Felicity Beck is the co-founder of Bar Studio that's behind the design of landmark hotels in Asia, Australia and beyond

Twenty years ago, Felicity Beck relocated back to Australia with her husband Stewart Robertson from New York, where they were pursuing respective careers in architecture. Beck had moved up the ranks at Schwartz Architects, where she worked on projects such as the iconic Staten Island Ferry Terminal.

Settling in Melbourne, the couple established BAR Studio (an amalgamation of Beck and Robertson) as they received their first commission, the Millennium Hilton Bangkok, which was the springboard to two decades of successful hospitality interior design. In town in September to attend FIND Design Fair Asia, a celebrated showcase for regional and international design, Beck shares that moving to Melbourne and taking on that first project was one of the best decisions she and Robertson have made.

“Stewart and I had lived in New York for about six years, where that attachment to being out in the world started. While we were ready to be back in Australia, we were not ready to feel like we’ve left the world, so how we started the business seeking those international hospitality projects has been a key part of BAR Studio’s DNA,” shared Beck who studied architecture at the University of Western Australia (UWA).  

To date, BAR Studio has realised many memorable interiors for landmark hotels in Asia-Pacific. These include the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono, and Rosewood Beijing – their first project for the brand that sparked several other collaborations including Rosewood Phuket, Rosewood Hong Kong and most recently, Rosewood Phnom Penh and Rosewood Villa Magna in Madrid. A second office that opened in Madrid in 2021 sees the studio extending their reach to Europe and beyond.  

Early this year, BAR Studio added another two lauded hotels into their portfolio – The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne and Capella Sydney. The former is literally breathtaking, housed in the top 17 floors of the 80-storey West Side Place skyscraper. Completed after nine years, the hotel also occupies three lower levels.

“The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne is dear to our hearts. While most of our projects are international, it was creatively nourishing to realise a project in our hometown of Melbourne,” said Beck. “[On the other hand], Capella Sydney is a one-of-a-kind project. It’s an outstanding example of heritage conversion of an architectural landmark into a luxury hotel, making the historic building accessible to the public for the first time.” 

Owned by Pontiac Land Group, Capella Sydney recently won the Hotel Conversion and Lobby awards, as well as the Hotel of the Year accolade, at AHEAD (Awards for Hospitality Experience and Design) Asia, organised by industry leading hotel design publication Sleeper. BAR Studio worked with Make Architects to create a seamless, revitalised old-meets-new experience in the old Edwardian-Baroque-styled Department of Education building.

Inspired by the heritage sandstone architecture, the design team “drew upon the order, function and rationalism of the building’s previous life, to introduce gestures of frames and portals to demarcate and highlight interior spaces within the structure.”  

It is needless to say that Beck enjoys working on hospitality projects – something she discovered while working on the Millennium Hilton Bangkok. “We dived in and loved it. We found that hospitality was a great fit for us and we were very energised by it. We came to realise how specialised and niche a market it was, so that was a really great opportunity to specialise and hone our skills in one area,” she observed.

Most importantly, that first project showcased the studio’s adeptness and sensitivity to crafting nuanced hospitality interiors that celebrate the locale while exuding a high level of luxury. “Millennium Hilton Bangkok was a renovation, so many operators saw the before and after, and understood what we had achieved. It was soon followed by Park Hyatt Sydney – our first premier hotel project,” shared Beck.

On the relationship with the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts brand, BAR Studio was instrumental in shaping its spatial vision in Asia when the hotel brand was purchased in 2011 by New World Hospitality (part of Hong Kong property giant New World Development owned by tycoon Cheng Yu-Tung).

New World Hospitality became Rosewood Group, and Rosewood Beijing, which opened in 2014, was one of the first completed projects under Cheng’s granddaughter, Sonia Cheng, who became the brand’s CEO. “Rosewood Beijing established a very important relationship for us with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, with whom we have collaborated to deliver the brand’s ‘Sense of Place’ tagline since 2009,” said Beck.

The studio’s success thrives on its ability to distinguish the ethos and vision of each brand and owner, which is vital in today’s crowded hospitality market. It is equally important to deliver a hotel that anchors itself in its locale.

“We always immerse ourselves in the culture, history and artisanal traditions of each project’s setting. Every project also brings together these wonderful inputs of brand identity and place. And part of the excitement of the creation process is manifesting and reconciling these inputs,” explained Beck.

This is particularly crucial for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts that draws on the genius loci in differentiating each of the brand’s properties. “Hence, for Rosewood Beijing, we invested a lot into really looking into Chinese architecture, design and craftsmanship. We were also very engaged in platforming experiences beyond the hotel so if all you saw was the hotel, you really felt Beijing, but actually what the hotel is trying to do is [get guests to] go out and explore and be part of Beijing. So it was about how to create an interior that brings you into the street, that connects you beyond,” Beck shared.

In Rosewood Phuket, BAR Studio wove in materiality and detail synonymous with Thailand, such as rich fabrics, and teak timber elements and furniture. “In this project particularly, being a tropical resort, we wanted the landscape to be the star of the show and foreground connection to place through the integration of design and landscape,” Beck commented.  

With Rosewood Villa Magna in Madrid, which was already an established landmark and much-loved hotel by travellers and locals alike, the team drew inspiration from the city’s multiple facets – “from the city of Madrid, the sophisticated locale of the Salamanca district, and the history and legacy of the site and the hotel itself,” said Beck.

She added, “We also engaged with the local cultural iconography through conceptualising dining and social spaces like Flor y Nata, a contemporary take on the traditional pastry shops of Madrid,” Beck elaborated on employing subtle gestures like the recurring, classic herringbone motif found in custom carpets, wall panelling and flooring, and use of colour in the guestrooms that reflects Madrid’s vibrancy.

For a brand like The Ritz-Carlton, it was crucial to infuse a strong sense of luxury that comes through in the grand sweeping staircase, chandeliers and gilt accents. “The Ritz-Carlton brand comes with such a strong reputation. In designing The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, we wanted again to hit the notes of creating the sense of opulent luxury and attention to detail expected of a Ritz-Carlton, while bringing that uniquely Melbourne take on the project,” Beck commented.

Part of the “uniquely Melbourne” take equates to spotlighting the artworks in the hotel, curated with Chapman & Bailey to provide a local narrative. “The collection brings together the work of the celebrated First Nations artists, Melbourne’s contemporary talents and an international sculptural commission, telling the story of Melbourne’s past, present and future in a genuine and engaging way,” explained Beck.

Art became a key proponent in hotel design rather than an aside, she observes. “I feel like it reflects an evolution of the market, where generally, art and design has become such a bigger part of people’s worlds,” Beck contemplated. For instance in Capella Sydney, the hotel brought in The Artling to select and commission many of the hotel’s artworks to anchor spaces.

BAR Studio’s attuned approach underscores the overriding trend in hospitality that has evolved from design that was international and luxurious but also “agnostic” in its response to a location, to one now driven by travellers’ increasing desire for authentic connections to culture and place. “We are seeing global brands embracing the localisation of design and providing a contextual sense of place within the framework of their brand essence and guidelines,” Beck observed.