CASA CAMPER BERLIN

An unusual hotel concept.

Berlín (Germany)
27 May 2010

Company: Camper

After opening the first Casa Camper hotel in Barcelona in 2005, trendy Spanish footwear label Camper is – after four years' work on the project – set to open a second eponymous hotel in the Mitte district of central Berlin, a vibrant area buzzing with life and bursting with avant-garde art. The hotel, which occupies a new-build, is a project undertaken by architect Jordi Tió, and Fernando Amat, owner of the Barcelona design shop Vinçon, as interior architect. The seven-storey hotel has 51 rooms. At the top is a space called Tentempié, which has spectacular views of the city. The hotel also accommodates the restaurant Dos Palillos, which is masterminded by the chef Albert Raurich, who oversaw the kitchen at legendary restaurant El Bulli, near Rosas on the Costa Brava, for 11 years.
Casa Camper is an unusual hotel concept which successfully communicates the values of the Spanish footwear brand Camper to the rest of the catering industry. Its design hinges on the idea of understated luxury as well as on sustainability, and aims to inspire its clients to share these positive values. All clients are treated like guests and everything is thought out so that they feel totally at home.

In Berlin, Camper wanted to create a building that, in its eyes, would have a very Berlin feel. During the day, the building looks metallic – the whole façade is grey save for a small red logo on one corner. Zinc cladding – a material traditionally used a lot in Germany - gives it this monochrome appearance. At night, with its windows illuminating the large numbers labelling each bedroom, the interiors resemble a hotel all the more.
A great deal of attention has been paid to every detail of the interiors, which include pieces made by Spanish companies, such as Quim Larrea’s Boomerang Chill chair manufactured by Sancal and the Tina light by Marset, which, along with a map of Berlin, graces each room. In the bathrooms, meanwhile, are Amat’s well-known Jamaica stools.
The Tentempié restaurant is furnished with Lievore Altherr Molina’s Aero bench for Sellex and Andreu World’s Sit chairs, while all the rugs are from Nani Marquina. This area is for exclusive use by guests only and the bar area more than stands in for the mini bars in the rooms. Guests here can have a drink or eat a salad at whatever time of the day without having to worry about what time it is or about bills or tips.

The restaurant interior has been designed by France’s hotshot designers, the Bouroullec brothers. Here, in an almost theatrical setting with a huge wooden bar, guests can sample Asian tapas.

Camper, which has been making footwear for over a century, is a family business based in Mallorca, in Spain. Camper’s philosophy is that luxury can also be found in simplicity, discretion, authenticity and a healthy lifestyle.