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Having been stripped back to their bare architectural bones, these designer restoration hotels have their roots in heritage, modernism and heart. Often discovered in an often ruinous state, these salvaged beauties are a testament to the owners' dreams and vision - turning them into a unique genre of cool design dens.
It takes a curatorial eye and a great deal of patience, money and passion for turning a derelict building into your dream hotel. Yet rather than trying to "re-create history", which frankly never really works, these icons have bravely opted for the purest, modernist interior notes. The "look" always comes with a statement of clear design, form, function and calculated simplicity with sleek interior combos of old & modern that are a dramatic and added wow factor of creative discipline.
Medieval rooftops cradle a hidden spa. Goldene Rose in Dinkelsbühl, fuses heritage and wellness with a rooftop infinity pool, saunas and timeless timbered design.
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Once abandoned, now extraordinary. Vocabolo Moscatelli is a restored Umbrian monastery reimagined as a soulful design hotel where architecture, history and hospitality are rooted in stillness, craft and quiet vision.
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Set against the forested Beskydy (Beskids) range in the Carpathian Mountains, this 200-year-old designer hideaway fosters modern Czech country living whilst giving heritage a hug, decked in whites, linens and twisted rafters.
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Set on the River Vils in Amberg, Bavaria, the Bootshaus reunites five historic buildings dating to 1250 into a refined riverside hotel shaped by patience and architectural restraint.
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As the property neared finishing, Fabio took the decision to keep the garden wild and naturally indigenous – where the boundaries between garden and rural countryside were blurred.
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Created within a former Augustinian cloister and chapel, Hotel August in the Flemish city of Antwerp was designed by one of Belgium's most acclaimed architects, interior designers, and product designers, Vincent Van Duysen.
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Raw architecture, rusticity and a gallery of textured heritage narrate this design hotel outpost from its façade of dandy red shutters to the tales of twisted loft rafters and atmospheric exposed history.
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John Voigtmann swapped rockstars for Renaissance, reviving a 500-year-old convent into La Bandita Townhouse – boutique luxury, Tuscan feasts, and courtyard aperitivos in Pienza’s UNESCO-stamped soul.
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Taking their cues from the pomegranate tree fresco, you’ll find accents of sage-green, terracotta and ochre scattered on cushions – the only colour against a sea of grey, black and beige.
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Birch and smoked oak hug the thick walls and capture the house’s DNA from the days as a farmhouse barn. Once a resplendent Renaissance home to the Bishop and favoured lodgings for the merchant traders heading along the Romanesque Via Claudia Augusta.
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A beautiful narrative of restoration and design, this riverside perch of style sits in the heartland of historic Amberg, its aged facade plays host to a seductive remit of subtle design and crafted interiors overlooking the river Vils.
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The Hirschen, 'Young since 1755,' blends heritage, wellness, art, and culture into a stylish retreat. A cosy haven for modern nomads craving roots, history, and unforgettable vibes.
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Nestled in Sicily’s wild farmlands, Susafa blends sustainable luxury with rustic charm. Indulge in organic farm-to-table dining and immersive experiences—where heritage meets eco-conscious living and design for an unforgettable escape.
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is where design, history, and soul collide making it a rare private-hire house in Alentejo. Inside, postmodernist pieces beautifully marry with Portuguese heritage, vintage glamour and artistic rebellion.
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Unapologetically vivid, this preferred pad of intellect and creativity is awash in Art Nouveau flamboyance tamed with clever 1950s-inspired design interventions. A stylishly cool home of the arts, brushed with boldness.
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Are we insane? Welcome to a gallery of brick ruins and love stories, and pleasingly, it has nothing to do with Valentine’s.
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A fabulously humble basecamp of good design for kindreds of style, Brücke 49 is a collection of rooms, suites, studios and apartments in the high-in-the-mountains creative enclave, Vals.
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Built into the original Medieval town walls of Hall, this former guilders’ house of traditional Tirol style has stood here for well over half a century with records dating back to 1450. Today, behind the rose petal façade, lies the small Kontor Boutiquehotel.
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This reclusive stopover will give you reason to pause and take in the stillness of your environment while revelling in the perfectly blended alchemy of Scottish and Scandinavian style.
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A cradle of the arts and style where twisted beams and heritage-thick walls flank a contemporary curatorial scene at this historic coaching inn and foodie haunt since 1350.
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A Flemish icon redefined – Hotel Julien is Antwerp’s creative townhouse bolthole, where design, heritage and mood collide in the city’s historic core. Intimate scale, rooftop views and total style.
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A tiny weathered Scottish farmhouse plays host to Scandinavian contemporary design and Scottish crafted pieces from the Highlands - an irresistible combo of old and new, heritage meets the design - affectionately known as the 'Scandi-Scot'.
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Bijou refuges crafted deep in the countryside or clinging to the wild coastline, these hideaways bring style to their natural location.
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We love finding a patch of really good design production, architecture and style. When executed well, it's like walking into a fantastic novel.
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Peer into the treasure pot of one-off brands, rarity and inherited blueprints - each throwing a punch at blandness as the incubators of curiosity, originality and legacy.
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Get clued up on our natural ALPINE TRAVEL EDIT - cool dens and mountain porn pair with living with heart, this is the Alps as we love it.
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Get the insider news and lowdown on what we've been up to, where we've been, and who we've met along the way. Be the first to discover new places and get the scoop on our favourites.