Panoramic view of Six Senses Fort Barwara

Six Senses Fort Barwara in Rajasthan, western India, is a converted 700-year-old royal fort. Originally owned by the Rajasthan royal family, the fort retains a palace and two temples within its walls. How do you turn a 14th century building into a modern hotel? The Melbourne-based interior architecture studio Mitchell & Eades looked at the history and current state of the area, balancing the relationship between historical monuments and modern industry through design interventions that bridge the gap between local ecology and modern lifestyles.

The completed hotel is subtle and restrained in appearance, and the restoration over the years has not been a drastic effort to make the castle look new, but rather to preserve and repair it, restoring and revealing its original charm. We can still see the crumbling walls, the fences eroded by the years, and the faded frescoes in the fortress ...... where every brick and tile is carefully guarded. These traces of the reincarnation of age create a magnificent aura for the hotel that is difficult to replicate artificially. The hotel provides guests with an experience that travels back in time, creating a temporal encounter that is 700 years old, which in itself is enough to make one long for it.

Relaxation area of theSix Senses Fort Barwara

Despite the abundance of space in the fort, the hotel has been restrained in planning the guest rooms. 48 suites occupy only part of the fort. The original gardens, water features, amphitheater, and lawns of the fort were revitalized, the unique local vegetation was restored, and professional management systems were put in place to bring the fort back to its former landscape, and the hotel was thus given the luxury of a royal garden. These landscapes are distributed in a certain square proportion and rhythmic order, enclosing the hotel lobby and service area in the center. This is the designer's unique spatial arrangement, whether from the lobby or from the guest room to the restaurant, guests are bound to walk up the stone steps laden with history and through the lush garden, receiving a double baptism of ancient culture and fresh nature.

The corridor ofSix Senses Fort Barwarapartial

Entering the living space of the hotel from the outside, the designer makes the transition process natural and comfortable with a sense of hierarchy through the design of arches and corridors. The existence of arches is originally a reflection of wisdom and aesthetics in traditional architecture, and with appropriate modern design transformation, it allows the residents to reap the surprises brought by space switching in an unconscious stroll. The arches in different spaces have different forms. The outdoor doorways are wide and heavy, with sharp corners echoing the dome of the old castle, emitting the atmosphere and flavor of history; the indoor arches are decorated with arcs or made of multiple layers, full and exquisite, showing modern aesthetics and ingenuity. The use of light is also extremely elaborate. The backlit walls of the room are carefully sculpted with window panes, and a touch of high light depicts the outline of the arches, drawing one's eyes out of the windows, into the distance, and into the space of reverie.

Relaxation area ofSix Senses Fort Barwara

The hotel rooms are decorated with modern Rajasthan design style, no complicated decorations, no extravagant gold and silverware, instead, there are rustic solid wood furniture, classic nostalgic lamps and ceiling fans, soft and light white bed curtains, handmade textured cotton and linen products ...... exquisite design details are reflected in the structure of the furniture, the beauty of the decorative The beauty comes from the texture of natural materials and the combination and matching of different textures, which is the spirit of modern design, starting from the structure and function, without showing the mountain, but with a lot of style.

Rooms at theSix Senses Fort Barwara

The romantic and soft tones in the hotel rooms are formed by the warm white walls, tan furniture and earthy gray stone. The colorful traditional patterns on the pillows, red bed flags and carpets, and greenery are probably the only jumping elements in the house. The understated design of the space's colors is in line with the reverent attitude of the ancient castle's renovation, reflecting the inherent tacit understanding between the hotel's own aesthetics and the local traditional culture.

Depending on the original architecture of the fortress, the rooms range in size from 70 to 280 square meters, and feature a variety of amenities, from rooftop terraces and private gardens to jacuzzi baths and lavish viewpoints. Through the large and small viewing windows, guests can always glimpse not only the ancient architecture, but also the view of the lake and villages outside the city, or the Chauth ka Barwara Mandir temple and the Aravali hills from afar.

Rooms at theSix Senses Fort Barwara

In addition to the modern rooms and local scenery, the hotel also offers a healthy living service. Sourcing fresh ingredients from nearby organic gardens and village farms, the restaurant offers healthy, Rajasthani-inspired specialties using traditional cooking techniques and cuisine, while catering to different dining cultures, the hotel also serves global cuisine. The restored Royal Ballroom, with its open space and magnificent interiors, offers a wide range of dining and ceremonial services. The 2,800-square-meter Roksan Spa and Fitness Center features personalized treatments and a unique Indian wellness program. Guests can not only experience exclusive signature products such as local oils, mud, clay, gels and botanical oils, but also experience sound healing in the sacred meditation hall.

Detail of the roof of the ancient complex of theSix Senses Fort Barwara

Of course, the unique geographical conditions of the old fortress also provide hotel guests with a wealth of public space. The staggered open spaces of the castle can be used for casual gatherings; the open-air tower can be used to set up a romantic candlelit dinner; and the flat roof level, looking out over the cascading hills next to the broken walls, is a perfect place for meditation and yoga. Or, of course, step outside the castle to the idyllic grounds or drive to the nearby Ranthambore National Park for a glimpse of Rajasthan in its native form.

Exterior view of theSix Senses Fort Barwara

TheSix Senses Fort Barwarahas carefully maintained and restored the historic fort buildings to bring life to the otherwise fallen royal relics. The hotel strives to restore the local ecology by working with the surrounding communities to rebuild the forest and improve the lake, respecting local folklore, incorporating the philosophical view of life from Indian culture into the hotel's service concept, and integrating modern design into the 14th century relics to achieve a complementary and win-win situation between theFort Barwaraand theSix SensesHotel.

Article Source:艺术与设计

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