Storyteller with passion

Out of a shared passion for exceptional hospitality design, Barbara Elwardt and Piotr Wisniewski developed, for example, the cōmodo hotel collection with locations in Bad Gastein and – soon – Berlin. "The hotel in Bad Gastein is our baby. We are well versed in design and construction, but this project has forced us to learn new things about many different areas. There are and have been a lot of people involved, including friends and family. Everyone contributes to this project," Wisniewski says of the special atmosphere of the highly context-inspired project.

Piotr Wisniewski, founder of weStudio, tells us in an interview how the Berlin creative team describes the design principle for the cōmodo, what makes a successful hospitality design and what role the location and history play in it.

Linda Pezzei: In your view, what are the key elements in hospitality design?

Piotr Wisniewski: In architecture, context is crucial. In interior design, I want to impart and invoke a certain feeling. With furniture design, functionality is key. In my opinion, you can’t separate these three things, especially not in hospitality design. And when you combine them, you manage to create a perfect scenography for future guests. We create spaces and furniture which really work. And, through the broad research we undertake, these designs are enriched with a meaningful narrative as well.

You say that you design contextually and with a strong reference to historical and geographical backgrounds – how is this reflected concretely in your projects?

Piotr Wisniewski: We always design in relation to place, examining the historical and geographical background to create a new holistic experience. An example that illustrates this idea is the "Pebble Armchair", which combines the pure of minimalism with the organic simplicity of nature. It is inspired by the pebbles that can be found in nearby mountain streams.

Where do you draw your inspiration from and on which playing fields do you like to experiment the most?

Piotr Wisniewski: The history of the place (Bad Gastein) itself inspired me the most. The hotel is a former spa from the 60s. Instead of trying to whitewash its past, we decided to tell its story. We saw a great opportunity in the hotel's foundations: a spacious lobby connected to the restaurant, generous rooms and an expansive outdoor area. The interior concept is based on a combination of geographical and historical context. I would describe it as an alpine resort design with a 60s nostalgia and elements of a Viennese coffee house.

You also design your own furniture collections for your projects – what is the special attraction here and are they ultimately pieces "that the guests can then also take home"?

Piotr Wisniewski: We designed a furniture collection specifically for each of the hotels. We were inspired by the colours and textures of the local landscape as well as the history of the place, which originally served as a spa in the 1960s. The furniture combines the timelessness of modernist design with a modern touch.

One reason why design-savvy travellers should check into a the cōmodo?

Piotr Wisniewski: The balance between vintage design classics, special pieces and new, combined with contemporary art.

Can you already reveal something about the style of the cōmodo Berlin? When is the opening planned?

Piotr Wisniewski: It will be an eclectic mix of art deco, postmodern and contemporary. We are currently in the design phase and the opening date will be set at a later date. But the idea is to capture the spirit of Berlin and create a multi-layered, exciting spatial narrative for our guests.

In addition to Bad Gastein and Berlin, you have also realised projects in Montenegro and Poland – is there a special story to the respective locations?

Piotr Wisniewski: We approach each project with fresh ideas that we draw from the place and the historical context. We always expect different people, ideas and backgrounds – just as we always rewrite the stories as we work on these projects.

What else can we look forward to in future?

Piotr Wisniewski: We are currently working on several private projects and have some more interesting stories in the pipeline. We are also developing the cōmodo hotel collection further and working on realising our own ideas at the same time!