Das Stue Hotel: Berlin, Germany
Ashley Pringle
In
1844 King Wilhelm IV kindly donated wild animals to the Zoologischer Garten in Berlin,
Germany. Many years later, in 1940, the Royal Danish Embassy was opened right next
door to the zoo. During this time, the Embassy was used as one of Adolf Hitler’s
capital-building projects. The Embassy was sold in 1978, soon to become a
luxury boutique hotel. It was later named Das Stue which in Danish means “the
living room.” Architecture firm Axthelm Rolvien Architeken has recently done a
full interior renovation as well as a minor renovation to the exterior face of
the structure. With an eclectic use of materials, Axthelm Rolvien along with
Studio Urquiola re-imagined this 170 year old building into a FUN-ctional
hotel.
As you walk into
the building you find yourself at the front reception room. Your eye is
immediately drawn to the unique fabric ceiling mural by Patricia Urquiola. The
fabric is made out of 100% cotton, which is a sustainable resource. The
flooring is concrete, yet another great material as far as sustainability goes.
A large rug by J&T BCN centers the room and draws your eye further into the
space. This rug is made out of wool fibers in texture simply named “balls.”
Although this is yet another sustainable material, I personally do not think
this is an appropriate material to use in this particular space due to high
foot traffic. This will have to be replaced every couple of years and it will
also be costly to maintain. Overall, this reception area is still smartly done
with great use of eco-friendly resources.
Another space that has been wonderfully renovated is the
Das Stue lobby. This space was done entirely by Studio Urquiola, as well as all
other public spaces throughout the hotel. The lobby is another long, vertical
space. The focal point is a large bronze crocodile sculpture in the center of
the room. Beneath this sculpture is the same J&T BCN wool fiber rug in a
grey marled color. For this particular space I think the rug is appropriate
since it lies underneath the art sculpture, where there will not be high
volumes of foot traffic. The main flooring in completely refurbished original
granite flooring in light and dark grey tones. This is a great material that is
strong enough to last for many, many years. Wall treatments are refurbished
original travertine. Travertine is a sedimentary rock that has been used in
architecture for hundreds of years. It is also very frequently used in modern
architecture as well. Many, if not all, of the materials in the lobby area are
strong long lasting materials that will stand the test of time. It is a huge
financial plus as well since the designers were able to refurbish the existing
materials.
Last we have the guest rooms at the Das Stue hotel. Sleek
and modern, the guest rooms aren’t your typical chain hotel design. The white
cerused oak built-in headboard rises from floor to ceiling, even extending onto
the ceiling above the bed. Cerused oak has been used since the 16th
century and was popular during the art deco era as well. Today, nontoxic waxes
are used to create this effect. The head board is a beautiful custom made piece
by Virato. The flooring used is an oak matte natural finish. The dark wood
flooring gives the space great contrast and will also hold up to the large
amount of foot traffic these rooms will be experiencing. I think this space has
a nice variety of materials that will not only be comfortable, but functional
as well.
Overall, Das Stue is a truly unique hotel. Renovations
were handled in a very sophisticated manner, creating a visually pleasing
environment. Materials ranged from many factors including: sustainability,
comfort, and practicality. Minimal décor was used in order to keep the main
focus on the incredible views in each room. And still, the design team did a
great job as far as trying to keep a lot of the structure and materials that
have been in the space for over a hundred years. The Das Stue hotel will
continue to impress visitors from all around the world; it will continue to do
so for another 170 years!
WORKS CITED
4 comments:
this house was so pretty n grea8 i wish could i pray :(
Sherwood Park Hotel
I really like the textures and color used in the design. The natural stone in the lobby is really beautiful, and the crocodile scultpure is a really effective center piece considering the hotel's location is next to a zoo. The rug is probably not that functional, however it's beautiful and I can't believe it's actual wool and not little stones.
OMG, This hotel is so beautiful. I wish I could stay here for a night. I love how they use sustainable products for their hotel.
This is a beautiful hotel and it was interesting to hear about some of its history. I really like the color scheme of the lobby.
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