DOTY 2026 Best Commercial Design (Hospitality – Gold): Designstudio MVH Sdn Bhd – Soma Riverside Hotel

This boutique hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia designed by Designstudio MVH Sdn Bhd was first featured in Commercial Concept Volume 14.

FLOWING HERITAGE

A dialogue between river, craft and design unfolds across this boutique hotel, celebrating Cambodia’s rich and evolving cultural identity.

Located along the banks of the Mekong River, Soma Riverside Hotel prides itself as a tranquil yet evocative retreat, where nature, culture and hospitality flow seamlessly into one another. Designed as a 50-key boutique hotel, the project embraces its role as both a place of rest and a cultural narrative that reflects Cambodia’s layered heritage, while responding sensitively to the requirements of elevated modern living.

Guided by the overarching concept titled ‘Flow of Life’, the river itself serves as the project’s primary muse. Abstract interpretations of the Mekong’s topography inform the architectural language, translated into fluid lines and organic forms that ripple through private areas, public areas and transitional spaces. To honour Cambodia’s bas-relief pattern technique, these abstract lines are pressed and embossed onto bronze metal plates. Meanwhile, segments of the topography are curated into a series of sculptural artworks, forming a continuous visual story throughout the hotel.

Needless to say, local materials play a significantly defining role in shaping the hotel’s atmosphere. Rattan, bamboo and straw grass—readily accessible and deeply rooted in Cambodian heritage—are dignified through thoughtful design applications. Humble yet resilient, these materials are woven, curved and layered to create permeable spaces filled with light, texture and form. Their use in elements like cabinet panels, ceiling arches, lamp stands and handmade accessories speaks to sustainable principles and a pride in homegrown resources, allowing tradition to inform contemporary expression.

When it comes to rattan in particular, enlarged weaves are featured across key architectural elements, including the façade and restaurant. Scaled to respond to the building’s proportions, the weaving wraps organically around window openings and furniture layouts, guided by the natural undulations of the material. Along the street, passers-by are awed by glimpses of the restaurant beneath a softly curved canopy of woven rattan, while guests enjoy a sense of privacy from within.

Silk weaving introduces another layer of cultural richness to the hotel. Once reserved exclusively for Cambodia’s royal families and dignitaries, these patterns of Khmer origin—pulled from the bas-relief sculpture and temple iconography at the Angkor complex—are reinterpreted as textural reliefs applied on bespoke furniture and accent pieces. By doing so, these silk motifs lend historical depth and a quiet degree of elegance to the interiors.

Moreover, the heritage of Angkor Wat further informs the design’s sensibility. Its structural shape, defined by delicate proportions and balanced geometry, inspired industrial elements that confidently reflect the city’s storied traditions and strong sense of place. This dialogue between past and present is heightened through the use of hand-hammered brass, a material choice born from the idea of a burnished, golden lifestyle. High quality brass elements appear generously in wall panels, lighting, finishes and furniture details—most notably in the lift lobby corridors, sky bar and all-day dining areas—to cast a luminous glow across these public spaces.

Through craft, materiality and narrative, Soma Riverside Hotel becomes an authentic living expression of Cambodia’s cultural continuum, where the flow of life is discovered and experienced in every detail. Over here, it is most evident that heritage and modernity are not treated as opposing forces but rather as complementary currents that honour the site’s ancient history and geographical context. The overall design pays homage to a city rich in historical culture yet progressively growing in the modern age.

About the Designer of the Year Awards and Best Commercial Design

The Designer of the Year Award (DOTY) aspires to discover and honour the exceptional works of talented designers from Malaysia and beyond. It sets the benchmark of excellence in design and is committed to championing them in architecture and interior.

The theme of DOTY 2026, “Celebrating Design Intelligence”, highlights how design has evolved beyond mere aesthetics to encompass functionality and sustainability, where user experience, environmentally-friendly materials and technology integration are essential to well-being and efficiency.

Best Commercial Design recognises designers who have crafted phenomenal commercial spaces with brand identity, productivity and well-being in mind. Their projects, which come under various categories, are featured in Commercial Concept.

Visit doty.com.my for more information.