The Scandi aesthetic is lauded for good reason – simplicity, practicality and minimalism combined in one neatly wrapped package. The only downside is that it has become somewhat predictable as it is interpreted worldwide; a byword for pale wood, muted tones and ethereal lighting. Not so at Hotel Norge, a Bergen icon recently revamped by Dutch studio Concrete, which has energised the familiar Nordic design aesthetic with vibrant notes.
This is best witnessed in the lobby of the 415-room hotel where a giant sun that changes colour throughout the day takes centre stage in a space dressed in surprisingly harmonious tones of emerald green, sapphire blue and mustard yellow. The innovative lighting is perhaps no surprise given that Flos served as the project’s lighting consultant and the design nous doesn’t end there.
In Café Norge, a room marked by an iconic wooden staircase that rises up to a mezzanine, inherited from the space’s previous life as the lobby, Nordic design is visible at every turn. Seating by Muuto, tables by Hay and ottomans by Normann Copenhagen fly the flag, whist pendant lighting by Lee Broom and rugs by Van Besouw introduce international flair.
Guestrooms are on a similar wave, each one an inviting hub of oak, brass and flashes of colour, all lit by Flos-designed hanging lamps. There’s no better place to escape the city’s bitter winter climes.
ADDRESS
Nedre Ole Bullsplass 4
-
Promemoria’s new furniture takes you from London to Lake Como, with loveAhead of its Milan Design Week 2025 debut, we try out Promemoria’s new furniture collection by David Collins Studio, at founder Romeo Sozzi’s Lake Como villa
-
Fluid workspaces: is the era of prescriptive office design over?We discuss evolving workspaces and track the shape-shifting interiors of the 21st century. If options are what we’re after in office design, it looks like we’ve got them
-
This collection of slow furniture is a powerful ode to timeA serene exhibition of David Dolcini's 'Time-made' collection has fast-tracked its place into our hearts and homes
-
Trevarefabrikken is a contemporary Nordic escape embracing its industrial pastReinvigorated under the creative eye of Jonathan Tuckey Design, Trevarefabrikken offers a holistic retreat that blurs past and present
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China -
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France
