Munich is the victim of more than its fair share of lazy Bavarian clichés, but beyond the beer halls and lederhosen lies a city with a far richer creative history than many visitors realise. ‘There are certain cities I feel like I just get very fast,’ says interior designer Tatjana von Stein, whose largest hotel project to date opens there this month. ‘Munich I found a little bit harder to grasp, if I'm totally honest.’
The admission is perhaps surprising. Von Stein was born in Munich to a German father and French mother before moving to the Austrian Tyrol as a young child. Now based in London, designing the latest offering from Irish-born lifestyle hotel brand The Dean has offered an opportunity to rediscover her birthplace from a fresh perspective.
Dining room at Ibasho the Japanese restaurant
What von Stein found was a city whose cultural identity proved far more layered than its reputation suggests. In the hotel’s Westend neighbourhood she discovered a burgeoning creative community, where pottery studios, wine bars and independent restaurants sit side by side, reminding her of her home in London. ‘Two big movements really came roaring out of the research: Jugendstil (the German and Austrian interpretation of Art Nouveau)... and the music industry (which boomed there in the 1980s). That really surprised me,’ she says. ‘I don't feel Munich is known for that kind of music scene at all.’
Guest Room detail
These seemingly disparate movements became the basis for the 281-room hotel’s interior, which oozes the sort of sultry sophistication that has become a hallmark of von Stein’s work, albeit dialled up a few notches. Working within the framework of an existing postmodern hotel, von Stein retained elements where possible – including the black stone floors in the lobby – before completely reimagining the public spaces as a sequence of increasingly theatrical interiors.
Wallpaper* checks in at The Dean Munich
What are the design standouts?
In the lobby, guests are greeted by softly curved Art Nouveau-inspired forms and floral motifs paired with flashes of 1980s glamour – lacquered finishes, reflective surfaces and polished metals that bring softness and warmth. A cream lacquer wall is set with stainless steel lighting by Cologne-based Studio Kuhlmann. ‘I don't want people to walk into a space and understand everything immediately,’ says von Stein of the design-era mash up. ‘I like nuance and discovery.’
Throughout the hotel, curator Christian Ganzenberg's site-specific art programme provides another layer of interpretation. Rather than attempting to match the interiors, the contemporary works deliberately create moments of friction – something von Stein sees as one of the project's strengths. 'Sometimes tension can be wonderful,' she says. 'Different people see and feel different things.'
Staying for drinks and dinner?
Further inside at Ibasho, a Japanese restaurant with a menu conceived by consultant chef Alex Craciun, the palette becomes warmer. Stained-glass screens reinterpret Jugendstil motifs in a more geometric language while apertures in the partitions frame views through the space. A glossy C-shaped bar and sunken seating area, topped by a mirrored ceiling, create a cosy cocktail spot within the restaurant. Rust-coloured carpets woven with floral motifs soften the room, in one instance climbing up the back of a banquette.
Vintage pieces, including designs by Josef Hoffmann, sit alongside von Stein's own bespoke furniture featuring fringing, velvet upholstery and glossy black veneer. The effect is one of controlled decadence: richly layered without ever tipping into excess.
Where to switch off?
‘I've always been obsessed with flow and tempo,’ she says of the private members' club. ‘Like the spaces are revving up, if you know what I mean.’ At The Dean, the interiors build to a crescendo in Noren, a small but richly decorated bar with a timber-lined ceiling. Here, tiger print sits alongside glossy timber, tapestry-style banquettes, mountain-inspired wallpaper and a lacquered bar illuminated by vintage Gabriella Crespi bamboo lamps, while custom lime-green Friendly Pressure speakers mounted to the ceiling inject an unexpected note of playfulness. Von Stein’s affection for this space is clear: ‘it’s such a vibe – an explosion of indulgence’.
The room to book
If the public spaces are designed as a crescendo, the guestrooms provide the exhale. Rather than starting from scratch, von Stein worked within the framework of the existing hotel, refreshing the rooms with new furniture, textiles and joinery while retaining much of the original architecture. Muted greens, soft curves and tactile finishes temper the visual exuberance of the public spaces below, creating rooms intended to restore.
The verdict
‘I would say we're primarily hospitality designers, and I think the part I love about that is the fact that we get to indulge in the story,' she reflects. Asked what unites her increasingly varied portfolio, von Stein is reluctant to pin it down. ‘I'm such an intuitive designer,’ she says. ‘It simply has to feel right.’ Judging by The Dean Munich, that instinct is remarkably well calibrated.
The Dean Munich is located at Landsberger Str. 68, 80339 München, Germany. Rates: €225 per night.