Ett Hem, the beautifully designed boutique hotel in Sweden, was created by Studioilse.
The 12 bedrooms are decked with natural earth tones and soft flowing linen. The interior of the rest of the hotel is sophisticated and comfortable clearly illustrating that the space is a continuation of the bedrooms.
(Images from Dezeen)
The Daniel Hotel occupies one of the first curtain wall structures in Austria. The modern 1960′s structure was designed by renowned architect Georg Lippert and its raw aesthetic is complimented by a Cor-Ten steel sign that looks like it was taken from the same era.
It is not just the austere structure it occupies that makes the hotel unusual – The Daniel is also challenging the ‘standard hotel format’. Instead of a conventional reception desk, the reception area is located in the hotel’s private shop that stocks exceptional items for discerning travelers whilst also providing facilities for checking in and out. It also houses a eclectic bakery that provides an atmospheric place for guests to enjoy their breakfasts and passersby to indulge in some delicious Austrian baked goods. In keeping with the architecture the reception area is furnished with vintage furniture, including pieces from a a 1960s fashion boutique, upholstered with bold patterned fabric, as well as contemporary pieces like the Donna Wilson chairs and more industrial pallet coffee tables.
Bedrooms are more reserved and pared back. The interior design makes full use of the architectural fabric of the building, contrasting exposed concrete ceilings with light walls and large timber panels. Furniture is kept to a minimum, save for the odd hamock; as is colour, with only a few deep green accents. The rooms, although not very Viennese, embody the calm, elegant atmosphere of the city.
(Images via Yatzer)
The Exchange, a brand new Amsterdam hotel located on the Damrak, one of the liveliest and oldest streets of Amsterdam, has a special love of fashion. The hotel was developed in close collaboration with the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) and is part of ‘The Red Carpet’, an urban-renewal project.
The hotel is spread across three buildings, one of them dating back to the 17th century, and shares the buildings with a contemporary department store, Options! and a restaurant, Stock. The project was initiated by Lloyd Hotel and Cultural Embassy with Suzanne Oxenaar and Otto Nan responsible for the concept.
Each of the 61 rooms in the hotel have been dressed up like models on a catwalk by graduates and alumni of the AMFI. The result is a mix of interior and fashion design, with each room having a distinct identity. The diverse rooms draw inspiration from the multiplicity of the neighbourhood the hotel is located in.
The 21c Museum Hotel opened five years ago in Louisville, but still seems fresh and above all interesting. New York-based architect Deborah Berke is responsible for the design of this museum / hotel – the only one of its kind in the entire US. Like a museum its exhibits change regularly, most of the pieces come from the private collection of the hotel’s owners – Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown.
The statement making hotel distinguishes itself from the outset, red plastic penguins from the Venice Biennale are perched on top of the building’s large entrance and have become visual markers as well as impromptu mascots for the hotel. An installation of four sculptures of children by Judy Fox loom over the reception desk of a lobby that has an uncanny resemblance to that of a contemporary museum.
As guests move through the rest of the hotel they can admire (and even interact with some of) the everchanging artworks on display, from communal areas right down to the stylish bedrooms.
This unusual concept hotel is so successful that the owners are currently planning two new locations, one in Cincannati and another in Bentonville.
Hotel Favorita has recently been structurally transformed by Nuno Sottomayor and spatially by Sam Baron. The interiors of the hotel that takes its name from the iconic women’s name ‘Favorita’ – meaning the ‘chosen woman’, mixes and matches carefully selected vinatage and modern pieces, allowing it to go beyond purely a design hotel and becoming more of a home away from home with an exceptional attention to detail.
Portugal, and especially Porto, to me, is synomous with amazing tiles from yesteryear and the hotel unashamedly uses a wide selection of beautiful tiles with geometric patterns that complement both the modernist and the traditional furniture used throughout the hotel.
Bedrooms adopt a relaxed, pared back atmosphere. Simple furniture is introduced to spaces with timber floors and white walls, with decorations kept to a minimum.
