Mugler Branded Hotel - Lobby
The design of a hotel lobby with an adjoining retail space for the fashion brand Mugler, that is expanding past its retail market to create a “branded” hotel. The ultimate goal was to create a fully immersive branded hospitality experience.
Founded in 1974 by French designer Thierry Mugler (1948-2022), the brand approached clothing design in a theatrical way inspired by his background as a dancer.
Common themes in his designs include:
armor, sculptural & exaggerated silhouettes, futuristic & fantasy influences, feminine empowerment, and movement.
Hotel Lobby Entrance
Reception
Concierge
Staircase
Noir Bar
Window Display
Retail Space
Private Fitting Room & Tailoring Space
Chimère Bar & Gallery
Chimère Main Seating Area
Vénus Lounge Seating Area
Vénus Lounge Private Dining Area
Concept & Development
Sculpted Space
The design translates the aesthetic of Mugler into a sequence of spaces that use sculptural forms, contrasting materials, and shifting atmospheres to reflect the brand’s themes of structure, transformation, and empowerment.
The layout of the design takes direct inspiration from the sculptural quality of Mugler’s clothing designs. Strong, powerful, curving forms define major spaces of the project’s program and encourage guest circulation.
The materials and finishes for each distinct area of the design reflect different eras and iconic designs from Mugler’s history up until the present.
Inspiration Board
Bubble Diagram
1st Floor Preliminary Plan
1st Floor Preliminary Circulation Diagram
2nd Floor Preliminary Plan
2nd Floor Preliminary Circulation Diagram
Custom Reception Desk Skecth
Reception/Congiere Area Concept Sketch
Monumental Stair/Waiting Area Concept Sketch
Bar/Monumental Stair Concept Sketch
Retail Space Concept Sketch
Retail Space Ceiling Concept Sketch
Part Diagram - Taken from a few of the most important curving forms within the design, this diagram represents how these forms sculpt out different areas of the design, but still fit together as a whole.
Floor Plans & Reflected Ceiling Plans
Sections
Material Selections
When selecting materials, there was a lot of care put into emphasizing the contrast between hard and soft, reflective and matte, and feminine and masculine, especially in spaces like the lobby and retail which were inspired by the Ready to Wear line and had more neutral color palettes.
Materials such as the ball chain curtain which is used throughout the different areas of the design to help bring a sense of cohesion is one of the strongest examples of this contrast. Something that looks soft and delicate from far away, but in reality is a hard somewhat rigid material up close.
This contrast in materiality reflects Mugler’s brand identity as something that is feminine, but not soft, and strives to empower women and celebrate them through their designs.
FF&E Selections
