Ellington Hotel Berlin

Berlin, Germany

Photo © Werner Huthmacher

Interior Designers: Reuter Schoger Architektur Innenarchitektur Part mbB

Location: Nürnberger Straße 50-55, 10789 Berlin, Germany
Year: 2007

The monument with the famous façade was built in 1928-32 by the architects Richard Bielenberg and Joseph Moser as an administrative building with commercial space. Called „Femina Palace“ it became famous for many entertainment venues integrated in the building, especially for the „Femina ballroom“. The secret of good hotel design is to invent a location between longing for home and being curious about new experiences. We have restored the exterior façade, largely preserved the interior substance and, where we found no detailed historical design, reformulated the spatial forms and statements. To the qualities of the old we added the vibrant, radiant lightness of white, immaterial looking surfaces which convey a feeling of floating. The presence of all is increased by white „background“. The whiteness is effectively used to target object design. The reception furniture with its free-formed surface of brass and the structural elements answering it are points of identification of the new Ellington hotel. The corridors of the house are long- our bold design makes them endless. The red carpet and the room numbers recessed are also amazingly simple and effective. The majority of the hotel room is small- our spatially nested open design makes it larger. With large indirect light joints we separate the new fitout from the high old rooms. Multifunctional customised furniture animate the guests to try out and to remember.