40
HAMBURG-TOUR
I
f you ask Christian Meinert what
inspires his dreams, you don’t have
to wait long for his resolute answer:
»Good stories!« The interior designer of
the Fontenay hotel in Hamburg not only
watches these in the form of films, but
also writes them. In his very own way
and with plenty of methods at his dis-
posal. The architectural lines drawn by
Jan Störmer are organic and not a single
building wall is straight. The interior
reflects the surroundings, with a subtle
maritime touch as is tradition in the city,
thanks to the hotel’s namesake: John
Fontenay, a shipowner, who immigrated
from the US to Hamburg in 1800 and pur-
chased all of the land between Damm tor
and the northern Alster Lake. The land
has never been sold, including the land
on which the Fontenay is built and which
the John Fontenay’s Testament founda-
tion still leases to this day.
FREIFRAU: The Fontenay is consid-
ered to be Hamburg’s new pres-
tigious hotel. Were you given any
guidelines when it came to design-
ing the rooms?
CHRISTIAN MEINERT: We took over
the project once the first showroom
had been completed. The client
then entrusted us with more and
more comprehensive redesigning,
and the guidelines were corre-
spondingly complex.
FF: Sounds like quite an involved
task. What was your approach to
developing the design?
CM: My desire the entire time was to
give guests the feeling that they’re
on a journey of discovery when
they visit the hotel. We wanted to
create a place they would want
to go back to. But more important-
ly, the hotel is a very personal proj-
ect for the Kühne family. We did
whatever we could to implement all
the wishes – whether spoken
or unspoken – of the client, which
tend to be based on gut feeling.
FF: That requires a lot of willingness
and passion. What is it about large-
scale projects that appeals to you?
CM: It’s this unique feeling of entering,
for the first time, rooms that I’ve
created in my imagination. When
countless components have been
combined to form a whole. Like
a novel you’ve finished writing
in which all of the characters and
suspenseful story lines come to-
gether to create a good story.
FF: It sounds like your projects are also
very personal to you. How does
that affect your projects generally?
CM: We don’t have to put our own
stamp on the projects, which I think
is a strength that I share with our
office. All the same, I could never
design rooms in which I wouldn’t
want to work or live in myself. If
I were to design a prison, that
would be a whole different story
(laughs).
FF: You work for interior design
firm AUKETT + HEESE, which
specializes in exclusive furniture
and materials. What does real
luxury mean to you?
CM: I don’t think you can measure
luxury with money. My personal
interpretation of luxury is creating
something new: an extraordinary
place or an impression. I embark
on a journey of discovery for
every project and spend a lot of
time doing research. We also end
up designing the odd piece of
furniture ourselves – that’s also
a type of luxury.
FF: Our Leya Wingback has found its
place at reception. Guests check in
to the Fontenay seated at a table.
Why is that?
CM: Rather than standing at a counter
after a long journey, guests are
comfortably seated in an armchair
upon arrival, which is certainly
something you don’t see every day.
But it fits in well with the hotel
concept and encourages guests to
feel right at home from the very
first moment.
The Leya Wingback protects
guests from the hustle and bustle
of the hotel lobby and embraces
them with traditional elegance and
high-quality workmanship.
»There is always
something special
about stepping into
a room, for
the first time, that
has come from
my mind, from my
imagination.«
Der Blick ins Atrium des Hotels reicht alle
sechs Stockwerke bzw. 27 Meter aufwärts. /
The view into the hotel’s atrium extends up-
ward the length of all six floors, or 27 meters.
