Kunst und Design

Art and Design in NALA.

The creative input of many made the NALA so diverse and individual. The teamwork and the design process developed in collaboration were decisive for the result.
Michaela Schweeger and Armin Kathan, who is an architect, were responsible for the interior design. Armin Kathan has enhanced his otherwise rather factual style by a sensual, playful and very emotional design language. His attention to detail is evident in countless surprising and space-saving ideas. Luggage racks are tucked behind the wardrobe, beds and bathtubs are elevated, branches and ropes are converted into handles, just to name a few of his gimmicks. His design sparks delight in discovery.

Artist and designer Michaela Schweeger has created the primordial mother-figure of the NALA that can be found in all 57 rooms. NALA means primordial mother or ancestor – the NALA is an archetypical female symbol and also the soul of the house. Schweeger operates in good balance between free and applied art, her artistic work lifts the boundaries between art and applied design: the primordial mother-figure is used both as sculpture and as a design element.
Michaela Schweeger and Armin Kathan have developed an overall concept which is guided by the local conditions and at the same time celebrates a fresh, informal interaction of ideas and materials. The color scheme of the rooms and corridors form a basic motif of the design and various moods are worked out in the combination with fabrics and pieces of furniture. The ZEN rooms, for example, are quiet and meditative, whereas the ORIENTAL rooms appear lush and almost bulky. Unique design elements and patterns give each room its own character – each one of them is individual.

The tables in the restaurant were also the idea of Michaela Schweeger, the chairs in the restaurant and the boards in some rooms were designed by the artist Albert R. Hofer. The Tyrolean architect Anna Mölk designed some of the lamps in the rooms. In addition to customized furniture design by Tyrolean carpenters, there are also design classics to be found in the NALA. The lamps from Artemide are very eye-catching, for example. The design office Weiberwirtschaft created the hand-drawn Nala logo in cooperation with font designer Marc Weyman. Martin Baldauf also contributed creatively with tiles from Morocco and the red lights in the park.

Large image: tiles are a key design feature of the NALA. Here the room GOLD. Right: lamp in the stairwell
Pictures below: the designers from left to right: Bernd Ludin, Armin Kathan, Michaela Schweeger, Martin Both, Ferdinand Reiter;
table in the Restaurant with NALA design; table in the Business Lounge. Thick oak planks on a meshwork of round steel
room CLIMP-UP.

 

Kunst und Design