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LUX 11 BERLIN, GERMANY |
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| ARCHITECTURE / INTERIOR DESIGN |
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Guiliana Salmaso - Silvestrin/Salmaso, London
Goetz Maximilian Keller - MK Architects, Berlin |
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In East Berlin, just steps away from the landmark television tower that has become something of an instantly recognisable symbol for the city, a sparkling white façade adorns a sprawling building. This jewel of a place is in fact Lux 11, a residence created to attract individualists from around the world with this modern, future-oriented atmosphere.
In the lobby, images reflect the vibrant ambience of the streets nearby – the restaurants, galleries and boutiques and the trendy, creative people who fill them with their energy. An storefront spa and Italian-Asian fusion restaurant featuring the creations of celebrated Berlin chef Duc Ngo are both situated on the ground floor; a café lounge invites both guests and locals to partake in the German capital’s ritualistic coffee culture. Then three staircases wind around old-fashioned elevators to a series of rooms that feel like a very, very stylish version of home… all in cool shades of pale green, with smooth blonde-wood details.
It is quite simply a study in melding the old with the new. Set in what was originally built as a stately residential building in the late 19th century and later became office space under communism, the landmark structure has been completely refurbished to reflect the movement and innovation of Berlin’s most recent era. Lux 11’s uniqueness also emerges through its use of unusual materials and its aesthetically pleasing game of contrasts – something that truly comes into its own in each of the 72 apartments impeccable design.
“The interiors of Lux 11 play with opposites: warm and cold, smooth and rough,” says London-based architect Giuliana Salmaso, who, along with Claudio Silvestrin, conceived the hotel’s structure and feel. “The concept for the apartments is based on the feeling of Berlin in recent years. Interiors in Berlin are mainly in concrete and wood, so we chose concrete in China green, which is a gentle colour, and warm wood.” This light, minimalist colour scheme offers travellers a cool, modern ambience, yet touches of tactile abundance and luxury can be found everywhere – even the curtains are done in brown leather and the upholstery in rough canvas. An opulent bed dressed in a fluffy duvet and fur-like pillows is set on a strip of bamboo flooring and is surrounded by minimalist artworks, sleek, Asian-manufactured furniture and delicate details offering yet another contrast. “Usually in an apartment furnishing elements seem to float in space, so we designed one large element, that starts with the head of the bed, goes down to the floor and up the other side to become the desk. Everything is integrated in one single object” explains Giuliana Salmaso, who designed the geometrically clear, integrated central furniture unit of the guestrooms together with Claudio Silvestrin.
While the open floor plans allow guestrooms and the guests within them to move around in a manner akin to the modernists approach to spatial flow, they also create a certain, very private intimacy. Raised on a pedestal and accessible via a couple of smooth concrete steps, a pristine bath sits almost altar-like in the middle of the room. And a subtle, inconspicuously elegant washroom area integrates a rain shower, a porcelain sink perched on a concrete block and other facilities that are separated from the main space with opaque glass. “In the combination of concrete in the bathroom, and of wood and cement on the floor, you get an unexpected effect. Also there is no real divide between the washroom and the living space,” says Berlin-based collaborative architect Moritz Müller, explaining a concept that seems well ahead of its time, but indeed has a history. The clever integration of functional and living spaces was often proposed for private residences by mid-century architectural legend Le Corbusier.
For all its trendiness, Lux 11 is also a place where the forward thinking can live in domestic, more self-sufficient comfort for extended stays. All apartments – ranging in size from 25 to 55 square meters – feature sleek white kitchen units fully equipped with microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, even washers and dryers. At the same time, guests can indulge in a wide array of treatments in the Aveda spa, or take in the sounds of the city’s best DJs in the restaurant.
The contrasts continue, even in the hotel’s name. While “Lux” may evoke luxury, the moniker also refers to its location on Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse, which is named after the historic German champion of socialist causes. Like the ever-changing sides of the new Berlin, the hotel mixes history with modernity, melds energetic chic with sublime relaxation. Most of all, it offers a haven in the central, pulsating district of Berlin Mitte, a neighbourhood that has become one of Europe’s most dynamic. |
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