Laurichhof, Pirna, Germany: „Design to go“ – an award winning matter close to the heart
Rome wasn't built in a day? In order to set up such a successful and well considered project as a hotel with a completely new concept, certainly. That's why the Seidel family, working as architects also spent more than 5 years on the implementation of their very personal and visionary project, the design hotel Laurichhof in Pirna, which opened in 2019. The experience of design and creativity should be put on a whole new level.
In 27 different suites, furnished entirely with designer furniture from tile to chair, hotel guests are whisked away to dream worlds they would never have thought possible. They surprise, polarize and inspire - with stories and a spatial effect that impresses. The interior appeals especially to art and design-loving guests with attention to detail.
Active travelers who like to explore the picturesque Saxon Switzerland on biking or hiking trails and enjoy the wild and romantic nature will also find their way to the design hotel Laurichhof. With fully equipped kitchens, each suite can also be easily used as a vacation home. Foodies are also at the right address here: The kitchen team of the hotel's own restaurant Lazy Laurich treats guests every day to fine Saxon dishes, refined with exotic nuances and with ingredients sourced mainly from the region.
The designer
Annette Katrin Seidel has been working in the creative field of interior design for 30 years now, working hand in hand with her husband and architect Uwe Seidel. Together they founded the architectural office Seidel+Architekten, which grew steadily over time and successfully implements orders throughout Germany and beyond its borders. While traveling around the globe, the idea was born to develop a hotel that does not exist anywhere yet. Special attention was to be paid to the attention to detail and the functionally designed furnishings. In addition, the interior designer had been dreaming for some time of a showroom in order to give her clients a better understanding of the design possibilities of interiors.
Since the family of architects has never been afraid of new challenges, the design lovers' dream project has now become reality. The site on the main square in Pirna, which has been in the family for 120 years, was an excellent choice for the implementation of the large-scale project. Smaller and larger details, such as the lily as her favorite flower in the logo, are reminders of Annette Seidel's intimate relationship with her grandmother Gerti Laurich, who was born here. And with the suite "Laurichs Erbe" (Laurich's heritage) there is also a special suite dedicated to the family.
The concept
A design hotel, as versatile as its guests, as inspiring as a showroom and as homely as a more beautiful home - this is the motto by which the Laurichhof was created on the site, which has been family-owned for 120 years. The interior of the design hotel resembles a lookbook: Here, not only rooms are shown, but complete stories are told. Through the cinematic stagings of high-quality furnishings and designer furniture pieces in the suites, guests are to be surprised, inspired and transported into functional fantasy worlds. In the process, rooms were defined down to the smallest detail, from the faucet to the electrical outlet.
By means of 27 different suites and their memorable stories, effects of space are created that evoke emotions. The palette of styles ranges from classical to romantic to modern. Through deliberate exaggerations, strong contrasts and harmonious interplay of individual elements, visitors experience an escape from the often standardized everyday life. The special feature here: Guests feel at home in each suite after only a short time.
Hotel guests can take home not only individual pieces of furniture, but entire ensembles or rooms after experiencing and trying them out during their stay. Interior designers who advise on the planning and optimization of the functional and emotional benefits of a room or complete interior complete the hotel concept: guests experience, are inspired and incorporate extraordinary furnishing dreams into their own rooms. Deliveries are made throughout Germany.
Awarded
With this innovative project, the Laurichhof 2021 is also one of the winners of the German Design Awards in the category „Interior Architecture“. The German Design Award honors innovative products and projects, their manufacturers and designers that are groundbreaking in the German and international design landscape. The idea of the Laurichhof operators in their hotel is as inspiring as it is consistent and coherently implemented down to the last detail, writes the jury in its statement.
The various interiors of the rooms are of a very high quality and each promises a special experience.
Rat für Formgebung (Design Council), German Design Award
What is there to discover outside the Laurichhof in Pirna?
The creative family's deep attachment to Pirna is also due to the location and flair of the small town: at the gateway to Saxon Switzerland, directly on the course of the Elbe and between the cultural metropolises of Dresden and Prague, the region offers everything an artist's heart could desire. The Venetian painter Canaletto immortalized the beauty of Pirna in his famous paintings around 1760. Today, the hustle and bustle of the small town attracts more visitors and tourists every year. Extensive, natural green spaces in the city and along the Elbe invite you to take relaxing walks and excursions into nature.
The historic Old Town is dotted with many small, family-run stores and an entertaining arts and culture scene. In idyllic backyards of the lively and high-class restaurant scene, guests and residents of Pirna and surrounding areas enjoy sitting together on balmy summer evenings with a glass of wine. The fermented grape juice has a tradition here: a sandstone obelisk right outside the gates of the Laurichhof design hotel marks the beginning of the Saxon Wine Route, which runs through the picturesque Elbe wine villages and the vineyards of special cities like Dresden and Meissen. The Malerweg (Painters' Path), which also begins in Pirna, attracted hikers, free spirits and artists such as Caspar David Friedrich along the rugged rock formations in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains as early as the 18th century.
To this day, hikers and walkers appreciate the Saxon Switzerland National Park as a unique recreational area. Rugged sandstone cliffs, crisscrossed by babbling brooks and sandy paths, create wildly romantic landscapes in almost untouched nature. An idyll for bicycle lovers is also created by the Elbe Cycle Path: Passing Dresden's vineyards, the trip can even be planned as far as Hamburg. With nine historic paddle steamers, Sächsische Dampfschifffahrt operates the largest and oldest fleet of paddle steamers in the world. Two paddle steamer docks separate Pirna from Saxony's state capital. The impressive city architecture, which invites visitors to stroll and enjoy all year round, once earned Dresden the nickname Elbflorenz (Florence on the Elbe). Regular excursions are also worthwhile for culture enthusiasts: countless museums, art stages and theaters entice visitors with exciting exhibitions and a diverse cultural program throughout the year.
Laurichhof is a Member of Lifestylehotels
