The creation and opening of one of the Nobu chain's hotels in Warsaw has long been the talk of the town. The investment in the Polish capital is not only an event in the hotel world, but also an architectural one. In addition to the intriguing main body, Nobu Hotel Warsaw is being built as a new wing of the Rialto Hotel. Medusa Group studio is responsible for the overall design.
"I'm taking a part of New York with me to Poland". - Robert De Niro announced. This is thanks to Nobu Hospitality, a global brand of lifestyle hotels and original restaurants, founded by the famous actor and his partners - a film producer and an esteemed chef. New York chic is only part of the truth about Warsaw's Nobu. For it was created as a new wing of the Rialto Hotel, an important symbol of the city's history.
The Nobu Hotel, designed by Medusa Group Architects, is a story about 21st-century Warsaw: open, modern, diverse. The new hotel is being built on Koszykowa Street in downtown Warsaw opposite the Koszyki Hall, where Medusa Group is also responsible for the design of the interior and common spaces.
The interiors, sparing in form, operate with simple materials: concrete, wood, stone, glass. They have been designed in a Japaneseizing style
© press materials
Basia Hyjek: How did you work on such a large undertaking as designing a hotel from the Nobu chain?
Przemo Lukasik: At first, our task was to expand the Rialto Hotel. Nobu became interested in this project and it eventually turned into one big project already for the brand. It was a great adventure. What's characteristic of the Nobu hotel chain is that a great deal of freedom is left to the designers of new facilities, while they must reflect the spirit of Japan in their concepts.
Basia: What was the main inspiration for the interior design?
Przemo: Our task was to design luxurious spaces with a restrained design. Luxury was to be evident through a calm, refined aesthetic combined with distinctive design elements. Luxury without "icing," and achieved through simple forms of expression, based on the play of contrasts. The concrete visible on the walls is not architectural but structural concrete. Its rawness, combined with the carefully crafted texture of the oak wood wall, is an example of finishing a space while retaining its building elements.
Medusa Group has designed 120 luxury rooms
© press materials
Basia: Each of the rooms is kept in the same style, and yet they differ from each other.
Przemo: Working out the details of the whole project in general were hours spent on teleconferences. Every detail, every detail was discussed - precise conversations even concerned the height of the tables, their width, so that the comfort of future clients was properly taken care of. We had many discussions with Meir Teper, one of the three founders of the Nobu chain. He made many of the decisions himself - even subtle issues were directly agreed with him.
The rooms aren't exactly identical either, due to the shape of the building. We did not want to cut ourselves off stylistically from the architecture of Warsaw. The form of the block was determined by the triangular shape of the plot, and like other corners in the area, the new hotel was also rounded. We then "cut" it with a razor blade and spread out the individual parts. This created rooms that differ in the size of the space, availability of light, but are of a similar standard. In each of them there is a different type of art, which refers to Japanese culture.
The overall idea behind the design of the rooms was to create a modest, thoughtful Japanese concept that allows you to relax. That's what hotels are all about too, right? It was also our dream that Nobu Hotel Warsaw's clients would be able to look at the city through the greenery. This was made possible by straddling the different levels of the building, where green terraces overgrown with bling were created. There is also a green wall on the side of Koszykowa Street - a nod to the residents.
The five-star Nobu Warsaw Hotel will be the chain's 18th hotel and the Nobu Restaurant one of 40 spread across five continents
photo by Nate Cook
Basia: How was the process of combining the two buildings - the new hotel with the Hotel Rialto?
Przemo: We wanted an original but collision-free merger. In addition to the two buildings, we merged two Warsaws - today's modern, cosmopolitan, like any capital city with the old one, remembering the times before the war. Guests staying at Nobu Hotel Warsaw can see Warsaw on its different levels. It's an adventure, an experience to bring back from a trip. You can see how the Polish capital looked and looks today. The buildings have also been linked together by contrast - architecturally and in color. The new block is graphite, the Rialto Hotel has been kept in bright colors.
NOBU brand history
The history of the NOBU brand began in the late 1980s in Los Angeles, when Robert De Niro walked into a restaurant owned by chef Nobu Matsuhisa. A few years later, together with Meir Teper, they opened their first Nobu Restaurant in Manhattan.
The five-star Nobu Warsaw Hotel will be the chain's 18th hotel and the Nobu Restaurant one of 40 spread across five continents. They are visited by 3 million guests annually. The shared vision that gave birth to the first restaurant allowed Nobu's founders to create a network of exceptional places. They offer their guests top-quality service and extraordinary culinary experiences, providing a unique experience. For years, Nobu hotels have reflected noble elegance and original design.
