The Fontenay, 2018

The emotionality of the architecture is palpable, everything fits together harmoniously, nothing has to be explained. The thoughtful diversity – two restaurants, the spa with pool and the bar on the roof, as well as the generous terrace areas – are unusually generous for a city hotel. The interior design reflects the organic form of the building inside as well. Circles are often repeated, as are beautiful combinations of selected materials – terrazzo, the variations in the parquet, the white and green onyx. Everything is in dialogue with the building and nature and ensures a sense of vitality.

The ambition of this unique building made it essential that the furniture was also individually designed and made. Almost all the furniture was custom-made except for the chairs in the rooms, a design classic by Eero Saarinen. We didn’t make the sofas in the guest rooms too “loungy”, as is often the case, but high and firm, yet incredibly comfortable. In the suites the furniture is supplemented with products from leading Italian manufacturers.

„Minimalist design requires special attention to detail in comparison to opulent design.“
— Christian Meinert

A welcoming culture and the reception of a guest are always a big issue. At The Fontenay there is no classic reception counter separating the staff from the guest. Here you sit together “at one table”, which is much nicer and more individual than standing opposite each other. This also reflects the open architecture as you have direct visual contact with the staff as soon as you enter the hotel.