The Whale Bar at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort has won the prestigious SBID International Design Awards 2017.
At the SBID International Design Awards 2017 ceremony at The Dorchester hotel in London on October 27, The Whale Bar and its architect, Singapore-based WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design were crowned the Overall Winner of the awards.
The Whale Bar’s distinctive shape recalls the majestic whale shark. This whimsical but elegant retreat is elevated by light-oak interiors and a softly lit neutral palette. The fish-scale-like timber shingles around the kitchen and smooth iridescent stucco in the ‘body’ of the whale emphasise the marine iconography.
The venue’s highlight is a ceiling mural that breaks away from the traditional St. Regis wall mural: this masterpiece is made up of five curvaceous oak panels. The panels have been created using the Maldivian craft of pyrography by Indian artist Maya Burman, using henna-style drawing typically done on hands and feet as an expression of a celebratory moment of joy and gathering. The installation depicts a father and son discovering a paradise of corals, fish, and plankton – a celebration of the Maldives’ vibrant sea life.
Underneath the mural is the main bar area, which is inspired by the form of a sea turtle.
The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort and The Whale Bar have won global acclaim for its architectural design, including a continental award for the best exterior design at Prix Versailles 2017 and a nomination for the 2017 World Interior of the Year Awards, which will be announced later this month.
The SBID International Design Awards has firmly established itself as one of the most prestigious and enjoyable events in the design industry calendar.
The awards recognise, reward and celebrate design excellence across a broad range of categories. Winning a SBID International Design Award is a high achievement – they are evaluated by leading industry experts for their technical content and aesthetic creativity while the design-conscious public also has a say in choosing the most inspiring projects.
The international judging panel comprises industry leaders, including Andrew Katz, Partner at Prospect Hotel Advisors LLC; Matthew Tierney, Director, Brand Creative of Autodesk; Lewis Carnie, Head of Radio 2, BBC; Marek Reichman, Chief Creative Officer and Design Director at Aston Martin; Sir Michael Dixon, Director of The Natural History Museum, London; Ben McOwen Wilson, Director of YouTube EMEA; Kevin Mau, Senior Creative Director at The Boeing Company; David Lewis, Managing Director of Sunseeker London and Jane Preston, Facilities Manager UK, Real Estate and Workplace Services, Google; and Carlo Castelli, Director, Strategic Planning and Design at AECOM.
This year’s categories consist of Hotel Bedroom and Suites Design, Residential Design Project Over £1 Million, Show Flats and Developments, and Restaurant Design.
The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort is nestled on a private island in the secluded Dhaalu atoll, amidst thriving marine life. Just 40 minutes from the main Velana International Airport by seaplane, guests are transported to a newfound paradise.
Designed with great respect to its natural surroundings, the resort, which opened just a year ago, is surrounded by a large house reef and the island is defined by several distinct ecological areas: lagoon, beach coastal and jungle. At The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, guests have the luxury of staying in one of the 77 island and overwater villas, shrouded in lush tropical flora, each with a private pool.
There are six distinct dining venues, including an Asian specialty restaurant, a modern Italian restaurant that features a grand staircase, an underground wine cellar restaurant, a shack style restaurant, a signature overwater bar that rolls out stunning views of dramatic sunset, and a pop-up restaurant in the middle of the resort.
Additionally, guests can also enjoy the Iridium Spa, which presents six overwater treatment rooms, including two that are dedicated to healing Ayurvedic treatments. Spa guests can also enjoy a Blue Hole pool, which contains heated seawater with different water jets – a system with proven benefits to the body.