DATA SHEET
Hotel operator: Continental Group Hospitality
Architecture: Archikon
Interior design: este’r partners
Furnishings: Alu Style, Daniëls Openhaarden, Eichholtz, Grattoni, Horm, Informa, Khilia, laCividina, Midj, Pedrali, S•Cab
Lighting: ACB, Antares, Aromas, Astro, Davide Groppi, PXF, UTU, Viokef
Bathrooms: Betatherm, Emico, Geberit, Hansgrohe, JIika, Laufen, Villeroy&Boch
Walls: Kriska Décor, Marazzi, Muraspec, Valpaint and Sto
Floors: Abik, Aco, JAB Vynil, Progress Profile, Radici, Ragno
Fabrics: Flukso textile
Photo credits: Courtesy of este’r partners
Named for a nearby square, it is at the crossroads of streets brimming with trendy shops and bars. The 4-star Hotel Oktogon in Budapest wants to attract this same kind of clientele: on the move, full of life, and looking for modern, absolutely practical comfort. All while respecting the powerful historical identity of the building where it is set. Haggenmacher Palace has been given a new life through three years of renovation. This magnificent Neo-Renaissance specimen was redesigned by Eszter Radnóczy, Csilla Szabó, and Hajnalka Zellei of the interior design studio este‘r partners, with Archikon as architecture partner.
The designers managed to make its grand, spectacular late 19th-century character coexist smoothly with a sophisticated, vibrant design. Stone decorations, pillars, cornices, black and light gray diagonal checkered floors, and painted ceilings with leaf motifs are all brought back to their former glory and into an interplay with new modern furnishings and pastel red, green, and blue colors. Its well-defined, bright, and compact interiors make for a lively impression befitting an energetic clientele, always on the go.
The lobby, a once open courtyard that is now covered, immediately announces the hotel’s fresh, lively character. It includes a breakfast area and bar to encourage socializing and is furnished sleekly with curving pieces from S•Cab and La Cividina. Cheerful pieces add to its pleasant feel, such as long-necked floor lamps by Davide Groppi and flower vases with elongated legs from Daniëls Openhaarden. Several features contrast with the building’s purely historical part, such as the contemporary staircase in the lobby.
The 121 rooms are no exception in their mingling of casual style and antique elements. And there are plenty of especially scenic solutions. Such as the mirrored box in the room center holding the bathroom, whose placement is possible because of the interiors’ spaciousness. These monoliths create a spatial division, forming a hallway and a private living room as well. The present and past are reflected here, including the original boiserie, returned to its former light walnut color, covering the room’s entire perimeter.
