D'Urville Hotel, Blenheim
Winner New Zealand Tourism Award 1996
This small boutique hotel breathes new life into the former Public Trust building in the heart of Blenheim. Built in the art deco style in the 1920s, the distinguished character of the existing building shell has been carefully preserved and refurbished, while the first floor, originally used as offices, has been developed into a delightfully idiosyncratic set of hotel rooms.
Each luxurious room has its own unique theme and style, ranging from ‘New Zealand’ to ‘marine’ to ‘ angel’ to ‘raj taj’. The fitout was achieved on an extremely tight budget, incorporating many second-hand finds as well as the client’s own collection of Balinese furnishings.
Client: Chris and Julia Knowles and Tim and Pauline Evill
