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Camille Walala Stays Within the Lines at the SALT of Palmar Hotel

12.07.18 | By
Camille Walala Stays Within the Lines at the SALT of Palmar Hotel

Located off the southeastern tip of the African continent out in the Indian Ocean, the tropical island of Mauritius is graced with such natural beauty it once evoked Mark Twain to proclaim, “Mauritius was made first and then heaven, heaven being copied after Mauritius”. The gradient of sapphire sky is only one-upped by the clarity of its Technicolor tinged turquoise waters, those hues of blue complemented by the warm glow of beach sand and the color preferred by its multicultural inhabitants. The colorfully adorned SALT of Palmar Hotel in Mauritius fits right in.

The SALT of Palmar Hotel in Mauritius occupies a building originally designed in 2005 by local Mauritian architect Maurice Giraud, but has recently been reinvented under the vibrant eye of artist and color evangelist Camille Walala.

In collaboration with Mauritian architect John-François Adams, Walala has given each of the hotel’s 59 rooms and surrounding public areas a graphical imprint characterized by its profuse of black and white stripes and energetic color palette. The combination could be described as Mauritius meets Memphis Group.

I was blown away with how many vibrant and bold colours you find around the island. People paint their houses in the most amazing tones that really stand out against the lush tropical setting. From the emerald green of the plants to the ever changing colours of the sky, I wanted to marry these warm natural tones to my signature pop colours.

– Camille Walala

Embracing a holistic philosophy of sustainability, SALT of Palmar doesn’t host many of the trappings of typical resorts. There are no buffets, televisions, or single-use plastics, with everything locally sourced. Local crafts people were hired to make the furniture, art, and accessories throughout the hotel, infusing a distinctively modernized Mauritian vibe interwoven with Walala’s mastery of utilizing bold patterns.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.