The new Courtyard by Marriott Hotel opened recently in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital. The hotel is located on Teryan Street 5, in the heart of the city. STUDIO SHOO, a design and architectural bureau, was assigned to create and implement the interior design of the restaurant and terrace in accordance with the Courtyard by Marriott’s new concept.

“It was an incredible chance for me to collaborate with the Marriott International brand and the Galaxy group to build a new, iconic destination in a fast-growing city. When designing, we had to consider brand standards, history, and the country’s particular flavour. One of the key objectives was to design a restaurant that would appeal not only to hotel visitors but also to city dwellers,” says Shushana, interior and furnishing designer and proprietor of STUDIO SHOO. – “Each hotel we work on has a unique narrative and provides a fresh source of inspiration, yet they are all unified by shared brand values. At the same time, the design approach should be independent of trends. In this particular instance, I was influenced by colours and earth tones such as terracotta, ochre, rich burgundy, and brick. I also wanted to engage with natural materials such as rattan, dried flowers from the Armenian fields, marble, and copper.”

The restaurant’s gastronomic direction is Mediterranean and Middle Eastern. The interior encompasses soil, sea, and the environment in general. At the restaurant’s entryway, the visitors are met with an open kitchen featuring a vibrant burgundy pizza oven. Arriving guests may see every step of the food preparation process. We developed multiple types of sitting places for the restaurant, including round and square tables, an oval communal table, chairs with comfortable sofas and bar seating. The restaurant’s interior design features complex tones of warm terracotta and vibrant burgundy, as well as soft and delicate natural green and blue. Local furniture makers used natural veneer for creating shelving, tables, couches, and server stations. We paid particular attention to the floor finishing, where we were fortunate to work with a true “jeweller”. The copper bits were handcrafted, set down in a certain order, forming a pattern based on our concept, and then filled with concrete.

“I appreciate incorporating handcrafted touches into every project we work on. Each panel in this project has been meticulously constructed using hand-picked dried flowers from Armenian fields to provide a sense of embracing nature. In addition, a local artist designed flower and leaf shapes for the bar counter”, Shushana adds. All of these details, colours and tones, materials, and handicrafts from a large number of local Armenian craftsmen added soul and individuality to the interior. Guests can obtain new insights and perspectives while also immersing themselves in Armenia’s welcoming and rich culture.