The hotel that prides itself on being a one off also supports local arts, walls feature illustrations by Julio Dolbeth and Ruy Santos, artist from Portugal’s first design and illustration gallery – the Dama Aflita Gallery in Porto.
(Images via Yatzer)
Folegandros is a Greek island well known for its unspoiled nature, blue skies and white houses. The Anemi Hotel draws from this, and was designed with respect for the traditional Cycladic architecture. It is composed of a complex of small buildings that harmoniously sits on the landscape close to the island’s harbour village. The interiors are minimal, with attention to detail.
Plush white interior spaces were designed to be stylishly comfortable; rooms feel like those from a elegant private residence, but with a touch of luxury associated with high end hotels. The minimal white and earthy palette is punctuated by designer chairs in blue and large, blown up photographs that add interest to the understated interiors.
(Images via Yatzer)
The Lisbonaire is a new type of hotel in the hart of Lisbon. It occupies a 1960s building that received a full make-over this year, and consists of 19 apartments. While the overall design is coherent in its use of furniture, each apartment was designed by a different artist / designer and as a result has its own distinct character, which adds surprise and personality to the hotel.
The apartment by Alva:
Ana Cunha’s apartment:
Barbra Says created an apartment with a haphazard, urban feel by arranging posters randomly on walls and ceilings.
Joana and Mariana are responsible for an earthy toned apartment:
João Maio Pinto created playful graphics for the walls of his space:
Gwendolyn Van der Velden and Quim Albergaria created a colourful illustration of the city of Lisbon:
Nuno Luz’s suite has a bit of a pop art feel:
MAGA, a design studio in Lisbon created a unique space with innovative use of paper, not only on the walls, but also for folded light fittings.
Musa Worklab created three dimensional graphics for the walls,
DesignbyNada, an agency specializing in identity created a monochromatic interior with a strong typographic focus.
Pedro Falcão’s suite:
Mackintóxico’s suite:
Marco Balesteros created a wall that resembles a loose timeline:
Silva!Designers drew inspiration from neon hotel signs:
Vanessa Teodoro’s suite:
Vivóeusébio, a design collective, created a wallpaper that resembles vintage food wrappers – in the nicest possible way.
The identity of the hotel is visible in each of the individual interiors that are all refreshingly playful in their own way.
(Images via Lisbonaire)
Hôtel Americano is the lastest addition to the family of hotels by Grupo Habita, the people behind Hotel Básico, and their first foray out of Mexico. The hotel is located in Chelsea, close to the High Line and blends beautifully with its industrial chic surroundings. The building is set apart by a robust, but delicate looking facade of steel mesh and was designed by Ten Arquitectos of Mexico.
Interiors hint at 1960s Italy, but remain thoroughly contemporary in their details. Subdued colours are punctuated and accentuated by bright pieces of furniture.
Bedrooms feature wooden platform beds and boast spectacular city views. Comfort is combined with technology: guests can access all the lasted culture and dining listings via Ipads.
(images via superfuture)
The Michelberger is somewhere in the grey area between a hotel and a hostel, and is proof that hotel design is becoming increasingly diverse, individual and tailored to travellers needs. Communal spaces are comfortable refuges for tired travellers, and are stocked to the brim with reading material. Books and magazines aren’t reserved for shelves and coffee tables, one-off lampshades are made of the sheets of vintage reads.
Dining spaces are equally nice, with large windows, subway tiled walls, bare concrete floors and a mix-and-match collection of chairs.
Guestrooms are as quirky as the rest of the hotel and also feature books very strongly. Even details like the ‘do not disturb’ signs have been custome made to fit the playful design.
(Images via weheart)
This pop-up hotel in Tokyo is based on the phenomenon of the Japanese love hotel. Designed by eight Japanese and eight Dutch designers, each room is a unique installation which visitors can actually pay to stay in. Each designer has responded to the theme to create a room for every mood!
The pop-up hotel, initiated by Amsterdams’ Lloyd hotel, celebrates 400 years of trade and cultural relations between Japan and the Netherlands, using theme ‘still in Llove’ as it’s driver. The entrance area and cafe see the two cultures collide in bold graphic wall coverings including images of windmills, mount fuji and historical figures who symbolise love, designed by Thonik.
