City Inn Kuanzhai Alley

City Inn, a hotel located nearby historical attraction Kuanzhai Alley in Chengdu, required a renovation respectful to the area, as well as affordable for the client.
The designer allows users to walk into the very history of the area, showcasing it as he transforms the hotel into a modern art gallery.
Photos and products of the good old times are displayed in the lobby as art work.
Every room is decorated in monochrome, with wall adorned by hanging pictures of street views in black-and-white, with furniture in black, white or grey also in retro style.

The resulting effect is that the room looks like a pop-up photo in black-and-white; if guests take photos in the room, they will find out they are the only colourful objects in a black-and-white photo. According to the designer: “When we decorate the objects of past, we don’t want people to see the worn part but the beautiful part of them. We display them as art pieces. City Inn Kuanzhai Alley is a modern art gallery of ‘Present and Past'”.

Chu Chih-Kang –
Space Design