One of the things I most enjoy doing when developing a new project is finding parts and objects and giving them a new use.
When creating a concept for a small boutique hotel in Lisbon, I found some old pieces that were used to bake bread at the end of the 19th century. I immediately realized that they would be part of one of the hotel's suites. The building had been a famous bakery, which closed in the 1990s after the owner's death.
It was the way found to pay homage to him, and to give the Hotel a dash of authenticity. Creating concepts for Boutique Hotels is a highly creative process, but it is also a process of creating connections to stories. That's what you expect from this type of hotel. Working with old buildings is, above all, learning to listen to what they tell us. Research, find out who lived there, find relevant facts and stories, and then filter and incorporate them into the concept we want to follow.
And when they ask you what the concept is?
Unless your concept is to get asked what your concept is, something went wrong. The concept must be implicit in everything you do. Only then does it make sense and only then are all options and solutions validated. Never underestimate the sensitivity of users. Develop the concept without ever stopping thinking about them.
Rui Vasques Garcia
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