Champalimaud Design has a knack for thoughtful historic renovations, including such storied properties as Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles; Troutbeck, the hotel that was once a 19th-century playground for thinkers like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson in Hudson Valley, New York; Monkey Island Estate, a royal hideaway in the middle of the Thames since the 18th century; and the forthcoming overhaul of Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, the Swiss mountain retreat that first opened in 1896. Here, Ed Bakos, CEO at the New York-based firm, delves into the sensitive creative process of revamping heritage buildings through the lens of the recently reinvigorated 115-room Raffles Singapore.
When tasked with giving new life to a grande dame hotel, what is your approach to the design?
More than landmarks, these hotels are impactful spaces. One has to be careful when you’re going to introduce change. It’s a great opportunity to add to the history of the buildings, and there is an obligation to not screw it up. We spend a lot of time doing visual research. We feel that we are cultural anthropologists, exploring not just the history, but the context in which things happened. We believe we can bring a sense of contemporary design and life that captures the wonderful aspects of historic, monumental buildings, offering the modern accoutrements people want without throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We are much more articulate visually than verbally, sifting through the past to find these connections.
The chandelier in the grand lobby recalls flower blossoms
Was there a specific mission with the Raffles Singapore?
When it was established by the Sarkies Brothers in 1887, crazy things happened at the Raffles. In those days, the hotel was the centerpiece of society gatherings. By the 1990s, the vision of a luxury hotel had changed to one of exclusion, so we saw a necessity to restore the social spirit of the Raffles complex. People pay a lot of money to stay there, but it’s also a national monument, and those who are simply visiting should be able to move across the property and experience the hotel in a different way than the guests. One of the great things about Raffles is that it’s a campus, not a single building. We also wanted to restructure the public spaces so we could invite the community back to Raffles.
How did you accomplish this?
We relocated the check-in desk. It was right by the front door and guests couldn’t go past the metal gates to wander. You didn’t feel like you could hang out in the hotel, so we took the back-of-house space behind the desk and brought it to the front, creating a small-scale, London-style bar with energy that spills over into the lobby throughout the evening.
The wine library inside the stylish and lively Butcher’s Block restaurant
What were some of the materials you chose for the hotel?
We used beautiful and classic ones—statuary bronze finishes for the screen walls, marble flooring in the lobby, and oak wood floors in the Tiffin Room. They bring out the stately character of the historic space without overpowering it.
How did you marry the old with the new?
We repurposed the antique light switches in the guestrooms, and we changed the way the lighting was integrated into the envelope. We took away the hanging sconces, but the lobby chandelier was also part of the decorative program, playing up the notion of Singapore’s nickname as the Garden City. The chandelier’s blossom-like tips are a reflection of that. Someone can walk into the Raffles today and [experience] a sense of awe, not realizing everything in it was changed, because there is the same feeling of wonder and magic.
When working on historic renovations, what do you want the takeaway to be for guests?
We feel the burden of history that we are being entrusted with. An empty monument doesn’t serve anybody. Our responsibility to history is for people to come to a hotel, have an extraordinary time, and feel its distinctive heritage. At the same time, there should be contemporary elements. Experiences driven by juxtaposition are amazing.
The feminine-inspired La Dame de Pic restaurant
The Writers Bar boasts a brass bar counter and a dramatic chandelier
The Tiffin room features a mix of classic materials, including oak wood flooring
A grand staircase frames the light and airy lobby
This article originally appeared in HD’s March/April 2020 issue.
