Das Stue is anything but a simple place to lay your head. The luxury Berlin hotel is a destination within itself – where quirky interior styling and luxury finishes meet with astounding results.
All of Berlin’s best bits are within an easy stroll of the former Royal Danish Embassy, which has been transformed into luxury hotel Das Stue (meaning “the living room” in Danish). It boasts a pearl-white Susanne Kaufmann Spa with Alpine-influenced treatments and a 16 metre indoor pool, whimsical animal motifs inspired by the neighbouring Berlin Zoo and flawless design, courtesy of Spanish Queen of interiors, Patricia Urquiola.
Das Stue is a stylish hotel indeed – a veritable smorgasbord of textures and patterns that culminate in a sophisticated, and yet fun, environment. This feast for the eyes resides within the building designed in 1939 by architect Johann Emil Schaudt. Its sexy new look comes thanks to a recent interior reimagine under the watchful eye of Urquiola, who reinvigorated the public spaces including the lobby, cocktail bar and restaurants.
Within these public realms, Urquiola flirts with parquet flooring patterns and natural materials, such as wood and copper, marrying these with a subtle retro style, lush and bountiful lounging options, and colourful mood-enhancing carpets.
As if escaped from the zoo, animals have gone wild, from the four-foot bronze crocodile underneath a constellation of pinpoint LEDs in the lobby to the bird-and-tree pattern in the ceiling of reception. Chicken-wire sculptures of a giraffe and gorillas hang out in the lounge, while footstools in the shape of rhinos and hippos graze in the libraries.
The classically curved main building features a travertine clad lobby replete with eye-popping artworks and a grand restored staircase, leading through to the hotel’s lounge, bar, restaurants and garden terrace.
Eat In
In the split fine dining area of the restaurant Cinco by Paco Pérez, high quality materials resonate luxury and an open show kitchen with a copper pot installation overhead keeps guests entertained. Previously Michelin-starred Catalan chef Paco Pérez helms this now Michelin-starred eatery, serving avant-garde Mediterranean cuisine married with local accents. The terrace abuts the Berlin Zoo, and if you’re lucky enough you may see an Ostrich stroll by while sipping a cognac and listening to live jazz emanate from Stue Bar. The Casual & Terrace offers a laid back all-day dining area under large skylights that flood the room with natural daylight, radiant colours and eye-catching design. It’s the ultimate spot to start the day in Berlin.
Rooms
The hotel’s 78 guestrooms were finalised by LVG Arquitectura and are split between the original building and a newer annexe, which is clad in the same floral-patterned concrete surface you’ll spy on the outdoor terrace. The rooms are unquestionably high-end, with beautiful dark oak floors and headboards, intricate furnishings (by the likes of Urquiola, Arne Jacobsen, and Moroso – the latter exclusively available in Perth at Mobilia) against sliding walls and handle-less cupboards, rich fabrics overlay comfortable beds and copper clad accent walls. Panoramic room and suite windows take in the spectacle of the zoo and Tiergarten green space. The overall muted, natural tones and sleek white surfaces are enlivened by the nature references in the contemporary artworks, all from the private collection of one of the hotel’s owners. The subject? Animals – from orangutans to elephants – of course!
Location
The location on the south-western edge of Berlin’s largest park, the Tiergarten, means guests have immediate access to both the vast green space and the historic Berlin Zoo right next door. The gorgeous Landwehr Canal is a short stroll away, as is Charlottenburg (City West) with its multitude of cafés, restaurants, shops and sights.
For The History Buffs
King Friedrich Wilhelm IV donated the first animals for the Zoologischer Garten Berlin in 1844. In 1940, it got a neighbour, the Royal Danish Embassy, as a part of Adolf Hitler’s Germania capital-building project. An embassy until 1978, it then sold to the public housing authority, and today the neo classical landmark by Johann Emil Schaudthas has become the luxury boutique hotel, Das Stue.
It’s the place to stay when you visit Berlin, just please don’t feed the wildlife!
Visit www.das-stue.com or book online via www.designhotels.com