The Pearl Lounge
BAHRAIN
At the Pearl Lounge, our vision was to create an intimate platform for legendary Bahraini hospitality to shine. The idea was to apply traditional concepts of Arabic hospitality to a series of spaces built around hospitality gestures like the café, the bar, and the a la carte restaurant. The concept is a promenade of indulgences. Each space has its own mood, its own speed, and its own offerings for guests. There are loud spaces, quiet spaces, formal meal spaces, and places to just hang around and work while having a drink. We deconstructed the typical open plan layout found in many premium lounges into discrete and smaller spaces/rooms, each containing unique guest offerings.
The concept is a promenade of indulgences.
Typical open airport lounge plans feel too vast and impersonal. By taking cues from our hotel and high-end residential design experience, we translated the impact of intimate spaces to the travel lounge setting. Because the scale of these spaces is more familiar and intimate, it becomes easier to tell a story and host a guest. One signature gesture used throughout the Lounge is the ‘Portal’ or large framed opening. This element defines both the end of one space and the entry to another. When scaled correctly, it helps the lounge feel both intimate and grand at the same time.
The Pearl Lounge would not present itself as one sprawling space, but as a series of unique environments focused on customer service and choice.
A fine balance emerges between personal and shared space.
Champalimaud Design puts an emphasis on understanding how one lives and ultimately uses a space. In the Pearl Lounge, for example, a fine balance emerges between personal and shared space. A guest wants to feel as if they are sitting in the best seat in the house no matter which seat in the lounge they chose to settle.
