Victoria Court's 50 Shades, and The Red Room of Pain

Being the Chief Designer, each thematic room is a challenge.  One work afternoon, I was called by my boss for another Design Challenge.  He asked me to read 50 shades of Grey, because for so long, he wanted  a room with a hint of S&M, that can be packaged with a story.

That time, I was not aware that it was a trilogy, so I went to the bookstore and got myself a copy.  I would have to admit, I myself got hooked with with the Christian Grey - Anastacia Steele love story that I had to continue with the second book.  When I went back to the bookstore, they don't sell it separately, and I ended up with a set and an extra copy of the first book.

Instantly, I was drawn to Christian Grey's character.  I want to focus on the two facet of his personality.  I draw inspiration from his bachelor businessman side and the naughty lover alter ego.  We designed the room so that guest will experience the transition with two major parts.

The main room was the Escala Penthouse.  We have kept it modern and the details minimal.  We've added a Grand Piano (a non working model) beside a curtain window with a panoramic view of Seattle.  We designed the entertainment area much like a bachelor pad, with the audio/video equipment built into a wall fronting an arched sofa.  We added a bar beside the jet pool, and designed the area to look like an outdoor balcony.

We are designing the bedroom as the red room of pain.  Originally, I wanted it to have a more classic feel as a contrast to the modern main room.  The original design calls for a wooden floor, and a four poster bed as described in the book.  My boss wants to take it further, and asked that we inject technology so that guests will have something to talk about.  That's how the idea of a tilting rotating bed came about.

Also, another challenge is to keep the red room a secret, much like how it is written in the book.  We experimented with electrically charged mirror that becomes clear with a push of a button.  It was too costly for us, so we settled on a tinted glass and relied on lighting for the reveal.  Even the original idea for the bed was downgraded to have a separate contraption that rotates.  We designed a wheel, that when a partner is strapped in, can rotate 360 degrees.

We then worked on the other details.  We made the anteroom look like an elevator car complete with an automated sliding door and floor buttons.  Even the floor moves with the weight of the passengers.  Since the Grand piano does not have any purpose, we used it as a performing platform with the addition of a pole in the center.  As additional naughty element, we added sexy costumes that can be purchased upon request and gadgets to improve love making.

In summary, the room has 2 toilet and Bath, a king size bed, a jet tub that accommodates up 6 persons, a videoke, dvd and 2 Flat Screen TV's.  It also has a bar with a mini ref stocked with beverages.  A smoking area was added for large groups.

The room can be rented for parties of 25-30 for only 12,000 php for 5 hours and choose from our food packages.

Check out www.victoriacourt.biz for more details.

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Each Super Thematic Room is a collaborative effort on our part.
Thanks to Marc for taking over especially the construction....
To Abe for preparing the details and specs....
To Melai for taking over the other projects, hehe!
To Fred for supervising the construction
To Pol, for taking the almost impossible task with us....
To Kacy and Erson for their inputs and the successful launch....
To Procurement for helping us with the equipment...
To VCPA Management for putting up with the long construction...
To all the Managers and Top Management for the push...

Most importantly to my Boss, for continuously challenging us to be better and smarter.   Sometimes we underestimate ourselves that at the end of every project, we are surprised of what we are capable of doing.