Designer Oana Rosen along with the architectural firm,Grübel, did an amazing job when they took on the transformation of an abandoned office building into a stunning boutique hotel. Called Roomers, this gorgeous hotel located in the business district in Frankfurt, Germany certainly has a lot of style and a distinctive personality.

The lobby is just breathtaking with its mirrored reception counter, dark walls and sculptural seating shaped like a bird with its wings pointing up. There’s a lot of contrast and texture in the room which makes it very interesting. Notice the mix of modern and traditional elements in the floor lamp.

Roomer offers a 24h bar with large booths each with their own chandelier. The chandeliers have an interesting eerie feel to them and give the impression that they’re melting. Notice the repetition of the round table reflected on the ceiling at the base of the chandelier. I also like how the designer arranged the lighting around the bar. It’s a dark place perfect for intimate conversations.

The restaurant is also dark and intimate. It has a very homey feel to it with it upholstered booths that look like giant sofas and lamps with lines similar to lamps that can be found in homes. Notice the consistency in the selection of the chair and the bar stools.

The design of the suites is simpler and less ornate but includes design elements similar to the rest of the hotel and provides continuity. For example, the headboard resembles the wall behind the reception desk and the colors are dark. The materials and colors evoke opulence but the lines evoke minimalism. It’s an interesting mix. Notice the sink carved into the symbol of the hotel. This symbol can also be found on the door of the entrance, the screen of a fireplace in a lounge and the wall of what looks like the spa (shown below).

Another one of the hotel’s stunning features is the conference rooms at the top of the building. It’s “a 600-square-meter roof encased in an illuminated dome made of glass set in specially-glazed white concrete. Inside this futuristic bubble, three fully-equipped conference rooms offer spectacular views over Frankfurt’s banking district below and the river Main nearby.” Can you imagine having a conference in rooms like these with floor to ceiling windows and a spectacular view of the city? I love the sunken chairs and how they disappear under the table.

You can see more pictures on the Roomers facebook page or check out this video (german).

photos : Roomers

ORIGINAL POST DATE : 2008-01-22

What is a green building? According to the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC), there are 5 levels of “greenness”: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze or Certified. The level of greenness is determine though a point rating system that evaluates the building based on five main categories:

- Sustainable sites
- Water efficiency
- Energy and atmosphere
- Materials and resources
- Indoor Environmental Quality

There are quite a few rules to follow when it comes to determining if a building is green or not, but I can’t help but think that the ice hotels (in Quebec and in Sweden) deserves some recognition.

When you consider the fact that traditional buildings are guilty of producing a large portion of the trash that ends up in landfills, the ice hotel and surrounding buildings are pretty innocent. I believe they are made entirely of snow and ice, a very sustainable product. Even the furniture and details such as the candelabras in the chapel, and the shot glasses in the bar are made of ice.

Photo by Etolane via Flickr

All in all, the site seems pretty sustainable. I don’t think that any of the buildings affect the environment in a negative way. As far as water efficiency, since these building are temporary, I doubt they use a lot of water in the building. For energy usage, except for the stoves, there isn’t much energy used. Materials and resources are for the most part sustainable, recyclable, reusable and/or natural. Lastly, as far as indoor air quality is concerned, since most of the indoor is made of natural material, I would guess that it must be good. I’m curious to know what their real rating would be. Nevertheless, I still think they deserve some form of recognition.

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If you’re looking into turning your space into a bright and colorful home look no further than to Semiramis Hotel in Athens for inspiration. Designed by Karim Rashid, it’s a bright, fun and happy space with lots of curves and funky items.

It doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to get a similar feel in your own space. First you need to paint most of your walls white and one accent wall using a bright color. Then you can purchase various items at a relatively low cost, as shown below.

[1] The Tullsta chair ($149.00, IKEA) can be recovered with a bold flower pattern slip cover shown here in Uniki Red ($235.00, Bemz) [2] Add a splash of pink on your wall with these Sarita curtain ($9.99, IKEA) [3] The white Klippan four-seater sofa ($469.99, IKEA) would definitely fit the bill with it’s clean lines[4] A green high pile rug would add some warmth to your space ($69.99, IKEA)[5] The new funky Svara table lamp adds whimsy and personality ($149.99, IKEA) [6] Green mounted wall cabinets, reminiscent of the balconies of the hotel would allow for more hidden storage in order to minimize clutter ($199.00, CB2)[7] Bright colored round vases would ($2.99 ea. ,IKEA)[8] The orange Karlstad Swivel armchair will add some fun additional seating ($449.00, IKEA).

[1]. If you’re extending the look into the kitchen, some green stools would look fantastic against a glossy white counter ($165.00,Zone) [2] The Docksta dining table ($279.99, IKEA) and the Tobias chairs ($129.99 ea. IKEA) would fit perfectly with this style because of their curvy shape. It would be interesting to tint the chairs pink so the light still passes through [3] A free standing minimalist orange bookcase would stand out well against a white wall ($189.00,CB2)[4] Depending on the backdrop you could also use a white coffee table ($499.00, Structube) [5] or a bright yellow side table against the white sofa. (150.00$,Zone)

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Now there’s a hotel project I would love to be involved in :). The CitizenM Hotel is a new chain of hotels that emerged in Amsterdam not too long ago. There are currently two in Amsterdam and there are plans to build 20 more in Europe and then expand all the way to North America.

Designed by Concrete , this hotel is designed for “a new generation of travelers” and offers modern amenities and style at an affordable price. It’s kind of like the marriage between the pod hotel and boutique hotel. Very clever.

All the rooms are assembled off-site, transported and assembled on location. The rooms are 14 sq m (140 sq. ft) and include a floor-to-ceiling window, a touch screen mood pad designed by Phillips that enables visitors to control everything in their room including changing the mood of the room by changing the color of the lights, futuristic looking shower and toilet, a giant bed, clever global plugs behind a tall rotating mirror, and more.

Hotel Silken Puerta America is one of those hotels that really stands out and offers a unique experience to its guests. It has twelve different floors with twelve different design. Here are some of my favorites:

(source: Hotel Puerta America) Level 1 designed by Zaha Hadid

(source: Hotel Puerta America) Level 2 designed by Norman Foster

(source: Hotel Puerta America) Level 4 : Plasma Studio

(source: Hotel Puerta America) Level 7 designed by Ron Arad

(source: Hotel Puerta America) Level 8 : Kathryn Findlay

I wish we had more creative spaces like these in Canada….*sigh*