Design Hotels has opened an 18-room boutique hotel in Reykjavik.
Located on the city’s main avenue, Laugarvegur, the ION City Hotel is housed in a renovated building that retains its original architectural façade, augmented by exterior walls with a motif inspired by traditional Icelandic weaving.
The hotel’s design comes from Minarc, the architecture and design group who also worked on the hotel’s sister property, the Ion Adventure Hotel. Through an experimental process, the design team adhered textured aluminum panels to the hotel’s concrete façade, re-creating an Icelandic sweater pattern in a nod to historical elements. There’s also an extensive outdoor mural from Krístin Morthens, the daughter of celebrated Icelandic artist Tolli Morthens. An inner alleyway and courtyard depicts an abstract expression of an Icelandic landscape.
The interior design is all organic interiors, with clean lines and a palette of gray and white, contrasted by warm-hued wooden floors. Gunmetal grays, fine-grained recycled wood paneled walls, and international design pieces are bathed in light from enlarged windows.
The 18 rooms and suites range from the 20-square-meter classic room to the 75-square-meter panorama suite. While the 20-square-meter standard room and the 26-square-meter deluxe room have window-side sofas, the 30-square-meter junior suite has a balcony with a private sauna.
The 44-square-meter city suite features a French balcony, a private indoor sauna, and a living room with a dining table, while the panorama suite includes an indoor sauna, a powder room with a table and chair, a guest bathroom adjoining the living room, a dining table, and a bar area, with the option of a bartender or chef on request.
The hotel has a North African-themed restaurant, Sumac, which will be helmed by the country’s culinary Olympic team director Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson.