IBIS BUDGET Tbilisi

I B I S B U D G E T T B I L I S I

area: 315 m²
Year: 2022
location: 22 Giorgiy Akhvediani st, Tbilisi, Georgia

Team: STUDIO SOO, Shushana Khachatrian (head of design), Yasmeen Lavritskaya (design & materials), Katie Kutuzova (print design in collaboration with Ksenia Stoylik), Ekaterina Ivanova (drawings), Vladimir Bobkov (3D artist)
photo: KATIE KUTUZOVA

MANUFACTURERS: Forbo marmoleum, 41zero42 tiles, Hitch Mylius, Kartell, Magis Design, Skandiform, Muuto, Delo, Soca

artwork colorful Graffiti HORECA hotel design Ibis Hotel ILLUSTRATION interior design lobby design vivid

«…while the cassettelike front desk and vintage record selection nod to the local music scene at this 3,400-square-foot property that elevates the typical budget concept»

- Wilson Barlow, INTERIOR DESIGN, November 3, 2022

CONCEPT

The hotel building is ideally situated on Akhvlediani St, which is relatively popular among locals with its bars, pubs and restaurants. Local street art and music instantly became an inspiration for the lobby area.

We came up with a design that creates a heart-warming, friendly, eye-catching

interior space for the brand. Blue here is the dominant colour (which popped up earlier for Ibis Budget).
We also added light blue and bright colourful accents: red and yellow.

IN PROGRESS

The crucial task here was to develop public areas for the Ibis Budget brand, completely transforming budget brands’ way of thinking about technical and functional equipment.

During the construction phase, we not only have worked together with builders and furniture makers, but also artists and illustrators were with us every step of the way.

NOW: LOBBY

The reception desk, cupboards, the ping pong table, printed with Georgian letters sofa and vinyl-made lighting fixtures — all these were properly designed according to our team’s sketches. Behind the front desk, we developed a shelf for a unique collection of vintage vinyl records.

Here in a concept design, we have wall panelling of natural plywood, graffiti that strikingly illustrates musicians and matching it with bright accentual lighting fixtures and furniture.

At this essential point, we did our best to erase the distinctions between the middle and the economy segments. We carefully turned a public space into a conspicuous social place for everyone with distinct preferences and possibilities: a play area with ping pong table and PlayStation, a space for business meetings and calls, a private sector for amiable conversations, a market zone with local products (Georgian cheese and wine) and most importantly, a barrier-free area for physically challenged.

The Ping Pong table is one of our favourite features in the design. Its specific and unique print was developed in collaboration with an artist Ksenia Stoylik (@momsgardenart). This table is multifunctional: it can be used not only for games, but also as a communal table for breakfast.

The graphic and smooth letters of the Georgian alphabet undoubtedly became a creative inspiration for us. It can definitely be observed on wall panels and as a distinctive print for sofas.

Vivid colours efficiently deliver a dazzling effect and naturally tend to trigger interest. Modern furniture, a well-considered layout, a sense of joy and a new atmosphere — those remain the key elements to instantly bring life and fun to public spaces.

The entire project is adopting an eco-friendly approach. We have LED lightning, when a plumbing system has low water consumption and natural plywood made with organic wood glue was primarily used in finishing.