Melbourne-based interdisciplinary design firm ODO has been appointed to design the interiors of Australia’s first 1 Hotel.

Situated on the northern bank of the Yarra River, 1 Hotel Melbourne will form part of Seafarers, a $450 million mixed-use project by Riverlee that will transform the forgotten site into a lively precinct.

The nature-inspired and sustainably-designed hotel chain, which is operated by SH Hotels & Resorts, has already opened four hotels (all in the United States) including New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park, South Beach, Miami and the newly opened 1 Hotel West Hollywood.

Each 1 Hotel is designed to highlight the beauty of nature, fusing luxury with sustainability and environmental responsibility, with a focus on local sourcing and the communities in which it operates; that same mission will be brought to 1 Hotel Melbourne.

Working alongside 1 Hotel’s in-house design studio, the hotel interiors will draw inspiration from surrounding nature, the history of the site, the urban fabric of the city and the evolving culture of Melbourne.

1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge

“We are looking to create an environment and ambience that is rooted in these local narratives,” says Samson Tiew, co-founder and director of ODO.

“This will be achieved through the exploration of regional materials, an extrapolation of what we believe gives a true experience of our city, and also incorporating work by local artists and artisans into the space we are putting together.

“Beyond the immediate references to the Victorian landscape and urban context, an important part of our design process is to question and discover what sort of experiences our guests will embrace and identify with,” adds Tiew.

ODO recently embarked on a global study tour to gain insight into future trends in hotel experience, with the design team eager to implement some of their key learnings for 1 Hotel Melbourne.

1 Hotel West Hollywood

“The most important and unique attribution of each 1 Hotel is its ability to create spaces that connect guests back to nature by re-establishing a relationship, while
showcasing the beauty of nature and how it can equate to a luxury hotel,” says Tiew.

“Over the last few months, we have been establishing these narratives with the project team and have arrived at a collection of stories that inform the design of the different spaces within the hotel.

“For example, we are exploring a pool design that is inspired by the naturally-formed Victorian waters, the public spaces as a reference to the more intimate, ground-plane experiences within Melbourne’s streets, and the rooms as a celebration of some of the more tangible resources, products and materials from our city,” adds Tiew.

1 Hotel Melbourne will open in 2022.