It’s safe to say that the last thing you would ever expect to find in Krakow – that most venerable and ancient of Polish cities – is a hotel styled with such a resolute mix of European and Chinese art deco.
But the move is a canny one, and aimed squarely at the 220-room Metropolo’s Chinese clientele. Which is not to say that the Warsaw-based architectural studio Tremend has taken the easy way out and loaded the walls with obvious Oriental and period tropes.
Instead, the touches are subtle, beginning with a welcome of Chinese tea at check in, and a flash of Chinese mosaic. Tremend’s light touch continues in the rooms and public spaces, which are furnished in a palette of pale creamy hues that are offset by curvaceous armchairs, rugs daubed with burnt ochre patterns, whimsical Astoria Khotan wallpaper by Muraspec, geometric screen dividers and towering gilded bird cages that have been reimagined as cozy chaises d’amour.
The east-meets-west theme is carried over into executive chef Michał Zgud’s kitchen where Polish standards are contrasted against Chinese flavours, including fluffy omelettes hit with shallots and garlic, and the classic mapo tofu scented with oyster sauce, alongside a separate menu of Chinese teas.
ADDRESS
Orzechowa 11
30-422 Kraków
Poland
-
Exclusive: Thom Yorke and artist Stanley Donwood reminisce on 30 years of Radiohead album artAs the pair’s back catalogue of album sleeves, paintings, musings and more goes on show at Oxford’s Ashmolean, Radiohead singer-songwriter Yorke and his longtime collaborator Donwood talk exclusively to Wallpaper’s Craig McLean
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThis week, our editors have been privy to the latest restaurants, art, music, wellness treatments and car shows. Highlights include a germinating artwork and a cruise along the Pacific Coast Highway…
-
An instant modern classic, the new Hyundai Inster is an all-conquering, all-electric city carSmall EVs are making big waves as the tech continues to evolve. Hyundai shows everyone else how to do it
-
At the new Puro Warsaw Old Town hotel, Polish folklore rethinks Scandi chicDesigned by GamFratesi, this cool and contemporary hotel rides high in the ever-shifting, vibrant Polish capital
-
Polish hotel Puro Poznań is a design-forward delightDesign studio Holloway Li’s recent makeover of Puro Poznań echoes the town’s art nouveau architecture
-
Take a seat at Milk Bar Warsaw, a charming diner with strong Ukrainian rootsMilk Bar's first location outside Kyiv has been designed by studio Yodezeen
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
