Volkshotel in Amsterdam has revealed two new special rooms – Lost & Found and The Businessman’s Trip.
Last summer, ten emerging young architects, designers and other creatives pitched their proposals for a new room design at the hotel, with Volkshotel simply asking them: “If you could create a room for us, with very little restrictions, what would it look like?”
Designers François Duquesnoy and Arno Hoogland were selected to let their ideas loose; one taking inspiration from trash on the streets of Amsterdam and the other exhibiting unique ways of woodwork.
Lost & Found by François Duquesnoy
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Lost & Found gives new life to previously discarded items, with Duquesnoy leaving the design to chance by roaming the streets of Amsterdam looking for furnishings.
The designer let the unanticipated materials inspire him and used them to create unique decorations for the space; the bed, for instance, is made of doors and a coat rack now acts as a lamp. Red, blue and yellow tones throughout are based on the street colours and the found items.
The Businessman’s Trip by Arno Hoogland
A stay in The Businessman’s Trip is one you won’t forget anytime soon. Pretty much every surface in the room has been covered in patterns and textures; guests sleep in a temple bed with views over the Amstel river, where they can marvel at the tiling on the bathtub, which conceals the coat of arms of Amsterdam.
“In my work I like to appeal to the wondrous nature of the user, so that people look at it and think: how was this made?” says Hoogland.
Volkshotel is situated in Amsterdam East and opened its doors in 2014. Besides these two, the property offers five more special rooms with different themes, and 170 others ranging in size from 12-45m2 .
