The Khoroni Hotel, Casino and Convention Resort in Thohoyandou celebrated the completion of a major refurbishment at the resort on Friday evening, 13 October.
The upgrade included the construction of a separate entrance to the casino, the addition of a new Privé area with designated restrooms and more cashier counters and the creation of the contemporary Moo Bar, with its distinctive cow theme.
"We didn't have to search too far to find the inspiration for the resort's overall design aesthetic," says Mr Albert Eksteen, the resort's general manager. "The Limpopo landscape and its people have been a direct influence on Khoroni's interior design and architecture, and will continue to be for many years to come."
Mr Alan Hurlbatt from Akhataka Design has been working on the exciting renovations and upgrades. "We used Thohoyandou in Venda, the colour palette and bold geometric patterns from the Venda blankets and beadwork as the main source of inspiration for the casino upgrade, which have found expression in the wall, ceiling and floor decorations of the refurbished sections," says Hurlbatt. "We've also brought in the bright and bold design in the form of subtle accents, offsetting the strong geometric lines by introducing softer curves to tie the casino design back into the rest of the complex."
The Moo Bar features a rustic, farm-style theme, incorporating the Venda-inspired colour patterns and design detail while maintaining the conventional Moo Bar look and feel that guests have come to love. "The brief was to create a bar that continues the Moo Bar brand first introduced at the Rio Resort in Klerksdorp, maximising the existing space and creating a link between the bar and the non-smoking casino on the lower level," says Hurlbatt. "We decided to flat-paint the walls for easy maintenance, but added a variety of artwork and focal features that brings the brand to life."
About the casino upgrade Hurlblatt comments that his team incorporated a range of different materials and textures to complete the look, including detailed wall panelling, unique paint techniques to create a 'suede' look on the walls, and a focal bulkhead on the casino and the Privé area's ceilings to bring more of the Venda design aesthetic to the spaces.
Khoroni is a Peermont resort. For more information, visit www.khoroni.co.za or call 015 562 4600. Information regarding the resort is also available on Facebook.