HOTEL BABULA
I stripped away what was dated, not to cover it again, but to let the raw presence of the walls define the space anew.
CONCEPT
From the first floor to the top, a single signature runs through the building. Each room is unique, yet connected through the unmistakable aesthetic of Composing the Raw: surfaces that combine patina with precision, imperfection with harmony, and the poetics of natural decay.
FOUNDATION
Each room began with a different wall condition. Old layers, hidden patterns, uneven substrates. I first stripped back the surfaces to understand what was there, then rebuilt them through a technique that balances removal and addition. Traces of time were kept, new ones introduced, until old and new settled into one coherent surface.
5TH FLOOR
ROOM 505
When the old coverings came off, several plaster layers broke open and left a restless patchwork. I kept the strongest layer as an anchor and shaped new ones around it, softening the chaos into balance. The wall settled into a calm, marble-like field of muted tones and quiet textures. A once fractured surface transformed into a gentle horizon for the room.
4TH FLOOR
ROOM 410
Old wallpaper patterns were carefully revealed and kept, lifted just enough to form a gentle rhythm across the wall. By softening the surrounding plaster and calming the contrasts, the once-restless surface shifted into quiet balance. Pale greys, beige and blue extend into the furniture and fabrics, allowing past and present to fold into one harmonious room.
MOTIF — 3TH FLOOR
ROOM 309
A cut timber beam set flush into the plaster echoes the wall’s patina. Broken-out sections reveal layered textures. Imperfection embraced as design.
MOTIF — 2ND FLOOR
ROOM 207
After removing loose material, I rebuilt the surface with thin mineral layers, calming the irregularities while keeping subtle traces of its past. Soft light enters through the windows and the loggia, settling across walls that once carried uneven layers of old plaster. Gentle tones of grey, beige and red were blended to echo the surrounding interior, allowing the room to settle into a quiet balance between rawness and refinement.
PATINA
Throughout the hotel, walls appear as though time itself shaped them. Weathered yet alive, raw yet balanced. What was once covered and forgotten has become visible again, transformed into treasures of imperfection.