A look at the recently reopened main entrance at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

BocabearMar 08, 2023

That fabric doesn't feel like a fit...it doesn't feel like it evokes Polynesian culture or the Poly-Pop modernist aesthetic... I does feel more 80s/90s than anything else. I am sure someone would be able to justify the design having some roots to Polynesia, but it feels more 1990s Caribbean. there is a lack of sophistication and the pattern scale is flat out terrible.

LittleBufordMar 07, 2023

Some of the posts seemed to be saying that the design itself was lacking or ugly, though you’re right that that wasn’t the overall tenor of the criticisms.

UNCgolfMar 07, 2023

I don't think anyone was opining on the quality of the fabric/pattern in general -- just the fit for the location (or its status as mid-century modern, or lack thereof).

BocabearMar 07, 2023

It really does look like the 80s to me. Having lived through it and Wolfgang Puck restaurants...lol It is an odd choice for the Poly... completely wrong scale and off. I am not sure why their Refurbishmenteers can't grasp theme and design in any meaningful way. I am glad it is not "Marriott Hospitality Beige" but it really feels completely wrong for the room. Tacky and loud...and WAAAAAAAAY too much repeat

James AlucobondMar 07, 2023

It actually looks decent on the throw pillows they have in some of the chairs. Just a very odd choice for upholstering very wide bench seating.

LittleBufordMar 07, 2023

Through the wonders of Google Lens, I managed to find the pattern, though in somewhat different colours from the version at the Poly: https://clarencehouse.com/fabric/1393702/od-montmartre/ultramarine Whatever one may think of it, the fabric comes from a well-regarded textile design company: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/clarence-house-textile-kazumi-yoshida-article

UNCgolfMar 07, 2023

I agree with others that the pattern doesn't look right at all. I don't think it evokes tiki or mid-century modern; it feels more like something you might have seen in the 1980s or 1990s. Mid-century modern patterns certainly repeat, but they typically aren't that busy and usually use fewer colors. Not that I think the Polynesian really needs mid-century modern anyways, but this pattern is incongruous with the existing surrounds.

LittleBufordMar 07, 2023

It’s a matter of taste ultimately. Perhaps it means that I’m totally lacking in any (!), but I like the pattern and think it gives off the right vibes (it doesn’t evoke the ’90s for me). The Site Whose Name We Don’t Speak has photographs of the other areas of the lobby, which feature different, less colourful upholstery designs that I think help to offset the busyness of the one under discussion here.

mystoMar 07, 2023

The new bench makes me think of a shopping victim, someone with more money than sense. They see an elegant silk shawl that looks great on the rack, but when worn just looks like a clown suit. I hate when I do that!

Sir_CliffMar 07, 2023

I tend to agree with @MerlinTheGoat on this in that there are significant differences between what you see in this photo and the pattern they have gone with in the Polynesian. I happened to have Sven Kirsten's books Tiki Modern and Tiki Pop on the bookshelf next to me, so I just thumbed through them to see if my mental image of the tiki aesthetic accorded with what the images show from around the mid-twentieth century in tiki-themed bars and other establishments. What I observe is that you do sometimes see particularly carpets and (less frequently) chairs upholstered with floral patters or others that approximate "Polynesian" motifs. More frequently, you see particularly seating upholstered in solid colours such as greens, reds, and blues. I would also note that the more recent tiki revival style seems to lean into the solid, bright colours associated with the mid-century modern aesthetic. This is where I think the existing oranges, blues, and yellows in the lobby worked quite well. This pattern, to me, looks like an approximation of what someone might think was mid-century modern or 'tiki' if they were choosing from a book of available patterns in a catalogue but that, on closer examination, is just a collection of random abstract shapes and colours. In the surroundings, it reads to me like adding a splash of 1990s-era Wolfgang Puck into the middle of a mid-century Polynesian environment and a choice by someone who doesn't know the tiki aesthetic. It really shows and they need to do something about that. At the moment, it seems like they have some people working for them who know what themed environments are and others that either don't or don't particularly like themed environments.

SplashJacketMar 07, 2023

See, I think it looks like hot trash. But historically I haven’t cried about the removal of gaudy designs in favor of, admittingly simpler, but more palatable options. This is just a testament to people liking different things, which argues against the sameness trope Disney has recently embraced. I just think unique, iconic, distinguishable design can coexist with simplicity.

MerlinTheGoatMar 07, 2023

There are several very important differences with the pattern used on the booth in those photos- 1- That's actual floral art conveying a tropical environment, not nonsensical abstract shapes 2- The color is tastefully subdued and organic, tropical without being overly loud/harsh 3- The print isn't copy/pasted every 1-2 feet. Even on that long bench, I can't spot any repetition.

LittleBufordMar 07, 2023

I'm surprised by the negative consensus. I personally think the design is attractive and fits its environment well. To me, it looks like a contemporary spin on the mid-century Tiki aesthetic.

lazyboy97oMar 06, 2023

There isn’t consistency within the teams at Walt Disney Imagineering. Everything is too siloed, on both the park side and the Imagineering side.