Camille Walala’s First Hotel Offers a Mellower, More Beachy Version of Memphis

Memphis — the riotously colorful design movement that experienced peak resurgence a few years back — is kind of like the mob: Just when you think you’re out, it keeps pulling you back in. In this case, the oft-debated aesthetic popped up earlier this month at a new hotel on the east coast of Mauritius, designed by the London-based color and black-and-white stripes evangelist Camille Walala. Called SALT of Palmar, it’s the first in a suite of hotels that will be located in the Indian Ocean and around Asia, that are meant to champion sustainability and connect with local communities. And visually, the hotel meets that mark: The palette is infused with the beachy colors of its sun-drenched locale, and those terracottas, lavenders, and turquoises lend themselves to a more mellow version of Walala’s typical aesthetic. Walala and her team also recruited local craftspeople to design custom pieces for the project, included rattan and terracotta lamps. In these photos, Walala also meets her perfect match in Swedish photographer Tekla Evelina Severin, who knows a thing or two about color.

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