As Beijing gears up to host the world’s greatest sporting extravaganza in 30 days’ time – the summer Olympics, the city is working overtime to doll up and present its prettiest face, and that of a nation, to the world.
And doing its part is The Opposite House, a 99-suite luxury boutique hotel by newly formed Swire Hotels of parent company Swire Properties, which opens in August.
The Opposite House is housed within The Village at Sanlitun (pictured below), Beijing’s first open-plan shopping and entertainment complex, and another of Swire Properties’ projects.
Celebrated Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, whose recent projects include private island resort Dellis Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Suntory’s Tokyo office building, is the chief architect and artist behind the Opposite House.
From the hotel’s emerald glass exterior, and overall green color scheme to the light-reflective stainless steel-clad swimming pool, Kuma has created a space that in his own words, evokes “the calm of an urban forest” that allows “the play of natural and artificial light”.
The rooms are decidedly simple and cozy, with brushed wood interiors and subtle dashes of Chinese décor to create Kuma’s idea of a “hideway with the comfort of home”.
Swire also worked with Shanghai-based international design firm Neri and Hu Design Research Office (NHDRO) and restaurateur David Laris to create a vibrant gastronomic paradise within the hotel’s interiors. This consists of five restaurants and bars, each uniquely themed and conceptualized, in keeping with the hotel’s avant-garde design approach.
Sureño, styled in warm woods and blue olive grove patterns, serves Mediterranean cuisine prepared in wood-fired ovens while Bei offers a quirky twist on a wide gamut of Japanese, Northern Chinese and Korean dishes. Hit the Mesh for a cozy nook to unwind or join the party at the edgy Punk ‘mini club’.
