Das Stue, which is Danish for ‘living room’, has been designed as a place for the established, and not just the emerging, to meet in an intimate setting. It opened its doors in December.

“Think of Cary Grant, bar culture, real gentleman and ladies, cultivated conversations,” said General Manager Jean-Paul Dantil. “It’s a celebration of socialising.”

The 80-room hotel, backed by three anonymous investor families from Spain and Panama, consists of an historical portion and a new addition by Potsdam-based Axthelm Architects. Interior designer Patricia Urquiola transformed the property’s public areas.

A landmarked 1930s structure, Das Stue features a stately, slightly curved grey stone façade. Inside, an overhead wave of hundreds of tiny lights draws guests into an entrance hall flanked by two sweeping staircases.

Behind the entrance a long sight line creates a dramatic axis through the hotel, leading to a concierge and reception area before opening up into the hotel’s modern addition.

The lounge, bar and outdoor terrace – which provides private access to the Berlin Zoo – feature an experimental use of colour, texture, and materials. Leather animals in the shape of rhinos, hippos and buffalos humorously refer to the zoo, and a trapezoidal bar has already become one of Berlin’s most elegant meeting points.

“This hotel is luxurious, but it’s not just luxe,” says Urquiola. “It simply has something you don’t see at first look. It runs deeper. I like to call it augmented reality.”

The property’s two restaurants each feature the creative cuisine of Michelin-starred Spanish chef Paco Perez. While an installation of Tom Dixon’s copper hanging lamps and copper kettles catches the eye in Mediterranean eatery 5, the second restaurant is a sharply triangular space, featuring slatted walls and skylights to frame a more casual, all-day dining experience with a soft glow.

Urquiola’s aesthetic carries through Das Stue’s interstitial spaces, including the three-level library in the front building. The designer also helped curate the vintage fashion photography on view throughout the buildings – all coming from the private collection of one of the hotel’s owners. Additional highlights include the pool, sauna and spa, with treatments by wellness newcomer Susanne Kaufmann.

The guest rooms and suites were designed by Spanish firm LVG Arquitectura s.l.p. Furnishings are bespoke and many of the rooms feature sliding walls for extra privacy or a more expansive atmosphere. The old building’s attic-level rooms enjoy oversize terraces with sweeping views of the Tiergarten Park.

“Berlin is, at last, ready for this kind of hotel,” says Dantil. “Das Stue offers an atmosphere in which people can meet socially, formally, or intimately. It’s a place that combines Berlin’s old spirit with an international sophistication – a stage that Cary Grant would have loved.”

www.das-stue.com