Dezeen Magazine

Hotel Sanders by Lind + Almond revives "old-world, glamorous side of travel"

Interior designer Pernille Lind and architect Richy Almond describe their design for Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen, which has been named best new hotel in Europe, in this movie Dezeen produced for the AHEAD awards.

Hotel Sanders, which opened last November in Copenhagen's historic centre, won the Hotel of the Year prize at the AHEAD Europe awards in London on Monday. It also topped the Renovation and Restoration category.

Design studio Lind + Almond, which is led by Danish interior designer Lind and British architect Almond, overhauled a dilapidated 90-room three-star hotel in Copenhagen's historic quarter to create the luxury 54-room Hotel Sanders.

A suite at Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen, designed by Lind + Almond
Hotel Sanders Copenhagen is a 54-room hotel in the city's historic quarter

"The site was in a state of serious disrepair" says Almond in the video, which was filmed by Dezeen at Lind + Almond's studio in London. "We went in and took everything out except for the walls."

According to the duo, the hotel is designed to inspire feelings of comfort and nostalgia in its guests.

A guestroom at Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen, designed by Lind + Almond
The interiors of Hotel Sanders were created by interior designer Pernille Lind and architect Richy Almond, and include 54 rooms

"Sanders is a home away from home," explains Lind. "We wanted the customer to feel extremely relaxed, but also to see details that reference many different eras."

By including a wealth of details from the past, the pair sought to create opportunities to remind guests of their own childhoods.

"They may see a pattern or print that they'd seen in their grandmother's home," Lind says. "In that sense they feel at home through reference."

Sanders Kitchen, a deli-cafe at Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen, designed by Lind + Almond
Lind and Almond said they wanted to create an immersive guest experience, with spaces including a tiled cafe and a relaxed lounge space

Almond says that the mixture of atmospheres offered by the hotel's different spaces, including a late-night cocktail bar, a tiled cafe, a verdant rooftop and a relaxed lounge space, amounts to an immersive guest experience.

"When you combine all of these experiences together, plus the guest rooms, that builds enough depth into the experience that it does really immerse the traveller," he says.

Tata, the cocktail bar at Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen, designed by Lind + Almond
A late-night cocktail bar also features. The designers' aim was to revive the "old-world, glamorous side of travel"

The 54 guest rooms have each been fitted with a selection of warmly hued vintage furniture, ensuring that no two rooms are quite the same.

"The rooms in themselves are very simple," says Lind. "They are curated with objects and books and specially sourced antiques."

"We have orangey, warm tones. If you find a vintage piece, it will have this warm, cognac-y colour."

The facade of Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen, designed by Lind + Almond
Hotel Sanders is a renovation of a run-down, three-star hotel

According to Almond, the hotel is an attempt to revive the atmosphere of prestige associated with international travel in the past.

"Sometimes the old-world, glamorous side of travel is suppressed and overlooked," he claims. "We are trying to bring back a bit of that, to offer that experience and make sure it doesn't die out."

This movie was filmed by Dezeen in London for AHEAD. All images used in the movie and this story are courtesy of Lind + Almond.

More images

Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen by Lind + Almond
Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen by Lind + Almond
Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen by Lind + Almond
Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen by Lind + Almond