A color scheme of black, white and red runs throughout the hotel’s interiors and exteriors, from the glowing red lanterns that lead to the stand-alone, glass box of a reception room, to the red-tiled lap pool in the open air back courtyard. This along with the mix of full and partial glass facades, erases the borders between interior and exterior space. The Park Pod Chennai perfectly captures the excitement of modern day India, weaving together contemporary materials and design objects to build a contemporary space that changes mood with the shifting of light and shadow.
Lacquered black tables are set with Thomas Keller’s “Point” crockery and Riedel glassware and are surrounded by Louis Ghost’ chairs. Dramatic deep red screens for the private dining area were created for the space by Indian fashion designer Rajesh Pratap Singh.
The white-walled bedrooms are somewhat more subdued, but still embedded with taste and character. The Chennai style gurus brought in Play Clan to create whimsical black and white murals in each room; imported the beds and side tables from B & B Italia; and arranged for the linens, cushions and throws to be custom made by Abraham & Thakore.
The partial glass facades and sunroofs allow the hotel to be flooded with light and open up the space to the outside, from the dramatic crooked tree branches above, to the taste makers walking by on Khader Nawaz Khan Road. And the friendly and connected hotel staff encourages guests to open themselves up to the dynamic city center. Guests at the intimate Park Pod may enter as a stranger but soon feel like a well connected local.
by Atul Malhotra and Vikram Phadke
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