A new platform for art on Basel’s Steinenvorstadt, Art House Basel is a contemporary gem that blooms with creativity and a love of design. Consisting of 33 rooms and suites, a sky high bar overlooking the city, an in-house restaurant and multiple gallery spaces throughout, the newly built hotel by Andrea Caputo and Salomé Fäh carves a uniquely modern space into a part of the city renowned for its Old Town.
Art House Basel was conceived in partnership with the nearby Colab Gallery. Carefully curated and expertly marrying artwork with modern architecture, the hotel places art at the fore with borrowed works from the gallery lining the hotel’s walls alongside saleable prints.
Framed by the traditional buildings that define the Old Town’s car-free Steinenvorstadt thoroughfare, Art House Basel cuts a striking figure amongst its neighbours. Designed by local architects Diener & Diener, the six storey building presents a staggered structure to the rear and also features a passage that connects two streets, as well as a statement staircase that unites all six floors.
Interiors come courtesy of Andrea Caputo and Salomé Fäh, who have outfitted all spaces in a clean mix of high-quality natural materials. Marble and granite line the walls in public spaces, while floors are covered in terrazzo, and oak, Lasa marble and Japanese paper define the guestrooms, which offer light nods to Art Deco, and Japanese aesthetics inspired by Fäh’s travels. It features alongside furniture by Vitra, Abacus, Artek, Santa & Cole, KNS, Living Divani and Dirk van der Kooij, which guests encounter in and around a standout lobby characterised by massive oak framed windows that open onto the lively Steinenvorstadt.
Ranging between 17 and 42 sq m, the six room and suite categories all fuse a hip mix of urban art, contemporary design and modern luxury. Each featuring bespoke furniture custom designed by Andrea Caputo Milano alongside beds by Hastens, the guestrooms are united by a classical modernism and a neutral elegance that serve as a blank canvas for photography by Luca Gabino, which is displayed throughout.
Wood and white Lasa marble feature heavily and provide ample material for Fäh’s understated Japanese notes, such as the oak wood shoji-esque sliding doors that divide sleeping areas and bathrooms. Rooms situated at the rear of the property, facing Steinenbachgasslein, feature terraces which are staggered to create a step-like structure and simultaneously provide space and privacy. Alternatively, for guestrooms and suites located by the front facing Steinenvorstadt, colossal windows encompass the entire width of each space, flooding the rooms with natural light and offering an unmatched vantage point for the bustle below.
Completing Art House Basel’s standing as an all-embracing hub is the inclusion of two social outlets: the multi-cuisine, ground floor level restaurant Souvenir and the rooftop-bar Mirador.