Our first full hotel com­mis­sion, Faern Arosa Altein. Set in the snow-clad mountains of Switzerland, the team has worked with Faern to redesign the pic­turesque 126-key hotel. We restored the entrance lobby, concierge desk and breakfast buffet, and designed all of its bars, restau­rants, common areas and breakout spaces. These include the half-board restau­rant, Zus Brasserie, a cosy library cocktail bar, Alchemilla Parlour, as well as the property’s signature Alpensand Panoramic Social Club, a panoramic restau­rant and bar located on the fifth floor. The building’s extensive refur­bish­ment included full ren­o­va­tion of the guest bedrooms and suites, as well as a range of communal areas such as a cinema, games room, kids playroom, and meeting space.

The interiors palette is grounded in alpine neutrals, forest greens, burnt rusts, and golden sun ochres, warmed with char­ac­ter­ful timber furniture and joinery. Tabletops feature light and dark terrazzo stones and berry-red marble swirls. The tailored joinery is softened by fluted ban­quettes and sofa-height dining set-ups, acces­sorised with rustic ceramics and scattered Slim Aarons artwork, a nod to the retro village of Arosa.

Standing on a hillside within the beautiful national park resort of Arosa, the hotel is the brain­child of Faern Resorts, a col­lec­tion of resorts in the Swiss Alps dedicated to creating high altitude living wellness des­ti­na­tions, with inno­v­a­tive food and beverage concepts in some of the most loved  Swiss mountain resorts.

Designed as a sociable haven for guests returning from a busy day on the mountain, the con­tem­po­rary alpine interiors feature tactile uphol­stery, sheep­skins and cosy woollen armchairs. Tailored mesh panels, ribbed glass column lights and antique brass fittings add an urban twist to the hotel’s modern charm.

A Wes Anderson-inspired wooden reception desk nods to the hotel’s heritage and com­ple­ments the stunning archi­tec­tur­al arches within the cosy-chic lounge-lobby hotel foyer. A sweeping dusky marble staircase encour­ages guests down to explore the hotel’s Zus Brasserie and inviting cocktail bar, Alchemilla Parlour.

The hotel has several distinct spaces for both dining and drinking, including the stucco-ceiling Grand Dining Room Zus Brasserie. Surrounded by large windows, this spacious room provides exquisite mountain and village views. The space is utilised to serve healthy and hearty break­fasts ahead of a day’s skiing, and upon nightfall trans­forms into a sophis­ti­cat­ed restau­rant offering candle-lit dinners for half-board guests. Zus Brasserie also offers a wide selection of wines nestled in the softly lit, arched timber and mesh wine cabinet. The nature-inspired materials palette features warm and organic, rich timbers, bouclé and wool uphol­stery fluted banquette sofas in forest greens, berry reds and bark browns, and struc­tured dining chairs in angled forms and Deco-inspired curves. These are given a con­tem­po­rary twist with graphic art and mirrors suspended from ironwork rails that reflect the stunning views beyond.

“The hotel is deeply atmos­pher­ic and steeped in history. We felt priv­i­leged to fashion its next chapter. Working closely with Faern Resorts CEO Romain Semmel, we developed our interior concept to honour its heritage, whilst also creating a fresh lifestyle escape for the next gen­er­a­tion, chan­nelling the spirit of chic mil­len­ni­al high-altitude living.”

Anna Burles, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Run For The Hills

The Rustic Buffet adjoins Zus Brasserie, offering plentiful self-serve cuisine under a statement dec­o­ra­tive tree that cel­e­brates the full height of the beautiful arched space, framed by the swirling marble staircase.

The hotel’s buzzy après ski rooftop restau­rant & bar, Alpensand Panoramic Restaurant & Social Club, boasts breath­tak­ing views of the Swiss Alps; sun-drenched by day, twinkling clear views by night. Offering an all-day à la carte menu, the light-filled indoor drinks-and-dining space extends out onto a mag­nif­i­cent balcony with unin­ter­rupt­ed views of the valley and village. The perfect spot to enjoy a refresh­ment in the sun, and an unri­valled location for après-ski sundown aperitifs and winter warmer cocktails. Alpensand channels 1970s decor, updated with alpine-inspired wall­pa­pers from, cosy uphol­stery and a vintage col­lec­tion of tongue-in-cheek mountain resort artworks by Slim Aarons. These are paired with cushy velvet sofas and deep, com­fort­able armchairs to provide a great spot to socialise and relax with friends. The bar is designed to host après ski DJ sets to accompany the exquisite cocktails, craft beers, sharing platters, artisan pastries and warming drinks. This space is open to guests and non-residents alike.

Alchemilla Parlour Bar, the hotel’s lower ground level social lounge set within the historic panelled Library Room, provides evening drinks, inventive cocktails and small plates for guests and locals. A beckoning, sumptuous space with richly uphol­stered cocktail armchairs, black veined stone drinks tables and group nook sofas, Alchemilla is the perfect spot for retiring after dinner. In keeping with Faern’s spirit of joyful cel­e­bra­tion, cre­ativ­i­ty and playful rebellion, the art is full of per­son­al­i­ty, chan­nelling the spirited style of 1970s alpine fashion pho­tog­ra­phy and surreal collage.

The hotel’s bedrooms offer a mix of comfort singles, doubles and larger deluxe corner suites for groups and families. Many have spacious balconies, with unin­ter­rupt­ed views over the valley and rooftops of Arosa. Inside, our guest room design concept is unashamed­ly boutique-inspired. The soft curves of the custom head­boards and con­tem­po­rary joinery styles are punc­tu­at­ed with char­ac­ter­ful lamps. The rooms are infused with alpine zig-zag textiles on the armchairs which are paired with statement Swiss green cross woollen bed blankets for extra warmth and cosiness. With the suites filled with retro mountain pho­tog­ra­phy, including some from the Slim Aarons vintage col­lec­tion. The bathrooms are con­tem­po­rary chic, featuring black framed showers and brassware, washstand basin and terrazzo floors. The dec­o­ra­tive palette is organic and rich, with a mix of timbers, woven panelling and rich clay paint colours creating a warm, elegant atmos­phere. The final palette speaks to the hotel’s setting; timeless tones from nature are accented by textural uphol­stery and sheepskin balcony seating to create a layered, modern mountain style.

“We created a design language for guest rooms of differing sizes and a suite of joinery designs which could flex for the varying styles and ori­en­ta­tions of rooms. Bed sizes and storage solutions may vary, but we looked to connect them with signature features and maximum guest comfort touches, to make each room a relaxing retreat”

Michael Smith, Associate Creative Director, Run For The Hills

During the winter season (December to April), guests have access to  heated boot racks in the ski room, with close access to the main lifts and an expansive ski and snow­board­ing area with sledging, snow­shoe­ing and cross-country trails for those who don’t ski. In summer (June to October), Arosa is home to  numerous lakes, pic­turesque hiking routes, mountain biking, para­chut­ing for adren­a­line junkies, and superb golfing expe­ri­ences.  Guests can play tennis on the two outdoor courts or take a dip in the outdoor pool. The hotel also offers breakout spaces, toddler and teenage games rooms, meeting spaces and a cinema room.

The hotel also boasts the town’s largest spa des­ti­na­tion, with pools, water jets, steam and sauna as well as pampering treat­ments for after a busy day on the slopes.