A hybrid, inviting and comfortable environment for work, study and relaxation. This is the objective of the renovation of an old convention center on the campus of Hope College in Holland, Michigan, carried out by Haworth. The American group specialized in contemporary office furniture, which settled here 70 years ago on the shore of the lake, controls a range of excellent international brands. Haworth wanted a special facility that would encourage interaction between college staff and students, members of the community, and the company’s own clientele.
The idea was to turn to Patricia Urquiola and her Milan-based studio to transform the previous Haworth Inn and Conference Center into the exclusive Haworth Hotel, while the additional architectural design was done by GMB Architecture + Engineering, based in Holland.
The designer’s choices balance warmth, playfulness and refinement to create multiple experiences. Urquiola has remodeled all the conference rooms (13), reconstructed the hall and created a full-service café open to students and the public. Along with 48 guestrooms, including a king suite.
All the spaces feature various areas for socializing, reading, conversing, strategically inserted with great elegance, also thanks to the signature design of the brands acquired by the American giant. Cassina, Cappellini, Poltrona Frau and JANUS et Cie have furnished the lounge spaces and the lobby, with a large spiral staircase that captures the gaze.
The touchdown workspaces, organized for quiet moments, containing lighting by Pablo Designs, carpets by GAN and fabrics from Kvadrat. The ballroom can welcome up to 350 guests, and also functions as a dining hall for the students of Hope College, with a fitness area that can also be used by hotel guests.
The guestrooms offer furnishings and services to foster wellbeing, from the comfortable beds to the desks and sanitary fixtures, including the latest products by Kohler. Haworth Hotel is a refined place with appealing design that offers full domestic comfort inside a professional context. “A mixture of residential and commercial solutions, with an atmosphere that makes people feel at home,” the company comments.
