Borrowing shapes and details from Shaker furniture, the Crème team worked closely with Stellar Works to create a seating collection that’s widely spread throughout the hotel. The Exchange series includes spindle-back wooden chairs, which were crafted in walnut for the Hyatt Centric’s restaurant to accompany equally pared-down, custom square-top dining tables patterned with subtle geometric grooves. Meanwhile, along the bar sits a row of Exchange Bar Chair SH750 that feature the same distinctive backrest design and rich walnut. A high-back version also joins custom live-edge walnut dining tables, resulting in visual continuity through the hotel’s connected public areas.
In the lounge spaces, hints of blue and yellow are introduced through rugs and cushions in the predominantly wood-toned spaces. Other injections of color include custom square-top stone dining tables, and green marble ring coffee tables that are typically paired with custom lounge chairs in walnut and chestnut saddle leather. The use of color is dialed-up several notches in the guest rooms, where teal, rust, and navy tones feature prominently, and the surface treatments and furniture upholstery are softer and more cozy than downstairs. For example, the Exchange Lounge Chair brings the same Shaker vibe to these private spaces, but dressed with a padded seat and back for additional comfort.
Philly’s Hyatt Centric Center City has a unique charm that comes through its elevated rustic aesthetic, achieved through several interesting applications of wood. The custom live-edge tables and benches, the contrasting tonalities of millwork and flooring, and furniture that carries strength in its simplicity all slot together like perfectly assembled joinery.
The hotel’s communal areas are blessed with tall ceilings and large expanses of glass, which together with the wide-plank oak floors and translucent curtains creates an airy, muted palette. Millwork including wainscoting and peg rails nods to the Shaker movement, which was prominent in Pennsylvania during the 19th century, and renowned for simple and well-crafted pieces that stand the test of time. The Shakers’ design principles of simplicity of form, a harmonious relationship of parts, workmanship, and utility are strikingly close to those of traditional Japanese craft. Aizaki has skillfully combined the two, bridging the gap between East and West—just as Stellar Works does.
