Interior design defines the space. I author and execute its artistic concept. Every composition is made from the hotel's own identity.
From three framed pieces to forty metres of continuous surface.
"David Zuker is the person behind the artistic concept carried by several of the nhow hotels in Europe" — Forbes Magazine
Who I don't replace
Who I don't replace A branding agency defines the brand and leaves it on screen. An art consultancy selects and hangs work by other artists. An interior design studio designs the space, and the graphics are commissioned elsewhere. None of the three is the author of the compositions. I am. Conception and execution normally belong to two different suppliers, with a brief in between. Intention leaks out of every brief. Here there isn't one. I don't sell you a catalogue. What goes into your hotel doesn't exist yet.
"…a blend of artwork courtesy of David Zuker and interiors from the Rafael de La-Hoz studio" — The Wordrobe Magazine on nhow Frankfurt Hotel.
Why this isn't a bet
I work from your concept, not mine.
The moodboard, the brand DNA and the spatial decisions are already yours. I don't bring a world into your project — I build the one it already has.
Identity, and where it stands.
A hotel's brand and its territory are the two sources every composition comes from. The same method produces Frankfurt's financial pop and Amalfi's artisanal ceramics.
Coherence with variation.
Forty guest rooms that speak to each other without repeating themselves, and one narrative that holds across headboard, corridor, ceiling, carpet and lift interior.
Production files, not artwork.
Resolution calibrated to hold at fifteen metres, on materials chosen for their limits: high-weight vinyl, technical fabric, acrylic, textured surfaces.
Colour coordinated with what you have already specified.
Finishes, fabrics and carpets are chosen before I arrive. The composition adapts to them, not the other way round.
Reproduction rights included.
The same compositions become campaign material, social content and stationery afterwards. Work bought from third-party artists cannot.
I work to the project's programme, not my own.
Delivery dates are set by the construction schedule and the FF&E calendar, not by when the work feels finished.
Guest sightlines.
What is seen from the bed, from the doorway, in twenty seconds inside a lift — and what doesn't tire over a two-night stay.
Anatomy of a concept: nhow Roma
A modern building raised on the site of a Vatican-owned convent, beside the Villa Borghese gardens. Two sources: a brand built on not resembling its neighbours, and a city where every century is still visible underneath the last one.
One concept — Layers of history — and a single rule applied to every surface in the building: put one era in collision with another.
GUEST ROOMS:
Headboard triptych:
"Rome: Yesterday, Today and Forever" arched windows opening onto ancient frescoes, the renaissance and contemporary pop culture.
Wall Environments: "The Discovery" Three wallpapers whose surface breaks open to reveal older Roman paintings underneath.
Wardrobes and minibars coverings:"Deconstructed Rome" Three designs: Impossible architecture, with Caesar, Bacchus and Neptune relocated to the present.
Curtain textile design: "Pac Man Quo Vadis" Two curtain designs merging Roman tile work with retro videogame iconography.
Ceiling vinyl design: "Birds of Rome" Minimal bird silhouettes crossing the room.
HOTEL ENTRANCE
3D Printed statued:"Hand of Rome" Giant hand sculpture with printed tattoos that blends ancient Rome with modern culture.
60 Meter entrance installation: "Roman Gods & Goddesses" Two compostions of over 30 meters long printed on aretroilluminated tiled screen. The compositions feature giant ancient statuary (godess Minerva and god Neptune) with bold colors and urban art aesthetics, creating the most impacting installation of the hotel.
30 Meter stairs textile covering pattern: “Underwater Rome” A pattern of underwater waves that creates the illusion of stepping onto the waters when transiting through the stairs of the hotel entrance. Printed on thick fabric and installed on a continuous stair covering.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
Four areas, four chapters, one source. A guest moving through the building reads a story without being told there is one.
That is the difference between a concept and a set of images that happen to share a palette.
Architecture and interiors: Rafael de la Hoz. Every piece approved through three levels of management, with the CMO as final sign-off.
A single piece, or an entire hotel.
The smallest commission I have delivered was three framed pieces for a Marriott property. The largest was ten interventions across nhow Roma — headboards, curtains, ceilings, a sixty-metre entrance and a five-metre sculpture.
[imagen pequeña] · [imagen grande]
Both are the same job. What changes is how much of the building the project needs.
Reviews about my work on the international media
REVIEW FROM THE TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER ABOUT MY INTERVENTION AT NHOW MILANO HOTEL
“The Milan outpost of nhow hotels is a pop-up fantasy where life unfolds like a cartoon in motion, with garishly coloured interiors furnished with rotating works of art and design. The highlight is the 28-metre infinity pool that spans almost the entire length of the rooftop, with glass-bottomed panels.”
REVIEW FROM THE MICHELIN GUIDE ABOUT MY INTERVENTION AT NHOW BRUSSELS HOTEL
“The guest rooms feel somewhat gallery-like, given their monochrome backgrounds, sparse decoration, and prominent artworks.”
REVIEW FROM THE WORDROBE MAGAZINE ABOUT MY INTERVENTION AT NHOW FRANKFURT HOTEL
“Light, airy, modern and ultra comfortable – but it’s the vibrant artwork and pops of colour that bring it to life and give the property its statement nhow feel from the moment you step inside. Zuker’s artwork is a not-so-subtle criticism of capitalism but also a homage to what makes Frankfurt what it is.”
REVIEW FROM THE LUXURY EDITOR MAGAZINE ABOUT MY INTERVENTION AT NHOW FRANKFURT HOTEL
“Each of the guest rooms feature oversized collage-style murals depicting financial themes in bright colour palettes by David Zuker. A focal point in each of the guest rooms are the wall murals by David Zuker, framing the bed they are a collage of financial symbols, cultural figures, and surreal imagery evoking the unpredictability of the financial world.”
REVIEW FROM THE HOUSE OF COCO MAGAZINE THE ABOUT MY INTERVENTION AT NHOW BRUSSELS HOTEL
“Art is everywhere in the hotel. The lobby pulses with colour, pattern, and energy. You feel more like you’ve entered an interactive gallery than a traditional hotel. Every room in the hotel features an artistic design. The extensive breakfast buffet is served in a large, bright space on the ground floor covered in pop art murals. Each elevator features a different art theme, making even short rides feel like part of the creative experience.”
REVIEW FROM THE HOSPITALITY ON MAGAZINE ABOUT MY INTERVENTION AT NHOW BRUSSELS HOTEL
“The rooms are decorated like an artist’s studio: upon entering, there is an explosion of colours and prints, while the sleeping area is just like a blank canvas waiting for its art to arrive. Each room has a unique painting, which steals the attention due to its neutral surroundings. The bathrooms are inspired by the photographer’s workplace, the darkroom: mysterious, dark, and with a splash of colour here and there.”
REVIEW FROM THE FUSED MAGAZINE ABOUT MY INTERVENTION AT NHOW AMSTERDAM HOTEL
“Curved mural-covered vibrant patterned walls adorn the 17th floor restaurant and the first floor bar. Colourful illustrated rugs and vibrant magenta floors are a welcome splash of colour.”
Excerps from international press intwerviews
