Design Courier

The colors of nature

In the midst of nature, in total symbiosis, fully respecting the context. The new Falkensteiner Hotel Montafon 5* stands in the protected area of Montafon, an Alpine valley in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. But it is a discreet presence, in continuity with the surrounding panorama of forests and mountains, especially in terms of environmental impact. This was the idea behind the design of the hotel, a tandem effort involving the Norwegian firm Snøhetta (for the external and structural architecture) and the Milan-based Vudafieri-Saverino Partners, creators of the interiors and the design concept.

  Falkensteiner Hotel Montafon 5*, Austria,  Snøhetta + Vudafieri-Saverino Partners - Image copyright: ©Vudafieri-Saverino Partners
Falkensteiner Hotel Montafon 5*, Austria, Snøhetta + Vudafieri-Saverino Partners - Image copyright: ©Vudafieri-Saverino Partners

Exploiting the mountainous slope, the new family hotel of the Falkensteiner group (slated to open in December) winds across two buildings, connected by a central portion for the collective areas, and organized on four levels. While from the outside the hotel pays homage to the typical constructions of the vicinity, the Montafoner Häus, with rugged wood and white stucco walls, inside the project by the studio Vudafieri-Saverino Partners continues this respect for the tradition, thanks to the use of vernacular materials. But then it shifts beyond these features. The colors of the mountains, the splendid Alpine panorama and rural life, are translated into a palette that sets the tone of the interiors and the various settings.

  Falkensteiner Hotel Montafon 5*, Austria, Snøhetta + Vudafieri-Saverino Partners - Image copyright: ©Vudafieri-Saverino Partners
Falkensteiner Hotel Montafon 5*, Austria, Snøhetta + Vudafieri-Saverino Partners - Image copyright: ©Vudafieri-Saverino Partners

In particular, the studio concentrated on the age-old techniques of agriculture in three phases, alternating crops sown in winter, fall and spring. Likewise, natural hues set the pace inside the hotel: the green of the lawns, the blue of the water, the natural tones of larch wood stand out in the shared spaces, with spring and summer atmospheres, while in the 123 guestrooms the palette becomes more vibrant and autumnal, with reds, oranges and yellows, in an intentional reference to another natural phenomenon, that of Indian summer and the bright foliage of the northeastern United States.

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