Highlights of the hotel include this ‘clockwork’ room by designer, Joe Nagasaka. The ricepaper from the traditional screens was removed leaving just the frames, adding to the mechanical aesthetic and the bed is mounted on a rotating disk, to be turned at the occupants will.
Another favourite of mine, room no. 304 by Riyuji Nakamara features a ‘water line’ out of fishing line creating the feeling of being underwater throughout the room, especially when lying on the bed as plastic toys float above you.
Photographs by Takumi Ota
The brief has inspired some exciting responses from the designers. Other rooms popular with visitors include a pebble filled room with trees in place of furniture by Yuko Nagayama and a pink and white room with the theme of fertility by Scholten&Baijings.
Image via Designboom
Who knew military buildings made good hotels. Architects NHDRO proved this to be true when they converted disused Japanese army headquarters in the South Bund District of Shanghai into a luxury hotel. The Waterhouse hotel features exposed concrete and brickwork, staying true to the structure’s previous function and resonating with the industrial past of the docks it borders, while clearly contrasting old and new. The architects added a Corten steel extension to the roof, new circulation and narrow interior windows, surprisingly allowing glimpses into private rooms. Apart from the beautifully raw architectural fabric, the building offers views onto the the neighbouring Huangpu River and the breathtaking Pudong skyline.
(Images by Pedro Pegenaute)
If you thought Hoxton couldn’t get any more hip; think again. Project Orange has designed a new 15sqm concept room for the Hoxton Hotel, Shoreditch around the theme of ‘East London’. The 200 room hotel (opened by Pret a Manger boss Sinclair Beecham in 2006) has become known for its radical, cheap airline approach to room-pricing, styling itself as a ‘luxury budget urban lodge’. Any preconceptions of tacky rooms decked out in ‘EasyJet’ orange should be quickly be banished however, as the hotel has also gained a reputation for its stylish interiors and unparalleled design quality.
Project Orange’s room doesn’t disappoint, with a design that nods to the mid-nineties gentrification of Shoreditch without overlooking its gritty urban context. They say:
“Our interpretation of the context led us to propose a bedroom set within aged and distressed building fabric with a mixture of newer, more luxurious artefacts placed within it. The walls, floor and ceiling reflect something about the urban condition, whilst the loose furnishings offer comfort and provide users with what they need.”
The surfaces of the room have been left raw; plaster walls, a purposefully distressed carpet and a painted concrete ceiling are particularly good at communicating the shabbiness of East London, backed up by a built-in bed and bench structure that has been constructed from old reclaimed floorboards. Contrasting textiles and patterns remind of the vibrant nature of the artists’ community that resides in Hoxton, while more decadent pieces are a reference to the business suits and briefcases of the City nearby. A high-spec circular glass shower, for example, creates a focus in the bedroom and brings natural light into the bathroom.
The concept room has been designed with a view to completing a further 150 bedrooms, exploring the brand of urban comfort.
(images via Project Orange)
The Club is the latest sophisticated yet comfortable boutique hotel from Ministry of Design.
Targeted at the design savvy traveler, it combines traditional colonial design inspired elements with sleek modern detailing. The monochromatic interior is kept interesting with loads of little (or should I say large) playful details, such as the over sized statue of Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (British statesman, founder of Singapore) with his head obscured by folds of fabric, a tongue-in-the-cheek reference to Singapore’s rich history.
Its 22 unique rooms are fitted out with tailored artwork, designed by MOD and installed by famed local artist Wynlyn Tan. It also has a panoramic rooftop Sky Bar with one of the best views of the Club Street conservation area and the Singapore CBD. It promises loads of sophistication, with every last detail being specially designed.
