The Mandarin Oriental Vienna brings collectively two worlds – the famend worldwide model’s world-class, luxurious hospitality, and the Austrian capital’s explicit majestic aptitude – full with a landmark Secession constructing, proper within the coronary heart of the town. The brand new, high-end resort just lately opened its doorways, located a stone’s throw from Vienna’s lusciously Gothic St Stephen’s Cathedral. Occupying a beneficiant and good-looking former courthouse constructing initially opened in 1908, the brand new Mandarin Oriental Vienna has given its historic dwelling a brand new lease of life via a redesign by inside designers Goddard Littlefair.
(Picture credit score: Mel Yates)
The brand new resort brings the whole lot the Mandarin Oriental model is thought to face for: skilled, quick and discreet service, timeless luxurious and complex design. The Vienna venue consists of 138 rooms, and the inside, each within the personal and communal areas, is accentuated by rigorously chosen artwork and bespoke furnishings, which elevates the entire. Nothing feels generic, and nothing repeats itself from different Mandarin Oriental outposts – other than the model’s signature fan emblem, which has delight of place right here within the type of a specifically commissioned art work within the reception space.
Wallpaper* checks in on the Mandarin Oriental, Vienna
What’s in your doorstep?
Set proper within the coronary heart of Vienna, the Mandarin Oriental ensures that visitors can discover the fitting steadiness of native buzz and quiet retreat. Situated within the coronary heart of the capital, but on a quiet avenue on the sting of the historic city and primary buying district, the resort is a brief stroll from many key Vienna monuments and vacationer locations. You’ll be able to get pleasure from drinks on the modernist environs of the Loos Bar, go to the close by State Opera Home, or take a look at the artwork exhibits on the Albertina. In the meantime, no go to to Vienna is full with out paying a go to to the Hofburg Palace, the previous primary imperial dwelling of Austria’s legendary Habsburg dynasty. All the pieces is inside strolling distance and comfortably achieved, even within the freezing Austrian winter.
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental)
Who’s behind the design?
The courthouse constructing that beforehand occupied the block now housing the Mandarin Oriental Vienna was initially designed by Austrian architect Alfred Keller in the beginning of the twentieth century. Quirky and expressive, but on the identical time box-shaped and affording the grand model sometimes present in central European capitals, the construction was stuffed with bespoke adornments and persona, responding to the Secession model that was flourishing in Vienna on the time.
(Picture credit score: Mel Yates)
London-based inside design studio Goddard Littlefair was employed to not solely carry the constructing to the twenty first century and alter its use, but in addition lead a delicate restoration of lots of its listed parts. Studio co-founder Jo Littlefair explains: ‘Historic buildings have a pure pull for us. What excited us most was uncovering the story of the structure by Alfred Keller and the interval it was in-built. That narrative grew to become the driving power for the design, much more so than the model on the outset. The problem, after all, was discovering the fitting steadiness: respecting the constructing’s heritage whereas permitting it to evolve into one thing that feels alive and related at this time.’
(Picture credit score: Jack Hardy)
Co-founder Martin Goddard provides: ‘Working with a landmark like this turns into a journey with the shopper and on this case, it was a really private collaboration, pushed by shared ardour on either side. The largest problem was the bodily actuality of adapting a constructing that was by no means designed to be a resort. Service routes, back-of-house areas, circulation, all of these sensible parts required cautious compromise. It’s a must to work extremely laborious to make it perform seamlessly with out shedding the character of the unique structure. That rigidity between preservation and transformation is what in the end makes initiatives like this so rewarding.’
The room to guide
Rooms on the Mandarin Oriental Vienna vary from the intense and comfy superior room to the beneficiant suites, bigger than many residences: a two-bedroom royal suite can be out there in case you are so inclined. All function a chic palette primarily based on muted colors and black and white marbles, with color accents introduced in via the artwork on show. The furnishings is tailored to every room, and there’s a vary of useful facilities that underscore the prevailing sense of luxurious, together with yoga mats for exercising and kimono-style robes for lounging.
Littlefair says: ‘We all the time begin by occupied with the individuals who hunt down Mandarin Oriental – they’re true connoisseurs of journey. They perceive high quality instinctively and are on the lookout for a way of exploration paired with sophistication. Translating that into design means paying shut consideration to materiality, craftsmanship and the smallest touchpoints, as a result of that’s the place luxurious is actually felt. Figuring out how folks dwell and journey at this time permits us to design areas that really feel intuitive, beneficiant and deeply snug, with out ever being ostentatious.’
(Picture credit score: Jack Hardy)
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental)
For a protracted weekend, guide the Deluxe Suite for its finely balanced dimension (not too huge, not too small) and avenue website views. The lavatory and walk-in wardrobe space circulate collectively seamlessly if all inside doorways are open, whereas sensible partitions enable numerous areas to be sectioned off, for discretion and luxury when wanted, making it punch method above its weight.
For Goddard, the Premier Suite is a favorite: ‘It’s the visitor room that finest captures what we had been aiming for, it appears like a Viennese residence relatively than a resort suite. The structure works superbly, it’s purposeful however relaxed, and it has that ‘comfy-cool’ high quality the place you genuinely really feel like you can dwell there.’
(Picture credit score: Mel Yates)
Staying for drinks and dinner?
Housed within the massive constructing’s coated central courtyard and bathed in gentle from the glass roof above, the Mandarin Oriental Vienna’s meals and beverage providing is various but cleverly compact. Sharing the identical, massive house, the resort supplies 4 completely different culinary locations for its visitors – and past, as all eating places are open to exterior guests too. Le Sept is the venue’s high-quality eating expertise, positioned on the far finish of the location and may be separated with movable partitions from the remainder of the eating corridor if required.
(Picture credit score: Jack Hardy)
The versatile Atelier 7 Brasserie is the versatile all-day eating bistro, with a speciality in seafood; whereas Atelier 7 The Café and Atelier 7 Izakaya & Bar are the resort’s café and bar, respectively. Head to the Brasserie for probably the most delicate scallops or a butter-soft octopus dish (a seafood tower can be on supply, for those who’re hungry) – or keep on the cafe for a number of the scrumptious and meticulously designed desserts Vienna is legendary for.
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental)
The place to modify off
The Mandarin Oriental Vienna’s decrease floor is devoted to well being, train and rest, housing the health club (full with state-of-the-art Technogym gear), spa and pool. Past the remedy rooms (a muscle restoration therapeutic massage is a should to shake off that flight), the spa features a sauna and steam room. Devoted household hours on the swimming pool ensures the resort is little one pleasant and everyone seems to be catered for.
(Picture credit score: Mel Yates)
The decision
There’s not a lot you may want when staying on the Mandarin Oriental Vienna. Versatile culinary choices, superbly designed, massive rooms, rest remedies, and a well mannered and caring employees make up for a profitable mixture inside a quiet nook of the town centre. The structure elevates the entire, and it’s evident proper out of your first encounter with the model on the entrance foyer’s strikingly elaborate glass chandelier (which was impressed by champagne bubbles) and the adjoining reception lounge.
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental)
Littlefair says: ‘The reception space is my favorite. It’s the nook hub of the resort and the purpose the place the visible storytelling actually comes collectively. The extent of element there, significantly the embroidered art work behind the reception desk, is a quiet acknowledgement of workmanship, and it feels extremely satisfying to see it realised precisely as we imagined.’
Mandarin Oriental, Vienna is positioned at Riemergasse 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Supply: Wallpaper
