Hasta La Ideas

Dezeen promotion: French creator Philippe Starck has teamed up with Italian brand Lualdi to create Welcome, a system of door accessories that turn a hotel-room door into a smart device.

Lualdi’s system includes a series of connected objects: a handle, a light, a room number panel, and a smart screen with integrated facial recognition.

Together, they can offer a range of guest services that include checking in, adjusting conditions in the room, and contacting hotel staff.

Starck sees the project as a step towards the future of the hospitality sector.

“The doors of the future will become so intelligent that they will communicate with each other,” he said.

“They will be set up to manage the home through artificial intelligence.
 The doors will certainly be smarter than us.”

The creator likens the system to the intelligent doors in Philip K Dick’s sci-fi novel, Ubik.

“Interactive and connected, the collection of Welcome doors answers a range of services: recognise people, heat a home, send messages, become a screen, in order to both welcome and protect us,” he said.

As the Welcome range was developed especially for hotels, the smart accessories are available in different finishes, meaning they can be easily customised for different brands.

These elements are designed to resemble smooth pebbles, giving them a clean and contemporary feel, and they integrate a backlighting system that emphasises the three-dimensionality of the form.

The system combines with a flush-to-wall door that is also available in a wide range of finishes, including wood, aluminium or matt lacquer, making it easily customisable for different hospitality brands.

“The hotel sector is very challenging,” said Pierluigi Lualdi, contract manager for Lualdi, “because it requires an exceptional ability to customise the product, a service we have long been renowned for.”

Other products in Lualdi’s collection include Shoin, a range of sliding glass doors that take cues from Japanese design, and Altaj, a swing door with a gridded, three-dimensional profile.

Welcome is the brand’s first collaboration with Starck, the designer known for iconic products like the Juicy Salif lemon squeezer and the Louis Ghost chair.

“With Philippe Starck, we have established a rewarding collaboration,” added Pierluigi Lualdi. “We love his witty spirit and his skill in creating objects with original shapes.”

To view more of Lualdi’s products visit its website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Fakro as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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