German design duo Mang Mauritz breathe new life into an 18th century manor house in the heart of Bavaria, writes Guy Dittrich.
It’s a guest house; a guest house belonging to the factory next door. But this is not just any old guest house or, indeed, any old factory. The guest house is an 18th century cavalier’s lodge, one of ten Baroque mansions staged along the vast sweep of the Schlossrondell, or grand circle, that looks towards the majesty of Nymphenburg Palace in the western suburbs of Munich. The palace was a favourite summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria, and its Baroque façades stretch some 700 metres – a stunning sight and together with its landscaped gardens make it a popular attraction. The factory meanwhile is that of Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg (PMN), which was established by Elector Max III in 1747 and has been handmaking porcelain of the highest quality ever since.
Bringing things up-to-date, the owners of the porcelain business have transformed the 1760s mansion from a series of event spaces into a private residence over the course of two years. The Residence is being operated by Langham Hospitality in a long-term partnership with PMN. “We see a growing interest in exclusive private residences similar to more demand in private jets and charters where people are seeking more privacy and exclusivity,” explains CEO Stefan Leser of a desire to build the presence of this luxury brand in Europe. The actual delivery of hospitality services will be managed by the team based at The Langham London, with Managing Director Doris Greif responsible for guest experiences. These could include best-in-class chefs, butlers, concierge, housekeepers, chauffeurs or spa therapists for private wellness treatments. A crafting of hospitality experiences that will fit hand-in-glove with the ethos of PMN. An ethos that is realised in the ancient but beautifully maintained ‘manufaktur’ buildings just across the lawn from the Residence.
If this sounds a bit industrial, fear not, because everything really is ‘manu factum’ – or made-by-hand. The scale is small; no mass production here. All machinery functions using belt-powered energy driven by water turbines spun by a fast-running canal leading from the water features of the palace gardens. Totally sustainable, no air or noise pollution. Clay is carefully prepared, plates are spun and figurines are handcrafted, painted and finished with incredible attention to detail by master craftspeople working in bright ateliers. The walk-in kiln is not vast, but its heavy-duty nature is the nearest thing to what most of us think of as manufacturing.
Similarly, the guest house is unlikely to be what most of us think of as a guest house. Instead it is an incredible 900m2 of unique and luxurious experiences created by Munich-based design duo, Thomas Mang and Stefan Mauritz of Mang Mauritz. The ground floor sees mainly shared spaces – lounges, a dining room, kitchen plus a smaller child’s room. The middle floor comprises a more private lounge and three bedrooms, whilst the top floor houses a cinema and a spa area either side of a very large office with a boardroom-style table beneath the substantial beams of the eaves. This is a layout of vast volumes – the ceiling height of the middle floor lounge is around five metres.
“The Residence is a showroom for Nymphenburg Porcelain, yet in a modern context,” says Thomas Mang. All the porcelain objects on display are custom-made and as you can imagine there is huge back-catalogue of tableware and figurines. The Rhinoceros Clara is a design from the 1770s and one of over 700 animal sculptures, many of which have a part to play in the Residence. In the ground floor Ladies Room, all pink blush and sweeping curves, small bird figurines perch in birdcages sourced from Parisian markets. The Gentleman’s Room sees a focus on dogs – a number pose on brass shelving that chimes with the edge surrounds of the Bell Tables from ClassiCon, and a drinks trolley stacked with Lobmeyr glassware. In between these two spaces is the dining room, home to Damien Hirst’s Myth and Legend horse sculptures in a collaboration that began in 2014. There are numerous other modern pieces. Look out for locally-based Konstantin Grcic’s paper bin, or the porcelain tea service made out of what appears to be folded paper by Argentinian designer Ruth Gurvich.
All are created by skilled craftspeople and it was in commissioning and working closely with them that Mang Mauritz really got to have fun. “We selected old and classic designs and transferred them into new items,” explains Mauritz. Bathrooms see a lot of such activity. In one, basins and wall tiles are decorated with colourful Koi carp images whilst in another, butterflies from the Papilio genus similarly take centrestage. Here, a delightful moment sees plates from the company’s tableware collections transformed into decorative pendant lampshades illustrated with the butterfly’s wing pattern. In another bathroom – there are seven in all, with four guestrooms – one of the large bowls from the white Tortoise vase series by American Ted Muehling has been produced as a basin, its faceted exterior cleverly uplit to highlight its unusual form.
Wall tile reliefs are equally downlit to illustrate their intricate detailing. The whole lighting package for the project was put together by Jörg Krewinkel, owner and CEO of Zurich-based Lichtkompetenz, who specified many fittings from Italian manufacturer Viabizzuno. Two aspects are notable – the dropped ceilings that allow indirect lighting and the clever treatment of the deep window recesses that make a welcoming connection with the outside. Krewikel was building on his existing relationship with PMN, for whom he designed the Spilla wall sconce. The stairway sees a series of these, a beautifully subtle geometric interpretation of blossoms, in biscuit porcelain so thin the light shines through and they become art.
Similarly delicate are light features made from translucent matte white biscuit tiles that intrigue with a subtle relief. Only when the light behind is turned on do they spring to life and become black and white images. Such lithophanes are seen in the sauna of the master bedroom as a panorama of nearby Lake Tegernsee, whilst flat, square pendant lamps above Walter Knoll furniture in the boardroom become a montage of wispy summer clouds.
This transformative idea is just one of several themes of Mang Mauritz at the Residence. Others include a connection to nature and texture; a fabulously grand urban park is right outside the door. The view from the main private living room is allowed to shine; the incredible precision of the built-in wall unit opposite is impressive but subtly sits in the background. Additional to the porcelain items, botanical references abound – wallpaper patterns, curtains, shimmering cloudscapes in carpets. Straddling the nature and texture themes are the various motifs of the wall tile installations. Much of the marble used has a leather effect finish just begging to be stroked. More dramatic is the blackened basin surround by Stefan Knopp from Salzburg, created using his own burning technique. On a softer side are the Maribou feather lamps in one of the guestrooms, discovered at A Modern Grand Tour near Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Another leitmotif of Mang Mauritz’s interiors is the sheer quality of everything specified. Beds, handcrafted by Vispring, are made up with Frette linens. Dornbracht brassware complements Toto washlets. Wallpaper is from Cole & Son, textiles from Jim Thompson and Rubelli. Furniture from Donghia and local manufacturer ClassiCon. Sennheiser audio equipment, Samsung Frame TVs and Gaggenau appliances head up the technology roster. All share a luxury ethos in keeping with PMN and the Residence.
The Langham Nymphenburg Residence allows an elite coterie of guests; it is only available to booked out in its entirety, to live the totality of the Nymphenburg ideals. The greatest achievement of Mang Mauritz is to have harmoniously introduced a new modernity to an environment associated with tradition and history. Mang describes it as “a complete world of porcelain.” But it is much more than that. Not overbearing, it is a totally liveable space of crafted luxury, comfort and true indulgence. A great place from which Langham can build.
