Silver A' Design Award Winner 2025
Warm honey-toned timber flooring anchors Linda Martins's Hilton Koti Curio Interior Design Project, establishing an expansive hospitality lounge where biomorphic architectural gestures choreograph an atmosphere of cultivated repose and contemporary sophistication. The eye immediately ascends to the sculptural ceiling installation, where sinuous LED-illuminated channels trace serpentine pathways across the overhead plane, their undulating forms evoking the organic curvature of flowing water or wind-sculpted dunes, rendered in warm amber luminosity that bathes the entire volume in an enveloping golden glow. The compositional architecture follows a sophisticated asymmetrical balance, with the primary seating cluster positioned right of center upon a generous circular jute rug that defines the conversational zone with geometric clarity against the linear floorboards. The chromatic palette demonstrates remarkable restraint and warmth, dominated by honeyed woods ranging from pale oak to deeper caramel tones, complemented by upholstered seating in sophisticated moss green, deep aubergine, and soft lavender hues that provide chromatic punctuation without disrupting the overall tonal harmony. The illuminated shelving system along the rear wall creates a luminous architectural backdrop, horizontal bands of warm white light articulating floating shelves populated with books and curated objects against what appears to be translucent onyx or backlit stone panels that diffuse light with ethereal softness. The spatial construction achieves remarkable depth through layered planes, the foreground anchored by plush rounded armchairs in verdant velvet, the middle ground occupied by the wire-frame lounge chairs with their distinctive modernist silhouettes, and the background dissolving into the glowing library wall and lush indoor plantings at right. The biophilic integration manifests through an abundant interior garden featuring mature trees and tropical foliage, their organic forms providing vital counterpoint to the architectural geometries while bringing the vitality of living green into the controlled interior environment. The lighting paradigm achieves theatrical yet welcoming warmth, the ceiling ribbons functioning as primary ambient illumination while concealed linear fixtures beneath shelving provide supplementary task lighting and atmospheric glow. Edge behaviors vary purposefully throughout, the crisp linear precision of shelving and flooring contrasting with the soft, yielding contours of upholstered furniture and the organic irregularity of plant forms, creating visual texture through this dialogue between manufactured precision and natural variation. Surface textures span from the sleek reflective quality of polished floors to the matte absorption of velvet upholstery, the woven tactility of jute carpeting, and the smooth coolness implied by stone and metal elements, generating rich sensory diversity within the unified warm palette.
The Koti Hotel project in Gramado, Brazil, embodies luxury, comfort, and sustainability. Inspired by the region's misty landscapes and mountain scenery, it integrates organic shapes in woodwork, lighting, and plaster, echoing the fluidity of fog. Using regional materials and recycled PET fabrics, the design highlights ecological responsibility. Blending contemporary style with local architectural charm, it offers a serene refuge, harmonizing interior elegance with the surrounding natural beauty, creating an immersive and unique guest experience.