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Ever wonder how your hotel of choice came to be? We shine a light on the starter point, the raw ruin or crumbling beauty to show you how it all began, with props to the dedicated dreamers who bring them back to life.
Whilst most people wisely steer clear of a crumbling abandoned building, others, thankfully, are drawn to them like a bee to nectar and instantly fall in love - for they can see a future and a purpose. Hospitality has long been the saviour of many a derelict country pile, an unloved former town hall, an ivy-clad monastery, or just a noble house that lost its residing family.
From decay to beauty, these are the hotels inspired by love, design and creativity. Below we tease you with some of the pre-creation photos, naked in the raw state; we begin the tales of restoration from the bare architectural bones of a ruinous state to what are today fabulous hotels, guesthouses and love nests of heritage, style and design.
Bookmark your next trip away in one of these aged beauties.
If you crave a sense of what the real Mallorca is all about - then this place is for you - wrapped in twisted olive trees and citrus groves, expect a clever remake of monastic solace smothered in contemporary design and modern luxury.
This hotel sanctum of aesthetic cool in Arco near Lake Garda sits harmoniously alongside an inhabited nuns’ cloister – testament to both of their calm demeanours despite offering a widely different scale of accommodation.
And even more calm and at ease are Monastero Arx Vivendi owners Steffi and Manuel, who talked to us at The Aficionados about their astonishing restoration project and the gorgeous hotel they’ve created.
Renovations complete, it was time for Thomas and Ruth to add their own mark – a clean and simple aesthetic which merged Scandinavian design with Swiss charm, using a less-is-more objective without being afraid to choose classic design pieces as seen in the use of Danish furniture and iconic objects collected by Ruth. The overall result is one of crafted comfort and homeliness, which comes from conscious design.
A restoration den of raw genius – a weathered Tuscan house close to Montefollonico that has been allowed to expose her weathered elements, complemented with chic salvaged interiors.
Gail and Miles Curley know the power of their greenery-filled outdoor setting in the urban hub of Lisbon. In fact, it was the garden that they first fell in love with – a wild untamed space that they knew would translate as chilled, all-natural exclusivity in a buzzy city that never sleeps.
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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Anchored to specific genres of hotel design, The Aficionados print editions: Farmhouse Fabulous, Casa Gorgeous, Blueprint Beauts, Neu Heritage and Alchemists of Italy take the reader through the creation narratives. A sourcebook for hoteliers, travellers, style aficionados and those who appreciate design.
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Set up in the 1980s, by Drummond Shaw, the company began as a vintage salvage company, restoring old rolltop baths to a characterful beauty, perfect for upmarket interiors and of course, indulgent deep soaks.
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Built as an ‘alqueria’ (an Arabic farmhouse) in the 12th century during Mallorca’s Arab rule, which then became a Jesuit monastery in the 18th century, the house and grounds were in ruins; the estate utterly overgrown.
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Ruth’s original manifesto to listen to what the house wanted to be has served her well. Reinvented for the curious traveller, Brücke 49 has been welcoming guests for nearly a decade.
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The master of reductive design, Belgium architect and interior designer Vincent Van Duysen is a behemoth legend of pared-back aesthetic and minimalist style over a spectrum of design disciplines, including furniture, textiles, and lighting.
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Reducing a 50 bedroom hotel to just seven suites has a distinctive design logic of architect and designer Martin Gruber - a structural genius who narrates a closeness to Alpine nature.
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It's not often that architecture, urban planning, current affairs, culture and business converge - CEOs, thought leaders, creatives, and editors make this networking event perfect for those who like to take a seat on the front row of tomorrow.
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A city of effortless cool & pioneering Scandi design Copenhagen has long been at the heart of the world’s ceramics stage, from practical to the performative.
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Zaha Hadid Architect's coastal Salerno Maritime Terminal in Cilento, Italy carries her hallmark curves inspired by oysters and the waves, a coastal landmark.
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Behind some of Scotland's landmark conservation and restoration projects including the award-winning Kyle House, Hotel Lundies and Killiehuntly Farmhouse in the Highlands.
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The Pavilion Le Corbusier located in Zurich pays homage to an architect who was the forerunner of urban design, a pioneer of sustainability, and a leader of modernism.
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