STORY LIVING
Maria Vafiadis is one of the most highly regarded designers of luxury hotels and resorts . She established her practice , MKV Design , in London 25 years ago and has since led the design of such seminal resorts as Costa Navarino in Greece and Bürgenstock in Switzerland as well as a swathe of hotels and residences in capital cities and coastal locations across Europe .
For some time , the buzzword in luxury hotel design has been ‘ storytelling ’. An antidote to hotels that were largely indistinguishable from one another , the notion is to design hotels with a narrative that draws on sense of place , its history , culture and neighbourhood vibe , to create a hotel different from others . desire for the experiential and a higher value than ever given to luxury travel coupled with a reinterpretation of what luxury is that favours a more residential and informal aesthetic . “ I have always believed that the greatest gift hotels can bestow is the luxury of time and now I see storytelling moving onto story living , from an imposed narrative into something that gives a tangible experience . This may be making plans with loved ones , undertaking adrenaline-fuelled challenges , or listening to the wash of sea waves from your spa garden .
“ For me , as a designer who loves the research and concept creation phase of projects , this is an enriching approach ,” says Maria . “ It also encourages collaborations with local artists and craftspeople as well as the use of indigenous materials , which helps local communities as well as the environment .”
Meanwhile , the way we tend to live our lives has been changing – the blurring of business and leisure ,
THE ART OF LUXURY ISSUE 66 2024