Located in Umeå on the Bothian Bay in Northern Sweden Stora Hotellet (Grand Hotel) was built in 1895 with funds provided by the local seamen’s mission.

The owners of Stora Hotellet were keen to hold onto the history and heritage of a building that had been at the centre of so many memorable occasions for the people of Umeå.

Once housing a hotel, the mission’s offices and accommodation, high society and royalty rubbed shoulders with captains, sailors and old salts off the ships in the harbour.

This contrast between the sailors and high society provided the inspiration for the new interior: foul-mouthed seamen and tea-sipping ladies, sailcloth and velvet, sea-spray and champagne. After tearing out decades of plasterboard and vinyl flooring to reveal the original splendour, Architects Stylt Trampoli let the sea, and all its stories, back into the parlours.

Reminiscent of a ship’s rigging the bespoke chandelier by Blond in the main stairwell is three stories tall, made from rope and glittering Plexiglas and comprises of 84 separate hanging crystals, in three different appearances. Each crystal is individually lit by LED fibre optics guided down along each of the hemp-ropes that the crystals are hanging from.

In total, 800M of hemp rope divided in different lengths was used in order to fully cover the height of the staircase.

Room categories are named after sailor’s preoccupations – Adventure, Longing and Superstition ranging from the luxurious master suite (with its own sauna) to the cosy “berths” where you sleep in generously proportioned bunk beds, high up under the eaves of the hotel.

The result is a mix of rough and refined that makes the hotel a thrilling and unexpected experience.

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