The Ett Hem Edition

Colin here. There are a few designers in hospitality that stay in my mind. I am obsessed with the work of Ilse Crawford, the British interior and furniture designer. She runs Studioilse which has commissions around the world. Several years ago, she re-did the Cathay Pacific lounges globally, including their flagship, The Pier in Hong Kong. The design was a private, residential feeling, and felt light years away from any other aviation lounge experiences. 

Crawford manages to craft environments with intimacy, and an elevated sense of design (balanced between warm woods, perfect lighting, Vitsoe classics, and objects of her own design). In the case of her lounge work, the resulting effect brings back romance to travel. Having a bowl of Cathay Pacific’s signature noodle dish while sitting in the dining area in the wee hours of the morning felt about as romantic as travel can get.

The entire effect of the remodeled lounges has an elevated effect on the Cathay Pacific brand. They really thought about the end-to-end experience, and as a result, it felt much more premium. 

Why is this interesting? 

One of my other favorite spaces, Ett Hem, has also been a collaboration between Crawford and the property owner Jeanette Mix. The property was recently expanded from an intimate 12-room hotel that was in high demand from hotel obsessives. 

The WSJ breaks down the project: 

The new building, known for now as Number 4 (for its address on the street called Sköldungagatan—the original is Number 2), is sunnier and offers better views than the original, with balconies overlooking a puzzle of rooftops and the pleached crab-apple trees in the hotel garden. Crawford and Mix have filled it with a generous ground-floor kitchen, public and private living rooms, 10 guest rooms and a new Relax (Ett Hem–ese for “spa”), while the third building, Number 6, is being converted into three short-stay apartments slated to be ready this winter. The notion of a flat with access to hotel amenities is foreign to Swedes, Mix says: “I think actually, maybe I will be the first one to do it.” To knit Number 6 together with the other houses, the two women de-signed an airy ground-floor gym open to all hotel guests. 

The magic of the hotel is that there is no “back of house.” Everything happens in the open: guests are served from the residential kitchen, and every member of staff fulfills every function. “We show everything we do,” Mix told the WSJ. It is like staying in a stately friend’s home in Stockholm. There are gardens, cozy fireplaces, and perfectly arranged bookshelves. It is labor of love from Mix and Crawford that draws upon deep and studied observations of what makes hospitality work and adds a dash of Swedish pragmatism but also warmth. For those who have felt that luxury hotels have become an impersonal asset class poised to maximize revenue, this hotel and its approach stand as the perfect antidote: a place that feels welcoming and elevated—a haven. And now, since it is bigger, you might just snag a room. (CJN) 

Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN)

—

Why is this interesting? is a daily email from Noah Brier & Colin Nagy (and friends!) about interesting things. If you’ve enjoyed this edition, please consider forwarding it to a friend. If you’re reading it for the first time, consider subscribing (it’s free!).