone use that hob?

-The tabletop is made of marble.

-Those wonderful, curved legs

-contrast with the style...

-..yet it's in harmony

-with the romantic dining area.

-The bedroom is more contemporary.

-Yes, it's a simpler,

-less ornate design.

-The cherrywood panels are stunning.

-There are echoes of the main room

-in the chandelier...

-..and the chairs' swan design

-is reflected in the bath taps.

-The dining area

-is more romantic than the bedroom!

-He must love food!

-Another planet in Faena's universe

-is the El Mercado restaurant.

-It's like walking

-into someone's home.

-Rather than family photographs

-on the walls...

-..we see pictures

-of famous Argentinians.

-Yes, there's a more

-eclectic collection in this room.

-It mimics the atmosphere

-of rural taverns around the city...

-..but with an European influence.

-This is the result.

-The chairs feel French.

-The ceiling is covered

-in original aluminium panels.

-The pendant lights

-add an industrial edge.

-Display cabinets

-cover the structure of the building.

-The cabinets are full of ornaments.

-Yes, they're from San Telmo,

-an area noted for bric-a-brac.

-We're on the roof of the Faena,

-looking out over Buenos Aires.

-Is the hotel essentially Argentinian?

-Is the hotel essentially Argentinian?

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-Yes, very much so.

-This radical design

-uses a new visual language.

-It offers a glimpse of the future

-while paying homage to the past.

-It's a design

-steeped in Argentinian culture.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones