Designer Werner Aisslinger has renovated a lakeside hotel in Germany‘s Sauerland region, adding hydroponics and locally sourced materials including wood and terrazzo to craft interiors informed by the surrounding nature.
Hotel Seegarten is owned and operated by TV chef Olaf Baumeister, who took over the traditional inn from his parents in 1992 and has overseen its transformation into modern boutique accommodation.
Werner Aisslinger‘s studio was influenced by the hotel’s location overlooking the Sorpesee lake when developing its “nature-loving” concept for the guest rooms and public areas.
This includes Baumeister’s Seegarten restaurant, where hydroponic shelves are used to grow ingredients for the kitchen.
“The overall atmosphere is friendly and close to nature, as all materials are processed in their purest form and can be felt,” said the design team, adding that further inspiration came from Baumeister’s passion for using local produce in his cooking.
The studio described the hotel’s setting as an “oasis in the Sauerland”, which informed a design that is casual, modern and focused on promoting wellbeing.
The two main materials used throughout the scheme are terrazzo and wood, which are intended to evoke the pebble beaches of the nearby lake and the trees of the surrounding forest.
Other elements such as curtains, carpets, plants and rattan screens were chosen to complement these two cornerstone materials, as well as adding different tactile surfaces to the interior.
Stones from a nearby quarry were incorporated into the grey terrazzo, which was processed by a local firm and is used throughout the bathrooms.
As well as referencing the natural surroundings, the use of local materials and regional manufacturers helps to minimise the project’s carbon footprint by reducing shipping requirements.
The bedrooms feature bespoke shelves housing planters filled with herbs, along with equipment that guests can use to brew their own tea.
In the bathrooms, Studio Aisslinger commissioned custom-made towel rails shaped like swimming pool ladders that attach to the bathtubs.
Traditional wood panelling features in the Seegarten restaurant, providing a contrast with the metal hydroponic troughs and their bright LED grow lights.
The hotel’s wellness area features flat and curved rattan screens that are suspended from the ceiling and can be adjusted in height to provide privacy if required.
Furniture created by Aisslinger for various design brands is used throughout the hotel, including the Geometrics pouf for Cappellini and the Wood Bikini chair for Moroso.
The public areas also feature the solid oak Cep tables, the geometric Urban Jungle rugs and the Addit sofas designed for German furnituremaker Rolf Benz in collaboration with Studio Aisslinger’s design director Tina Bunyaprasit.
Aisslinger founded his studio in Berlin in 1993, adding a Singapore office in 2008.
The studio’s previous projects include the transformation of a famous Berlin squat into a photography museum and the design of a futuristic exhibition exploring topics from urban farming to robotics.
The photography is by Nicoló Lanfranchi for Studio Aisslinger.
