After 8 years of planning and construction, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter has finished 14 Nordic-style cabins for Breitenbach Landscape Hotel, a property in Breitenbach, France. The cabins are inspired by Scandinavian architecture, specifically traditional hytte retreats, which are used to reconnect with nature.
Built on stilts to keep environmental disturbances to a minimum, each cabin is designed to fit into multiple settings and be easily moved to different locations, leaving the landscape unaffected. As of now, they sit on a tree-shaded hillside surrounded by native forests and are organized in a sloping pattern to provide optimal privacy for guests.
Related: Norwegian-inspired timber cabins unveiled for a landscape hotel in France
Apart from glass openings, the cabins are made almost entirely out of untreated and locally sourced chestnut. The project utilized four chestnut trees cut from the opposite side of the hotel just 500 meters from the building site. The team planted upward of 1,000 shrubs on the property following construction.
The cabins come in four separate designs, each style grouped together on a single level of the hill. The “Grass” hytte with its lovely outdoor deck is located near the main building and farm-to-table restaurant. The “Tree” and “Ivy” models have a thinner design with slatted windows and framed views in the center, while the “Fjell” hytte sits on top of the hill complete with private outdoor spaces and a spacious terrace overlooking the landscape below. The interiors have the same organic feel as the outside, with light, natural colors and built-in furniture.
The hotel’s main building, which contains the reception and lobby, also houses an organic restaurant that sources ingredients no more than 150 kilometers from the site. Aside from supporting local farmers and producers, the hotel also has its own vegetable garden to supply the kitchen. The main building employs a similar style to the cabins with its chestnut exterior, but it also provides a contrasting look with dark, stained wood on its interior.
Photography by Florent Michel via v2com
