The view from Suite X is nothing short of breathtaking, with large windows giving way to the denim-blue waters of the Pacific Ocean and the towering North Shore Mountains in behind. Despite its beauty, though, guests staying in this one-of-a-kind hotel room will have trouble focusing on the outdoor landscape — because the interior is even more striking.
Located inside Vancouver’s award-winning Fairmont Pacific Rim, Suite X was designed by famed local artist and author Douglas Coupland. His pop-art-style work dots much of the city, from the large golden replica of Stanley Park’s beloved Hollow Tree to the giant pixelated orca whale located just across the street from the Pacific Rim. But for fans of Coupland’s intellectual yet whimsical oeuvre — and really anyone with a love of the eclectic and slightly absurd — the 1,200-square-foot Suite X is a singular and not-to-be-missed immersion into his quirky world.
“I like putting objects in space,” Coupland says, “that I get a little hit of dopamine from every time I look at them.”
The experience of the one-bedroom, two-bathroom corner suite actually begins outside the door, where Coupland’s collaged and backlit Electric Bazaar stands as a colourful marker of what’s to come. Inside, it’s a scene of meticulously organized chaos: a playful wonderland of objet. Coupland took inspiration from his popular 1991 novel Generation X, as well as his own living room, to design the space, which feels more like an interactive art installation than a hotel suite. Its curation was deeply personal, with many of the pieces coming from his home collection.
“Everything in there has a specific memory attached to it, that’s for sure,” he says. One of the focal points of the space is a large, see-through coffee table that is filled with some of the artist’s favourite things.
Canadian Artist Douglas Coupland Gives Us A Tour of His Self-Designed Suite X
Suite X, a hotel suite designed by Canadian artist Douglas Coupland. Photo by Ema Peter.
Canadian Artist Douglas Coupland Gives Us A Tour of His Self-Designed Suite X
Suite X, a hotel suite designed by Canadian artist Douglas Coupland. Photo by Ema Peter.
Canadian Artist Douglas Coupland Gives Us A Tour of His Self-Designed Suite X
Suite X, a hotel suite designed by Canadian artist Douglas Coupland. Photo by Ema Peter.
“There’s a brown paper bag of charcoal briquettes that I got in Moscow,” he says. “There’s the Petronas Towers scale model that I got at the West Vancouver Salvation Army. There’s the white dial telephone that came from Bell Laboratories in New Jersey back when I was doing a book there.”
Speaking of books, they are everywhere — most of them sourced from the hotel’s on-site Taschen Library, though of course there is a copy or two of Generation X hiding around, as well. The glass dining room table and wooden chairs are the exact same ones that Coupland has in his own dining room. Framed posters and artifacts — including a surfboard — hang on every wall. Even the ceiling is covered in vinyl-printed shapes and images.
Much like his own home, which he admits is constantly changing, Coupland sees Suite X as an evolving space — one that he’ll tweak as he finds new things to put inside. “It’s only going to get more cluttered with time,” he says. “I’m a classy hoarder.”
Suite X opened in June as part of the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s extensive renovations to its Gold Floor rooms, which include access to a revamped Gold Lounge. But visitors should also consider heading down to The Lobby Lounge & RawBar for a cocktail and sushi, or to Botanist restaurant for a decadent West Coast–inspired tasting menu. Either way, returning to Suite X afterwards will be the biggest luxury of all. Consider it a night at the live-in museum.
