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[above: the upside-down room from the Propeller Island Hotel]
Ever wonder what it would be like to live upside-down, sleep like a vampire or break out of prison? More and more hotels are breaking out of the tradition of cookie-cutter rooms and are moving toward unique one-of-a-kind artist-driven room designs. Here are sixteen such rooms that span the spectrum from clever and kitchy to sexy and surreal. Even though some may look uncomfortable, unusual or downright freakish at least they aren’t among the 7 tiniest hotel rooms in the world.
Watching horror movies one has to be a little bit curious about whether it is comfortable for vampires to sleep in attic coffins. Now those who are so inclined (or who prefer partying at night and sleeping during the day) can experience this vampire room first hand at the Propeller Island Hotel.
Prefer something less kitchy and more romantic? Perhaps the mirror room of the same hotel is for you. Mirrors are typically considered an erotic addition to a hotel room but this example carries the principle to the extreme with wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling mirrors spanning the diamond-shaped space.
Mirrors too cliche and traditional for your tastes? How about a room with elegant furnishings and also complete with not one but two cages. Perhaps the most amazing (and strange) aspect of this particular room is the option to lift curtains and put on shows for one’s neighboring guests.
Up for more of an adventure? One room is outfitted as a surrealistically colored jail cell reminiscent of a cartoon lockup. At the end of the night, guests are encouraged to ‘break out’ of the room by punching and escaping through a hole in one false wall.
The symbol room might be more appropriate for the reserved and intellectual clientele. With over 200 unique wood panels, this room provides endless black-and-white food for thought as well as arrangeable furniture objects that can be turned over and moved to create personalized configurations.
The Arte Luise Kunsthotel (or Art Hotel) is also located in Berlin but takes less of a themed approach, with a variety of rooms that are the unique realization of singular artists’ visions. As you can see from the images above, some of them are abstract, others playful and still others simply bizarre. Best of all, each time someone stays in one of these creative rooms the artist gets a percentage of the payment.
Like the Kunsthotel, the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, Canada relies on one artist per room with remarkably varied results. One room (left) purports to simulate a meeting place for a “lesbian separatists commune,” another celebrates Canadian culture and kitsch (upper right) while yet another is simply the artists’ meditation on the history of Victorian-era English culture (lower right).
The Max Hotel in Seattle likewise boasts the work of artists but in this case emphasizes local art and is not limited to painting and sculpture. Shown above, local art is placed in rooms while photography and other media are applied both within rooms as well as in halls and other common spaces. A compilation of all of the art in the hotel is also available for purchase.
For those who enjoy art but aren’t sure about sleeping in it, the Benesse Art Site Naoshima in Japan provides a healthy compromise: a hotel attached to a beautifully constructed gallery of modern art. Visitors can interact in common eating and museum spaces while retiring to their own more conventional hotel rooms with sparse and minimalistic art. Looking for a more exotic destination? Be sure to check out these related articles on 3 of the most bizarre micronations on the planet and 6 ocean-going and underwater hotels from around the world or this book on 1000 incredible places to see before you die
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And: Crazy and Kinky Hotel Rooms
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53 Comments
January 21st, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Great pictures, but I can imagine having a “Shining” moment in more than one of those rooms. The one with the mirrors is definitely not for the epileptic….
January 22nd, 2008 at 1:59 am
Oh man, how much does it cost to sleep in a coffin!?
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:38 am
but the best ones can be found by couchsurfing, anyway.
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:29 am
Hilarious!
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:42 pm
The colored jail cell is so sweet. Having a good night sleep and then punching your way in morning sounds like the perfect way to start a good vacation day.
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I want to sleep in the coffin as well! Great pics. The Max hotel is the most appealing. Then mirrors would be great for a overnighter!
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:37 pm
I’ve got to say that the coffin one really gives me the creeps.
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
that coffin place…man, that could be a little treacherous to get up and pee in the middle of the night.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 pm
still: your life.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Awesome collection - the Benesse Art Site Naoshima in Japan looks awesome.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
They need rooms such the ones from the movie Cube, complete with deadly booby traps and all…
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:53 pm
“floating� beds:
January 15th 2008, Design Hotels opened their new property, Grims Grenka hotel in Oslo, Norway. The hotel’s 42 large deluxe rooms and 24 suites will feature “floating� beds (an illusion created by illumination effects). Room design blends traditional Scandinavian and avant-garde styles, in green, white and golden colours. - allrez.com/news/news490.html
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:22 am
Another cool contemporary hotel with an edge is Hotel Des Arts in San Francisco. I stayed there for three weeks, in two different rooms, and loved every day.
http://www.sfhoteldesarts.com/index.php
Devon
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:50 am
I think the room with the cages could definitely be worth the money… with an imaginative enough partner, or two!
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:31 am
Mmm, some are very interesting ideas.
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:04 am
Holy crap, these rooms look awesome! Man, would I like to spend a night in one of those…
Great find!
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:22 am
Interesting and original room designs, no doubt. But I prefer my own room ;)
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:51 am
Also take a look at:
http://www.hotelfox.dk/rooms.html
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:32 am
I like the treehouse hotel on South Island, NZ
http://www.hapukulodge.com/treehouse.php
January 23rd, 2008 at 7:43 am
i’d like to spend a night t the upside down room in Propeller Island Hotel …
may be i can get different perspective on life …
hehe …
it would have been nice if you could publish this list with the estimated room rates for each hotel …
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:10 am
The Max in Seattle is stunning. Be sure to eat at the sushi bar through the massive door just to the left of the entrance.
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:14 pm
This place was pretty sweet too… http://winston.nl/
January 28th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
People die for a good hotel and excellent rooms
February 1st, 2008 at 3:59 pm
the upside-down room gets my vote. all i need to do is connect my alarm clock to the straps that lock me under the bedcovers!
March 10th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
March 14th, 2008 at 7:46 am
I’d love to spend a night in the Mirror Room ;)
May 15th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
how do you get into the upside bed after a nite of heavy drinking?
May 19th, 2008 at 12:45 am
Wooden room is just pure nature. Love it!
And also, I have a couple of friends who really love vampires and all the stuff, they wouldn’t mind sleeping in a coffin bed;)
August 4th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Wow - the Max Hotel in Seattle looks especially awesome!
November 11th, 2008 at 2:12 am
you should put my hotel there too…?t ?s ?n turkey and very creat?ve….
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