How to use photography in luxury hotel design
When it comes to curating artwork and dressing hotels, photography can be highly effective. Not only can it be highly impactful, it can also tell stories, build a greater connection between the guest and the hotel, and in some cases, help to manage challenging budgets.
Commission a photographer to tell a story
A fantastic way to build a stunning, and relevant collection of artwork for your hotel is to commission a photographer to document the surrounding area. I don’t mean a dry tourist shot of a local site or landmark, I mean commissioning a creative artist/photographer who gets under the bonnet of what is means to live and experience the area - the people, the beautiful architect, the history, the gritty parts, nature.
When people travel, they want to feel welcomed, comfortable and connected to their location, and creative photography can provide a raw/honest view of the world immediately outside the walls of the hotel. One photographer who comes to mind is the fantastic Jim Marsden, who we commissioned for two London hotel projects. He has a fantastic ability to capture the spirit of people and places and is a joy to work with.
Jim is currently documenting one of the luxury hotel projects we are working on, taking candid photos of artisans revamping elements of the neo-Gothic architecture and creating a record of the spaces as they evolve. We asked Jim to do this because so much of the hotel’s story will be about its rich heritage and architectural features – things that help to build a unique and compelling boutique hotel brand. We want to use some of this detailed imagery in the final design, whether that’s on the walls or in a beautiful coffee table book that tells the story of this fantastic building.
creative ways of Managing an art budget
Photography is also a great way to manage and control an art budget. Art is often an area that clients value engineer excessively, in part because it is at the tail end of a project that could be over running or over budget. Poorly selected or compromised art can really hinder the outcome as art is so critical to the success of a design. While commissioning a photographer can be costly upfront, the cost of individual images printed so size is considerably less than individual artworks. You can combine photography with a range of artworks using mixed media for an eclectic mix or present the photography as a carefully curated project in a gallery format. Either way using photography as the base enable you to provide high impact, relevant art at a reasonable price point. Another benefit of using your own photography is it enables you to print at a scale that suits the space.
Scale is key
Scale is key to making an impact. Artist Jeff Wall has an incredible understanding of scale. We have all taken photos of a breathtaking landscape, a sunset, or a moment in time, and the image lacks the depth of feeling that you felt in that moment. Jeff Wall creates photography on an enormous size, a human scale and the effect is that you feel part of the scene. Rather than viewing the image, you feel part of the image. His art is an example of how size and scale matters and that the exact same image at two different sizes looks and feels very different.
On a practical level, using your own photography enables you to scale images to the exact size that suits your space. Within our design process, we are huge advocates for mocking things up, and these things don’t always have to be pretty or perfect. We use mounting card on the wall in situ to see if the size and scale feels right, before producing imagery at the precise size.
So, next time you are looking for artwork for a new hotel project, maybe try creating the art, rather than finding the art, or a mix of the two. That way you can curate and art that in unique, relevant and tailored to your space.