Hotel Norge hotel - Bergen, Norway

The Scandi aesthetic is lauded for good reason – simplicity, practicality and minimalism combined in one neatly wrapped package. The only downside is that it has become somewhat predictable as it is interpreted worldwide; a byword for pale wood, muted tones and ethereal lighting. Not so at Hotel Norge, a Bergen icon recently revamped by Dutch studio Concrete, which has energised the familiar Nordic design aesthetic with vibrant notes.

This is best witnessed in the lobby of the 415-room hotel where a giant sun that changes colour throughout the day takes centre stage in a space dressed in surprisingly harmonious tones of emerald green, sapphire blue and mustard yellow. The innovative lighting is perhaps no surprise given that Flos served as the project’s lighting consultant and the design nous doesn’t end there.

In Café Norge, a room marked by an iconic wooden staircase that rises up to a mezzanine, inherited from the space’s previous life as the lobby, Nordic design is visible at every turn. Seating by Muuto, tables by Hay and ottomans by Normann Copenhagen fly the flag, whist pendant lighting by Lee Broom and rugs by Van Besouw introduce international flair.

Guestrooms are on a similar wave, each one an inviting hub of oak, brass and flashes of colour, all lit by Flos-designed hanging lamps. There’s no better place to escape the city’s bitter winter climes.§