Hotel Groot Warnsborn, Arnhem, the Netherlands
Full renovation of one of the historic buildings part of ‘Groot Warnsborn’, an estate uniquely situated on the edge of the Dutch National Park ‘de Hoge Veluwe’. The monumental building kept its function of hotel and restaurant after the renovation. MONK architects was asked to make a design both for the exterior as well as for the interior with inkeeping of its characteristics. The area is considerably enlarged without disturbing the looks by creating a basement under the whole of the building. Three quarters of the existing hotel is rebuild. Despite of the newbuild MONK found a perfect balance between modern use and the classical grandeur of the Estate.
It was a challenging assignment where we had to struggle between budgetary (in)capacities, the preservation of monumental peculiarities and preservation of the ambiance. Furthermore the building had to remain secondary to the unmatchable beauty of the surrounding nature with its age-old trees and wide views.
In both the public areas of the hotel as in the suites we used a lot of recycled teakwood for the interior. The new basement turns out to be the perfect location for wine-tasteries and the pleasant restaurant with its cosy seats makes dining a bliss. Because of the old building with its specific shapes and attics, the hotel suites are in various styles and sizes. One can spend the night in a boxbed or choose for one of the luxury suites with view of the ridge beams. Overall the location determined the design. That is why the new conservatory offers optimum views at the estate and the adjacent nature reserve.
MONK architects has provided a complete design plan for the interior down to the last detail. Most of the furniture is custom made (OudenTeak) and we also made a lighting plan throughout the building. The end result is a building which offers a warm welcome to her guests.
A design which brought new life into hotel Groot Warnsborn.