Decorative wall shelves with plants and decorative items against a green wall with woven pendants.

The Bonsai Lounge

LOCATION

Bel-Aire Suites Hotel | Durban, KZN

TYPE

Hotel | Guest Lounge & Pool Area

BRIEF

Renovate the existing guest lounge area at the Bel-Aire Suites Hotel, including the design of a new pool, finishes, built-in seating and furnishings, to create a more relaxed and usable space for hotel guests.

The Bonsai Lounge was designed as a quieter, more informal guest space within the Bel-Aire Suites Hotel, with the pool becoming the focus of a compact indoor-outdoor setting.

The design uses layered greenery, built-in seating and a softer, more natural palette to create a sense of retreat from the busier public areas of the hotel. The new pool and surrounding finishes were developed as part of the renovation, with timber-look decking, textured surfaces and planting helping to soften the harder architectural edges.

Modern outdoor hotel pool area with a swimming pool, wooden deck flooring, large glass sliding doors, and multiple potted green plants. The background features a brick and concrete hotel facade.

The new pool and guest lounge were designed as one connected indoor-outdoor space, with planting, built-in seating and warm finishes softening the surrounding architecture.

Built-in lounge seating with colourful cushions, round tables and dense tropical planting.
A modern outdoor hotel swimming pool with clear turquoise water surrounded by a gray composite deck and lush green plants in the foreground and background.

Inside, the guest lounge uses deep green walls, natural textures and simple timber shelving to create a quieter, more informal space for hotel guests.

A modern hotel guest lounge featuring a dark brown leather sofa with patterned throw pillows, a black wooden coffee table, and two dark wood slat-back lounge chairs. The room has a textured sage green wall with floating wooden shelves holding potted plants and decorative items, and a woven rug on the floor.
Modern hotel pool area with wooden deck, plants, and outdoor furniture.

Vertical planting and dark slatted screening bring texture and privacy to the pool area.

A close-up view of a hotel swimming pool with bright turquoise water, a tiled mosaic wall, and several small waterfalls flowing into the pool. A concrete wall and building structure are visible in the background.

The indoor seating combines botanical wallcovering, built-in upholstery and layered greenery to create a more sheltered place to sit beside the water.

A modern outdoor hotel guest lounge area with a large potted green plant in the foreground, light gray tiled flooring, a ceiling fan, and a seating area with a patterned leaf wall mural in the background.