(via Dezeen)
The largest Soho House yet and the first one to grace continental Europe opened in Mitte, Berlin. The 1928 Bauhaus structure housing it has an interesting history. It was originally a department store, but has since been used by the post-war government and the Communist Party. However after the reunification of Germany it has been slowly fading into dereliction. The Soho House Group stepped in and turned the distinctly symmetrical structure into a luxury 40 bedroom private members club that will have signature Soho Group features such as a Cecconi’s restaurant and a Cowshed Spa.
The rooms are a delightful mix of raw industrial spaces with exposed concrete and dark paneling contrasted with lush and prissy 1930s glamour. The typical upscale fare is on offer, from custom beds to rainforest showers. A retro feel is evoked with special touches like the vintage record players and old school telephones that can be found throughout.
(via Soho House Berlin)
Pantone Universe expanded their range of colorful, design-inspired products to now include accommodation. The Pantone Hotel opened just around the corner from Avenue Louise, a glamorous shopping and business district in Brussels. It combines a chic, colorful aesthetic with comfortable guest rooms. The project was a collaboration between Belgian interior designer Michel Penneman and Belgian architect Olivier Hannaert. They Hotel is designed so that each of the seven floors and 59 rooms are accented by different color palettes to complement guests’ emotions with distinctive hues – whether vivid or subdued.
The guest rooms are largely monochrome to provide a crisp canvas for saturated pops of vibrant color. Adding to the artistry, rooms feature photographic installations created by renowned Belgian photographer Victor Levy that include a spectrum of vibrant PANTONE Colors to create a unique ambiance in each room. Even the city is washed in color as sections of the windows are color tinted.
(via Dezeen)
There’s a new designer hotel on the block in Bethnal Green, in the familiar shell of its Old Town Hall. Behind the Grade II listed building’s Edwardian/Art Deco facade now sit some of the most stylish hotel rooms and luxury apartments in the city. Hip French architects, Rare, have worked with hotelier, Peng Loh, to give the giving the building a complete make over.
In keeping with the East End’s creative reputation, they worked together with Artsadmin to commission works by up and coming young, local artists. The spacious apartments are fitted out with a mix of one of a kind vintage furniture and contemporary Scandinavian pieces, and each comes with their own designer kitchen. Not that guests would need a kitchen… The Hotel’s restaurant, Viajantes, headed by chef Nuno Mendes promises to be a culinary treat. The interior features bespoke, handcrafted furniture and has an intimate atmosphere to complete the dining experience.
This chic addition to Bethnal Green is a design hotel with a difference, perfectly combining sleek city style with old world elegance.
(images via Design Hotels)
As part of the Light Night Nottingham designer Linda Florence has created a lampshade installation in the Broadway Cinema and Media Centre. The designer used second hand lamp shades which she redecorated with her own wallpaper designs and trimmings, turning them into precious looking objects and giving them a new life span. The warm glow of the lampshades looks very beautiful against the plain backdrop and reminds us of our own lighting installation for the Babel bar in 
Clapham, for which one of the main features was a ceiling filled with with glowing lampshades. Each pendant was custom made for the projects by the designers.
Design Festival 08, we have been on the 
lookout for everything to do with cardboard. Designed by Alrik Koudenburg and Joost van Bleiswijk, the office for Amsterdam based advertising agency Nothing shows how cardboard can be used to create visually and structurally strong interior spaces. Built entirely without the use of glue or other additional fixings, the structure is slotted together to form desks, and separate work spaces.
Marcel Wanders designs for Morgan’s Hotel Group
Although Marcel Wanders previous work includes other hotel design work (such as the Lute Suites), the Mondrian Miami is his first full scale hotel project. Conceived as a ‘Sleeping Beauty’s Fairy Castle’ by the designer, the interior has a surreal contemporary baroque touch; chic but playful.
The interior design features opulent furniture in painted and upholstered in bright red, 
chandeliers encased in large golden bells and flowery motifs on walls and floors. The surreal quality is visible in the columns which look like over sized turned table legs and a large black staircase which spirals through the building. The staircase balustrade is made from fret cut black metal which allows this imposing structure to still look quite delicate. The hotel rooms feature many of Wanders own designs and continue the chic, playful baroque scheme.
