With the recent art-inspired transformation of the lobby, London-based Blue Sky Hospitality (BSH) has completed renovations at Azerbaijan’s JW Marriott Absheron Hotel Baku, where the design studio has revamped all public spaces, including five F&B outlets.
Conceived by BSH creative director Henry Chebaane, the lobby is conceived as a large art gallery, comprising 10 locally inspired tableaux that nod to Baku and the Absheron peninsula—names that respectively translate to “wind-pounded city” and “place of salty waters” in Persian—along with the nearby Caucasus Mountains and the walnut trees that grow there.
The lobby refresh includes an oversized carpet with abstract 3D elements in scalable patterns that reference geometric Shebeke, a local style of stained glass. Framed by recessed curves with cove lighting, a ceiling installation also reinterprets these geometric elements with botanical-mineral patterns made of walnut veneer and flat downward-facing stainless steel edges that emphasize a feeling of movement.



Along with crystal-inspired seating, a series of geode-like E-Booths constructed from walnut and polished stainless steel punctuate the space and function as a virtual business center with power sources and integrated wireless printing capability. Four sculptural reception desks and overhead light fixtures also feature solid walnut and stainless steel elements that were deconstructed to evoke the fractal surface of a crystal.
Six human-size chess pieces standing in the lobby are also made from stacked walnut and stainless steel, while large-scale photos of salt crystals under a microscope printed on brushed aluminum sheets lead guests to the elevators.
