Balance Design
Coast Coal Harbour Hotel + Prestons Lounge
Coast's Flagship Hotel
Coast Coal Harbour is a harbourfront hospitality concept that blends urban luxury with coastal serenity. The project is inspired by the transition between city skyline energy and the calm of Vancouver’s waterfront, creating a balanced experience that feels both vibrant and restorative.
Interior direction emphasizes polished contemporary finishes paired with natural coastal references, including fluted drawer fronts, crisp stone tops and soft wood tones, accented by bold green and blue toned fabrics to reflect the vibrance of the city
Refined velvet upholstery embraces the well travelled guest after a day of sightseeing and walking the City's quaint neighbourhoods. The custom murals are Waterway and Seaflower, green and blue hues customized to match the tones in the fabrics and casegoods. Warm dimmable accent lighting controlled by and entry or bedside keypad establishes a modern addition to this elevated tmosphere. The elevated room is a strong visual connection to the surrounding harbour landscape.
Coast Coal Harbour was developed alongside the Ownership Team from APA Japan. Our focus was to vitalize the "Refreshingly Local" motto, reflecting where the harbourfront and busy, city life intersect. The project explores how hospitality spaces can respond to both the density of the urban core and the openness of the waterfront edge.
The hotel tower rises 20 storeys above the ocean; the new rooms are far from the noise of the city, with only the faint sounds of the harbour seaplanes arriving and departing. Mission achieved.
Final Presentation & Execution
Early guest feedback indicates the project is already proving to be a success. Ownership is highly pleased with the final outcome and intends to carry forward several of the design and operational enhancements from this property into future developments, aligned with the ongoing evolution of contemporary hotel design.
Material & Finishing Curation
Curating materials across two distinct themes required the development of two separate murals, along with a range of accent fabrics and coordinated colour palettes. Unlike the typical hotel approach—where thematic variations are often assigned floor by floor—this property featured a mix of room types on each level. This interspersed layout added a layer of complexity to the installation, making coordination and execution significantly more challenging.
Prototyping & Measurements
Featuring 27 distinct room configurations, the project required a highly flexible design approach. Standardized headboards, seating, and occasional tables were carefully integrated into both Double Queen and King room layouts. Much like a puzzle, each guest room demanded its own unique composition of pieces, balancing spatial constraints, functionality, and aesthetic consistency throughout the property.
Concept Development
Inspired by the stunning mountain and ocean vistas, our Design Team sought to blend Vancouver’s relaxed coastal character with the dynamic spirit of the city. Multi-striped velvets in two carefully curated colourways were introduced as accent elements, enriching the deep oak tones and creating a layered, contemporary aesthetic that reflects both influences.
Documentation & Discovery
We begin by exploring the design based on Ownership's desire to represent a strong brand at their flagship hotel in Vancouver’s Downtown core. Ultimately, the guest experience was to be elevated using new colour schemes in the guest rooms and common spaces, along with new technologies to level the hotel with a world-class standard.
Project Workflow
Project Showcase
1.
BEFORE: Completing the full renovation of Preston’s Lounge was an inspiring process from start to finish. Preston’s has been transformed from a quiet, dim, and fragmented space into an expansive, bright, modern, and highly functional lounge. The new horseshoe banquette supports flexible group seating, while the floating bar has quickly become a favourite among staff and guests alike. A large-format video wall further enhances the experience, offering a stylish way to enjoy live sporting events.
2.
AFTER: The upper seating area now draws the eye while also inviting guests to occupy a space that was previously underutilized and quiet. All LED lighting is controlled via a dimmable keypad system that automatically responds to sunrise and sunset. The bold green, blue, and gold palette requested by Ownership is brought to life through rich velvets and supple leathers; the blue veined quartz and complementary deep blue quartz set the mood for a layered and confident interior expression.