Around the World in Seven Beds: Getting Eclectic at Yowie Hotel
The Pierre Frey wallpaper Shannon Maldonado used as the focal point of Philadelphia’s Yowie Hotel, depicting an Edenic garden scene in shades of gray and white, made the designer think of the exuberance of Fantasia and FernGully: The Last Rainforest, two of her favorite childhood films. The 13 rooms here have a sense of grown-up whimsy: The walls are a shade of white that Maldonado refers to as "cereal milk," and practical nightstands are a fiery, bright orange. "Nostalgia plays a significant role in my design process," she says. "I spent a lot of time poring over vintage fashion magazines like i-D, the Face, and W," along with the work of American designers like Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, and Tom Ford–era Gucci. The overall effect Maldonado focused on producing? "Not a traditional hotel setting, but rather a cool friend lending you their apartment keys for the weekend."
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Top image courtesy Yowie
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