The Garden of Eden

In addition to an outdoor pool that can be accessed from inside, a shallow children’s pool and cosy new relaxation rooms, the Heaven Spa also offers a light-filled yoga studio with direct access to the garden.

MM: “It was important to us to be able to give our guests more space for relaxation while remaining true to our principles, so the new Heaven Spa has been carefully set into the landscape. We wanted to keep any interference with nature to a minimum. Some of the roofs and walls are planted, geothermal energy ensures a sustainable sense of well-being, and large expanses of glass allow in the light and the landscape. The view from the new wellness spaces of the Steinernes Meer is fantastic. And the new sauna building also provides unobstructed views – our goal was to refine the view, to focus on the essentials, as it were.”

The icing on the cake – in the truest sense of the words –of the new spaces is the restaurant that’s also open to external guests, located on the upper floor. The restaurant, with its open kitchen and large terrace, is affectionately known as the Bistro, and offers exquisite cuisine with a focus on sustainability and an informal atmosphere at lunch and dinner.

When it comes to clear design language, beauty lies in the simplicity and purity of forms. It’s about removing unnecessary elements and focusing on the essence of the design. Here, less is certainly more. Rather than using a plethora of colours and patterns, designs tend towards clean lines and spaces so as to draw the eye towards the key components. Calmness and order set in and the observer is able to concentrate on the beauty of simplicity. Anything superfluous is eliminated and functionality is placed front and centre. Clarity prevails, and distractions are avoided. As a result, it’s a case of ensuring that clarity doesn’t equate to boring or simple, but rather a question of balance of form and function. Various forms can be found at the Geba rug gallery, clear design is the norm at 13&9 Design, and we create clarity at home thanks to lamps from Creative Industries Styria.

Buna Table Lamp From Mexico

Designer: bandido studio, € 258

Avo Ceiling Light From Austria

Designer: Johannes Scherr Design, € 298

The juxtaposition of wood and glass is what lends the Avo lights their unique charm. Avo boasts a simple yet classic spherical shape and is a subtle combination of two materials: wood for stability, and glass for brightness. The complicated manufacturing process requires a high degree of skill on the part of the woodturners and glass blowers. The base of the Avo is made up of lots of small pieces of solid wood that have been glued together to form a cube. The semi-transparent glass sphere protects the light bulb and is housed in a glass form with a conical indent. The lampshade features a specially designed, complex shape, in which the glass is mouthblown and intricately worked. It is available in oak or beech, finished with oil, and can be used as a ceiling, table or floor lamp.

The name of the Buna Table Lamp was inspired by the buna shimeji mushroom. Mushrooms can be found in a variety of ecosystems in Mexico, which is why Mexican design company Bandido Studio has long been working with a number of species of mushroom. Similar to a lamp, which also comes in lots of shapes and spreads light, the main function of a mushroom is to spread its spores. The final design of the lamp is the result of many observations and experiments, and imitates the soft, rounded proportions of the buna shimeji. The lamp provides living spaces with subtle and soft illumination.

Milkyway Garden Lamp From Turkey

Designer: Anıl Tontuş and Limay Türkkan, € 310

Milkyway is a smart light made from an aluminium alloy with an LED primary light source. This is complemented by an RGB LED strip around the upper part, which allows the ambient light to be configured in various colour combinations. The designers were inspired by the stars and constellations in the sky and tried to emulate the Milky Way – a unique natural source of light. The aim was to create an object that is both useful and pleasing to the eye. It is also a perfect technical lighting solution for outside spaces. It is available in a range of colour temperatures and has a wide beam angle for increased scattering and illumination. The main body is made up of a small number of parts that are all connected by sophisticated yet simple details. Milkyway is a sustainable and environmentally friendly product thanks to the use of smart materials and well-designed manufacturing processes.

Lights don’t just add brightness to a room, they also bring freshness and transparency, depending on the design. In this issue, Creative Industries Styria presents three different lights from three vastly different regions that will make our homes somewhat clearer in an instant.