Shooting Content in a Lacquered Room

A room that frames itself

Plenty of guests book the Suite to photograph it — for a feed, a lookbook, a video set. It was, honestly, designed with that in mind. The materials do half the work: brass catches light, emerald reads rich, and the lacquered wood gives you depth and reflection for free. Here's where the good shots are.

Where the light falls

Shoot the interiors in the late afternoon, when the sun drops toward the skyline and the whole room goes warm. That golden hour does the retouching for you. After dark, the brass lamps give a moodier, more cinematic look — low, warm and flattering. Avoid the harsh middle of the day for anything with the window in frame.

The corners people keep shooting

• The six-screen desk against the skyline — the hero shot. It reads as serious and cinematic in the same frame.
• The brass bar — crystal, green marble and metal, made for a tight, glossy detail shot.
• The emerald sofa — the softest, most editorial spot in the room.
• The bathroom — small, glamorous, all brass and green marble; a surprising favourite.
• The reflections — the lacquered walls double everything. Use them.

Shoot the details as much as the wide rooms. The brass and lacquer reward a macro lens.

A couple of tips

Kill the overhead lights and work with the lamps and the window; the room looks best lit warm, not flat. Watch for your own reflection in the lacquer and the glass. And leave time for the view — the city at dusk is the easiest great shot in the place. More on the space in For Creators.