Blueberry Nights hotel makes “people feel like they’re inside a movie”

Georgian architect Sandro Takaishvili has converted an apartment building in Tbilisi into a hotel, with interiors informed by his love of cinema and movie projectors in all 16 rooms.

Also, Taking over three storeys above a restaurant in the capital’s Vera neighbourhood, the Blueberry Nights hotel features a theatrical colour scheme, Japanese furnishings and moody lighting.

“The design of the hotel is the culmination of my entire life’s consumption of film,” the hotel’s co-founder Sandro Takaishvili told Dezeen.

“My intention is to make people feel like they’re inside a movie, where everything feels slightly familiar but otherworldly at the same time,” said the architect, who previously worked as a set designer, filmmaker and photographer.

The hotel named after My Blueberry Nights – a film by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai – and incorporates visual references to the work of other renowned directors including Stanley Kubrick.

Also, The main lobby looks and feel like a cosy cinema foyer, complete with dark blue carpeting, walnut wood furniture and seating upholstered in velvet. Guests can check in at a large reception desk fronted in plexiglass that was inspired by retro-futuristic films.

“From the moment guests step through the doors, a moody cinematic journey begins with dark blue carpets, downlights and a soft soundtrack of noir movie dialogues playing in the lobby,” Takaishvili said.

As part of the renovation, Takaishvili transformed the building’s attic into two extra guestrooms, for a total of 16 rooms.

The bedrooms were designed to evoke the visual style of David Lynch, with custom-made low-slung beds and walnut-veneer cabinets. Also, Room dividers punctured by large circular openings were used to mark different zones within the rooms.

The warm wooden furniture is offset by splashes of red and the white tiles used in the tiny en-suite bathrooms.

Also, Other bedroom decor includes lamps with Noguchi-style paper shades, which Takaishvili imported from Japan. And teak-and-cane chairs by architect Pierre Jeanneret, which were sourced from London.

“The paper lights give off a soft luminescent effect that creates a cosy ambience,” the architect explained.

“Some of the simple geometric forms that I used definitely have a mid-century influence. But I wasn’t trying to be trendy. I just wanted to achieve a cinematic effect without resorting to obvious movie gimmicks.”

One wall was blank in each room so that guests can watch movies via a smart projector. While music can play via a selection of vinyl records.

Also, Other interior projects in Tbilisi include a bookstore-cum-cafe by Georgian designer Lado Lomitashvili. And the Stamba Hotel, which occupies the former headquarters of a Soviet printing press.