SNOW HOTEL BY 1990 UAO

A South Korean hotel design that has our head spinning

South Korea’s Snow Hotel throws design caution to the window. Patterns and materials are recklessly mixed in a glorious clash of marble, tile, wood and wallpaper. Marble floors run smack into cubic optical illusions and rustic stone fades into pristine white tile. Fake meets real, contemporary blends into ancient.

Designed by 1990uao, the hotel is located in downtown Seoul. Instead of beginning with pure function and practicality, the architects integrated attention to detail into every step of the project. They turned tradition on its head, using unexpected materials and patterns on the walls, the floor and even the ceiling. For example, a dizzying optical illusion begins in the lobby and rises all the way to the Triple Cinema Penthouse, covering the room from floor to ceiling and providing visual respite only in the form of windows and doors.

Much of the hotel’s furniture ceases to exist as a separate entity, instead becoming part of the hotel itself: a sunken floor fills with water to become a bath tub and a curved wall becomes a headboard for the bed. Throughout, it is the details that launched the concept and the details that pull it all together in the end.