From the forests to the seas.

With mild and balmy weather, tropical flora and fauna, and seas blue and alive, Hainan island is often described as ‘China’s Hawaii’. The design of the interior spaces of 1Hotel Sanya, draws its inspiration from the rugged and raw beauty of the island. The design is of the place. Surfaces and materials are always textured and never overly processed. The materials used seek to tell their own story of where they come from. Locally sourced and reclaimed materials are used where possible. Nothing is too overly complicated or complex. The planning and interiors maximise natural light and ventilation wherever possible.

In the lobby, Hainan’s lush tropical forested hills are echoed in tall vertical weathered steel and timber ‘tree trunks’, with a screened skylight filtering dappled light into the space below like shadows cast by leaves in a canopy. The backdrop of walls of raw, textured pigmented concrete, local volcanic stone and salvaged stacked Chinese roof tiles suggest the sheer rock escarpments.