Born in western Poland in the 1990’s, Piotr Wisniewski started on his path to creativity young. At the age of 10, his grandmother sent him off to drawing classes with a retired art teacher, who lived in a tiny Plattenbau apartment doused in thick air and cigarette smoke. The task was clear: Piotr was to learn and prepare for the entrance exam for architecture studies.
Fast forward ten years and Piotr graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Poznan and a master’s degree from the University of Fine Arts in Berlin. On the side, he spent his spare time working in a studio specialised in hospitality design. It was here that his passion for interior design truly began, working on a range of architecture and interior design projects from conceptualisation to completion.
the comodo in Bad Gastein is his first solo project in which he hopes to apply his learnings from different fields.
In architecture, context is crucial. In interior design, I want to impart and invoke a certain feeling. With furniture design, functionality is key. In my opinion, you can’t separate these three things, especially not in hospitality design. And when you combine them, you manage to create a perfect scenography for future guests.
the comodo in Bad Gastein is the debut project of a small design hotel collection. Our goal is to open 10 hotels in ten years. Quite ambitious, but we like to dream big!
The hotel in Bad Gastein is our baby. We may have the design and construction skills, but this project has forced us to learn a lot about many different fields. There are many people involved, including friends and family. Everyone is adding value to the project.
Sustainability is a huge topic in design and architecture. Every design decision we make, we put through a 'sustainability' filter first. We ask ourselves all sorts of questions: how is the material going to age? Where does it come from? Who can produce it and where can it be produced? Will it gain or lose its aesthetic value in, let’s say, 20 years?
In this project, we chose mostly natural and timeless materials. It doesn’t necessarily mean less, as I don’t always think a minimalistic approach is the right approach – especially when you want to tell a story.
A sustainable approach is visible in every aspect of the hotel: natural amenities are offered in bigger, re-fillable bottles, local food and wine suppliers stock our restaurant and bar, our smart kitchen concept reduces food waste, and we provide refillable glass bottles to our guests for our thermal water station.
The story of the site itself inspired me the most. The hotel is a former health resort from the 60s. Instead of trying to erase its past, we chose to continue telling its story. We saw great opportunity in its bones: a spacious lobby connected with the restaurant, good size rooms, a big outdoor area.
The interior concept is based on a combination of geographical and historical context. I would describe it as an alpine resort design with a 60s nostalgia. The design language, from the colour palette to the materials and forms, is strongly connected with the site and its history.
Make no mistake – the potential of Bad Gastein has been rediscovered. We are not the front-runners here. But we want to contribute to it. We want to tell a different story.
We offer a harmonic guest experience. The whole concept – from the colour of a napkin through to the interior design and architecture – we see as one piece. There is no place for coincidence. In terms of special features, our indoor pool has most probably the most scenic views of Bad Gastein valley.
Being able to do what you love, be loved and be able to love.
