PAO L A N AVO N E
ISSUE 108 MAY 2014
THE DESIGN ISSUE
A high-end hotel finds an inconspicuous home on an Icelandic mountain just miles from a national park. In this column, we ask Ben Pundole, founder of the website A Hotel Life, to pick a new hotel that offers the best of hospitality design today. BY CARREN JAO
The exterior of the Ion Luxury Adventure Hotel.
Once a residence for workers at the nearby creatively throughout the hotel: construction Nesjavellir geothermal power plant, the plywood covers the walls of the restaurant, building that houses the Ion Luxury Ad- pieces of corrugated cardboard serve as lightventure Hotel now exudes sophistication. ing fixtures, and wood from old pallets appears The 46-room hotel, designed by Los An- in custom-designed furniture throughout. geles–based firm Minarc, sits just south of UNESCO-listed Thingvellir National Park. Lobby The site’s rugged beauty inspired the concept for the getaway. “We wanted to reflect na- When guests enter the building, a sight recallture because it’s so beautiful there,” said Erla ing the interplay of lava and ice greets them. A Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, a Minarc co-principal. semi-circle of gray lava rock interlocks with a “We wanted the hotel to be inconspicuous glowing white panel—a white Moxie surface within the landscape.” lit from behind by LEDs—forming the lobby’s Ion sits on the moss-covered slope of Mount reception desk. “It’s a touch of Icelandic nature, Hengill, its northeast-facing end propped up to see this piece that recollects glaciers glowon cement piles. “The landscape drops down ing in the sunlight,” Thorsteinsson says. Large but the building continues,” says co-principal windows present a breathtaking panorama, to Tryggvi Thorsteinsson. Using a prefabricated, be viewed from custom-designed furniture. paneled building system, the firm developed In the lobby restrooms, Minarc stretched a concrete addition that expanded the former recycled tire rubber over concrete panels to housing complex. The seams between the old achieve a muted sheen for the sink counterand new structures were smoothed over with tops and basin. A waterfall-print wallpaper black sheet metal, which mimics the way dark completes the look. lava softens a craggy landscape. Using a sparing palette of concrete, steel, Restaurant, Bar, and Spa wood, and glass, the firm created an environment meant for a sense of simplicity. “We The Silfra restaurant was inspired by the fissure wanted the materials to express themselves,” at Silfra, where the European and American tecIngjaldsdóttir says. Recycled elements are used tonic plates meet just off the Icelandic coast. > SURFACE
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PHOTO: ART GRAY.
Natural Fit
HOTEL
The Ion’s Northern Lights bar features floor-to-ceiling windows. (OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM) The Ion during Aurora Borealis. A 32-foot-long outdoor hot tub underneath the hotel.
Visitors to the eatery are greeted by Minarc- “Instead of layering, putting on more paint, or designed bench seating, which features bright heavy curtains and fabrics, we let materials blue prismatic backing and echoes Silfra’s clear speak for themselves.” In the accommodations, blue waters. exposed concrete blends with wood, and a bent On the other side, windows offering views steel bench doubles as seating and a clothing of the landscape are framed by plywood panels, rack. Generous windows once again bring the which follow the slant of the old inn’s pitched eye outdoors. ceiling. Soft curtains fall in between the panels “The rooms aren’t big, but we designed them and windows. “We modeled this on the water- to have everything you need and nothing you falls of Iceland that flow over steep cliff faces,” don’t,” Thorsteinsson says. Beds made from Ingjaldsdóttir says. recycled materials were placed against a naked The hotel’s most triumphant moment is concrete wall. Douglas fir floors add warmth the bar, where floor-to-ceiling windows open to the interior, while an enlarged image of up a double-height space—ideal for viewing the country’s prized Icelandic pony creates the spectacle of the Northern Lights during a dramatic counterpoint to the view on the seasons when the atmospheric phenomenon other side. occurs. “You can sit up there and feel like you’re outside,” Thorsteinsson says. Wood- BEN PUNDOLE’S TAKE ON THE ION: edged seating and wool poufs create a relaxing setting. Beneath the bar lies the Lava Spa, Equal parts Arctic and exotic, this hotel is just a 33-foot-long naturally heated pool with a steps away from glacier hiking, fishing in icy rivers, soaking in geothermal pools, and all hardwood deck. that other stuff you want to do so you can brag to your friends about how adventurous Rooms you are. As for luxury, Ion is the epitome of a On both sides of the hotel lobby and common calm, serene retreat, with a hot tub overlookspaces are the rooms, designed with a mini- ing the dramatic landscape. It boasts an inmalist hand. “We wanted you to experience credible spa and world-class seafood, caught nature as much as you can,” Ingjaldsdóttir says. from those icy rivers and seas nearby. SURFACE
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PHOTOS: CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT, ART GRAY, RAGNAR TH. SIGURDSSON, ART GRAY.
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