The Julius

Silva Dias. These are paired with softer elements like the cotton and rope used on the lighting fixtures and the carpets braided with cork and recycled materials, bringing the outside in. Plaster sculptures – including a replica of the hotel’s site in miniature, demonstrating just how snugly it fits into the valley – give form and volume to the walls. Each of the 37 rooms also features plastercasts of a different section of the property, while ceilings are gently curved to evoke the silhouette of the waves, resulting in a cocooning effect. “The idea is that you feel protected, with the curve then drawing the eye to the view,” Silva Dias describes.

The property’s F&B is similarly ‘immersed’ in its location. Overseen by Portuguese Michelinstarred chef Alexandre Silva, Emme – the main restaurant occupying a significant part of the ground floor – draws its main inspiration from what the nearby ocean provides, supplemented by goodies from the hotel’s organic vegetable garden. The grilled octopus, a staple of most Portuguese seafood restaurants, is presented in its own skillet and tastes even better than it looks, while local prawns are served on a bed of the freshest algae. Even some of the cocktails contain sea foam. When the weather is right, Emme extends beyond the veranda to a fire pit level built into the valley. It is conceived for shared community experiences, although guests may end up fighting for the seats at the table built around a tree.

The team has further optimised the site by positioning the pool deck atop one of the four buildings, and unsurprisingly, the view across the valley takes centre stage. Pool time is best followed up by a trip to Immerso’s spa, which includes a sauna, steam bath, sensory bath and three treatment rooms, all offering therapies in partnership with organic vinotherapy brand Vinoble Cosmetics.

For Silva Dias, designing Immerso was an exercise in bringing the atmosphere of the locale inside and emphasising the connection, everywhere, between outside and in. The hotel truly lives up to its name. EXPRESS CHECK-OUT Owner: Alexandra Almeida d’Eca Architecture and Interior Design: Tiago Silva Dias, Lemon Variance www.immerso.pt

The Standard’s Asian flagship is a creative stage on which Bangkok’s tongue-in-cheek exuberance meets vintage styling and organic forms for sensory experiences galore.

Words: Neena Dhillon • Photography: Courtesy of Standard International

Our brand is in a constant state of evolution,” says Verena Haller, Chief Design Officer of The Standard. “It’s important to create destinations that appeal not only to the international traveller, but to the local community too. We strive to create places that are at home in their surroundings while also being distinctive and unique.” Delivering on this vision in spades, the brand’s flagship property in Asia breathes fresh life into the Thai capital’s hospitality scene with multidimensional, energetic and eclectic spaces that serve as a magnet for Bangkok’s bright, young things as well as the world’s digital nomads.

Set in the 78-storey Ole Scheeren-designed Mahanakhon tower, a spiralling intrigue of a building that makes its mark on the skyline, The Standard’s second Thai property has been conceived by the brand’s in-house design team in collaboration with Jaime Hayon of Hayon Studio, as an ultra-social urban retreat in the heart of the Central Business District. Here, the cultural vocabulary of the city is translated into a backdrop for a sequence of immersive experiences, from art installations to sky-high cocktails, culinary programming rich in contrasts to one-of-a-kind meeting spaces. “Visible from all parts of Bangkok, the architecture of the building is stark and prominent,” Haller notes. “We wanted to create interiors that are warm and filled with landscape, life and colour to complement it.”

Rather than overwhelm with size and grandeur, the ground-floor lobby welcomes visitors into a green oasis that acts as a foil to the height and dimensions of the building. Oversized rattan lamps, made in Thailand, sway above stone flooring depicting a couple in an embrace, while textural inlays and curves, tactile banquettes and tropical planters inject warmth and an enveloping quality. The lobby shop is a treasure trove, filled with a selection of luminous lanterns, contemporary jewellery and take-home objects made by local artisans. There isn’t a straight edge in sight – and there rarely will be in the journey yet to unfold.

Elevators hint at the audiovisual aspects to come, the graded glass giving the appearance of a mirror that stretches to eternity while curated music by DJ Rui plays – the soundtrack morphing from venue to venue. With the arrival experience continuing up on reception level, all the senses are engaged. The eyes are drawn to displays of curios, collector items and porcelains while art pieces include the bronze Personnage sculpture by Joan Miro, located in a niche near the elevators, and a kaleidoscopic Marc Quinn painting in the lobby – both from the collection of owning company King Power. Installed behind the reception desks, Heaven’s Gate by video artist Marco Brambilla nods to the brand’s New York flagship, and elsewhere, further pieces come courtesy of Saatchi Art.

Designed by Ou Baholyodhin, Ojo is a study in rose-gold glamour, where a feminine rose-quartz-inspired circular bar takes centrestage

Reception wraps around to the first of six food and beverage venues, which really draw in the crowds. The airy Parlor spills from inside to outdoor terraces and features a range of vintage-styled banquettes, sofas and armchairs while greenery drips from the top of the oversized DJ booth and attractive marblelined bar. The palette plays on primary colours yet each shade is given a twist to add depth or rounded to a sophisticated hue. The mischievous character of Bangkok emerges in painted red lips that adorn prints or are smacked all over busts. “Our guests can mingle or hide away, they can move from one area to the other, and enter new pockets of energy complemented by entertainment,” explains Haller. “There will always be something that inspires.”

This energy shift continues as guests move from The Parlor through a set of doors into Tease, a tearoom with the vibe of a Mad Hatter’s tea party. For the interiors, the team turned to Vienna, specifically the work of Austrian architect and designer Josef Hoffmann, to develop a monochromatic scheme of symmetry and whimsy, the graphic black-and-white furniture complemented by quirky papiermâché models. “We look at each F&B outlet as its own destination,” confirms Haller. “They are not just hotel outlets but rather distinctive venues where people go to be social. The Parlor, with its sound booth and lounge furniture, offers a place to hang-out, work through the day and socialise into the night. Then there’s Tease, with its Viennese-inspired patterns – each one tells a story and can stand alone.”

This intention is never lost. In homage to the iconic Standard Grill in New York, the Bangkok version melds notes of the original – take the subway tiling, vaulted ceiling and penny-strewn flooring – with motifs more familiar to Thailand. Hayon’s hand-drawn graphic frieze adorns the soft furnishings, as do fantastical depictions of local wildlife printed onto fabric dividers, while the outdoor sections of the all-day brasserie are reminiscent of a greenhouse. Back inside, rattan dining chairs to Hayon’s own design and made

by Expormim accompany sociable booths, with additional seating available at the slick metalaccented bar with bold checkerboard backdrop. Each venue also benefits from its own set of staff uniforms, which never fail to impress, the collection designed by Fah Chak Woman.

Up on the 76th floor, the culinary adventure continues. Bringing the contemporary Mexican cuisine of Chef Francisco Paco Ruano to Bangkok, Ojo is a study in rose-gold glamour. Design here is by Ou Baholyodhin, who drew on the mysticism of Latin American civilisations and the long tradition of mining precious metals and gemstones to develop the aesthetic. Deeply rooted in Mexican folklore, the all-seeing eye (Ojo de Dios) from which the restaurant takes its name is translated into a structural entrance feature while the Mexican art of macramé informs wallcoverings. Sculptural uplighters take the form of yucca trees, sprouting from golden dining booths complemented by a feminine rose-quartz-inspired circular bar. The hotel’s fifth dining venue delivers the food of