Colors Urban Hotel ― 

The hotel, situated in the historical core of Thessaloniki, is designed by Urban Soul Project in a listed old building; its main features are the opulent ornamentation on the walls and ceilings, the heavy wooden double doors, and the bright atrium, covered under an industrial glass dome. Before its conversion into a hotel, the building was an office space; preserving the architectural elements of its old identity while introducing a new one, with separate character, proved very challenging.

The hotel brand was developed around the idea of color as a device for assigning meaning to space. In the contemporary framework, hotel rooms should avoid standardization, in favor of individual narratives; therefore, architectural design was called to devise individual themes for each space. This strategy required the use of an extensive color palette, capable of assigning different identities to each room.

Following contemporary trends, all bathrooms are divided, closets are open and double beds are lifted from the floor. Hotel rooms are furnished with a desk, an open storage facility and a sink, all made of powder-coated metal and lacquered wood. The color and material palettes are complete with fabric upholstery and wall tapestries.

Custom-made metal fittings are designed in slender tubular components, straight or curved, and they also feature flat metal strips on the surface. All are powder coated in smooth or textured matte colors. The matte effect was chosen for making new ornamental surfaces stand out from the old, while different textures respond to different degrees of tactility at each piece of furniture.

Akzo Nobel architectural powder coatings were chosen for their outstanding variety in chromatic, tactile and reflective properties. The Colors Urban Hotel features:

Architect: Urban Soul Project
Location: Thessaloniki, Greece
Year of construction: 2016
© Photo credit: Kimberley Powell

Color description: RAL 9003 Structura, Akzo Nobel
Powder Code: YB303F

Color description: Tasilaq, Akzo Nobel
Powder Code: Y2304I

Color description: Ambre, Akzo Nobel
Powder Code: Y2316F