Oozing with design, Luna2 Studiotel, a boutique hotel in Bali is a but obvious member of Design HotelsTM. Breaking every stereotype for hotels in Bali, its sensibility endeavours to take you back in time….to the era of the Baby Boomers.
Luna2 was the second of the Soviet Union’s Luna programme spacecraft launched to the Moon and was the first to reach the surface of the Moon. Influenced by this page of history, founder and designer Melanie Hall designed the hotel with a pit bull like adherence to details referencing that place in time, so if you feel you just stepped out of a time machine and have landed in the year 1959, you are completely justified!
Melanie’s father Alan Chambers (born 1922) was a great modernist architect who instilled in her at an early age a keen interest in modern design and till date she tends to see everything through his eyes.
Luna2 Studiotel opened in April 2013, in Seminyak, a very up market area of Bali, dotted with mostly luxury accommodation and fashionable high-end restaurants and bars. It was spawned by the high end beachfront Luna2 private hotel, its neighbouring relative, and takes great pleasure in letting the guests witness the 60’s come alive.
Cute as a button it is dramatically different from the ubiquitous Bali Hotels, before you even cross the threshold. Devoid of fuss, the design features a somewhat 60’s Pantonesque façade, the subtlety of which offers a glimpse of the nostalgia, futurism and fun-filled interiors beyond.
Outdoor, the 25m Mondrian-ic colour-blocked lap pool is the ultimate escape, with sun loungers for catching the rays or relaxing with poolside spa treatments.
This ‘bubble-icious’ signature pattern repeats itself throughout Luna2 Studiotel. Five floors house 14 studio rooms, the Orbit restaurant, Space champagne & caviar – rooftop bar, Pop! lounge bar, the Lunaplex cinema and an outdoor 25 m Mondrian-ic pool.
Every hotel is to some extent a theatrical space; here Melanie Hall loosely refers to her design style as ‘FUNked-up modernism’ with references to the 60’s pop culture. Hall injects the innovation of the future, and adds huge doses of humour into the mix – a distinct characteristic of the Luna2 design ethos, which, “respects the past, welcomes the future and likes to have fun in the process!”
Talking about the hotel she shares her thoughts, “At Luna2, we believe that we can reach across all segments – attitude over age, as we say! We are entirely age-agnostic! In other words, we believe that age does not determine your lifestyle needs.”
The interior design, furniture, carpets and fabrics are all custom-designed and produced by Hall, using long-trusted factories around the region. She has typically used a wide spectrum of textures and materials throughout.
Every hotel is to some extent a theatrical space; here Melanie Hall loosely refers to her design style as ‘FUNked-up modernism’ with references to the 60’s Pop Culture.
Hall adds further interest and timelessness to her own custom designs by adding key European designer classics throughout, including Cassina by Philippe Starck dining chairs, Verner Panton and Tom Dixon pendant lights and Jasper Morrison bar stools, to name just a few. She says, “I don’t agree with “contemporary design” per se, that tends to date after even 5 years, the important thing, to me, is to take inspiration from great modernist works of the past, and send these ideas into the future!!”
The artwork is intended to entirely enhance the atmosphere, tone and colour scheme of each space. Fast becoming known as the ‘Picasso of the future’, works from British Stuart McAlpine Miller’s ‘Leader of the Pack’ portfolio adorn the wall in Pop! lounge bar, together with LA-based Burton Morris’s aptly named ‘Pop Tarts’. Indonesia’s own ‘pop’ star, Triyadi’s ‘Queen pushing supermarket trolley with Kellogg’s cornflakes’ reigns over the lobby.
Luna2 studiotel has 14 studios – 10 studios, 3 grand studios and 1 sunset studio. Each cosmic pad is spacious with a king-size bed, open-plan lounge area perfect for entertaining, a work station, dining table and a large balcony overlooking the swimming pool and temple land beyond. Each of the 14 studios is decorated by Melanie Hall, in one of four accent colours and named after some of London’s foremost addresses – Mayfair, Strand, Piccadilly or Bond Street.
‘Lunafood’ is fuelled with nostalgia, futurism, & fun! With tributes to the late 50’s/early 60’s, Orbit a swishy restaurant is all about a fresh white space offset with accents of sunflower yellow; nostalgic black & white hounds-tooth fabric adorns modular banquette sofas, paired with white Carrara-topped marble dining tables and white designer dining chairs.
Four floors up, the Space champagne & caviar, rooftop bar is an oasis of good taste and offers champagne & cocktails to kill for, amidst ultimate panoramic ocean views and glorious sunsets. For The Pop! lounge bar take the spiral staircase down from Orbit restaurant into a chic underground designer den of dignified iniquity. It is the ultimate watering hole for hot-spotters seeking a tantalising tipple or two.
A distinct characteristic of the Luna2 design ethos is “respect the past, welcome the future and have fun in the process!”
Lunaplex, the ultra-plush 16-seat private cinema hall has two showings per day, seven days a week. It presents a cool combo of nostalgic classics and new releases. Ultra-cosy lounge chairs and ‘Lunafood’, like popcorn, champagne, popcorn-infused cocktails, and foie gras ‘bling dogs’ indulge the guests further. Equipped with a state-of-the-art AV system, Lunaplex is ideal for corporate events or birthday/anniversary video presentations, to name just a few possibilities.
Luna2 chooses not to walk the beaten path; it throws the rulebook out and does exactly as it pleases. True to its tag line, ‘Cosmic pads for globe-trotting gastronauts!’ Luna2 Studiotel promises a cosmic guest experience. Come travel through time, through Luna2 Studiotel’s doors and pass into another, FUNkier world!
Text By Mala Bajaj
Photographs Courtesy Design HotelsTM
Contact
Web: www.designhotels.com/hotels/indonesia/bali/seminyak/luna2-studios
