The first thing you notice is the wood. It runs across walls, ceilings and built-ins, then meets dark metal details and large panes of glass that pull daylight deep into the rooms. The project reads as an eco-friendly hotel, but it also works as a seminar centre and retreat, so the spaces need to shift between staying in, meeting and moving through. That flexibility is built into the interior rather than added later. Sliding doors, compact room setups and carefully placed hardware keep the plan clear.

Wood surfaces that shape the rooms

The barn-inspired interior is carried by timber in different tones and finishes. Some surfaces are smooth and pale, others lean darker and more weathered, which gives the rooms a grounded look without turning them heavy. Beds sit against plank-clad walls, tables are placed close to the windows, and the ceilings continue the same material language overhead. The effect is practical first: the wood interior absorbs the eye and sets a steady frame for the furniture, the textiles and the light coming in from outside.

In the smaller rooms, the layout is pared back. There is no kitchenette, but there is a refrigerator and the possibility to make coffee. That simple setup leaves space for the materials to do the work. Soft fabrics, found objects and the recurring use of wood keep the room from feeling sparse. Each choice is visible. Nothing is overworked, and the furniture sits with enough breathing room to let the surfaces remain legible.

Sliding door hardware made for the project

Large sliding doors appear throughout the building, used to open a room up or close it off when needed. Their movement is part of the architecture. A wall is not just a wall; it becomes a surface that can shift aside on a rail. For this project, the sliding door hardware was developed specifically for the building, which gives the openings a tailored character. The rollers and hangers remain visually present, so the door system reads as a feature rather than disappearing into the background.

That same attention carries into the smaller pieces of custom hardware. Handles, escutcheons, window accessories and other fittings are treated as part of the room’s material rhythm, not as secondary details. Some are cast in sand moulds and finished by hand, which shows in the surface texture. The collection includes forms that reference early industrial design, while the finishes shift between aged iron, white bronze and raw metal. As the elements are touched, the patina deepens and the metal becomes slightly brighter at the grip.

Details that keep the eye moving

A recessed pull in a cabinet front, a straight handle on a drawer, a dark plate beside a window: each piece is small, but together they create a steady line through the interior. The project does not rely on ornament in the usual sense. Instead, the hardware gives the rooms a clear edge. Even a towel bar can be shortened to fit the space, which says something about the level of adjustment built into the project. The result is a series of fittings that answer the room they are placed in.

A subtle fragrance layer in the background

Among the more unusual elements are oil-based fragrance dispensers from the Pure Fragrance line. They work quietly, releasing scent through cotton-fibre sticks rather than through a visible spray or a strong mechanical gesture. The idea comes from aromachology, where scent is studied for the way it reaches the senses. Here, the system stays in the background. It does not compete with the materials in the room, but it extends the project’s focus on natural cues and understated sensory detail.

That scent layer fits the wider atmosphere of the building. Coffee is one of the reference notes, and apple another, both mentioned for the way they register in the senses. The fragrances remain light enough to sit alongside the wood, textiles and metal surfaces without taking over. In a project with so much visible material character, that restraint matters. It keeps the rooms oriented around touch, grain and light rather than around an obvious signature smell.

Dark tile bathroom, shown without fuss

One of the images moves into a bathroom with dark tile surfaces and wood around it. The shift is immediate. Compared with the timber-heavy rooms, the tile absorbs more light and sets a darker register underfoot and on the walls. It is a small part of the project, but it sharpens the contrast between surfaces. The bathroom does not try to stand apart from the rest of the building; it carries the same disciplined palette into a more compact space.

What makes the room memorable is the way the materials meet. Wood stays visible, but the dark tile defines the edges and gives the room a firmer outline. That contrast appears again in other parts of the project, where black accents sit against plank walls or where a dark fireplace frame anchors a seating area. The material language remains consistent, but it never becomes repetitive. Each room adjusts the same vocabulary to its own use.

Shared spaces, meetings and the move between them

Because the building serves as a hotel, seminar centre and retreat, circulation matters. The oversized sliding doors are not only decorative; they help divide larger areas or open them up for a different use. That makes the interior feel adaptable without becoming vague. In some areas, a room can hold a table and chairs close to the glazing. In others, a divider can close off the same span and give the space a more contained reading. The hardware makes those changes visible and easy to follow.

The rooms are never stripped back to the point of feeling empty. Curtains soften the edges of the glass, while chairs, cabinets and beds sit close to the timber walls. Even when the palette is restrained, there is enough variation in grain, tone and finish to keep the spaces active. The project relies on that variation. It is what allows the interior to move between private rooms and shared functions without losing its sense of place.

Exterior cues carried back inside

Images of the red building, the black roof details and the solar panels place the project in a broader frame, but the interior keeps returning to the same logic: wood, dark accents and direct daylight. Outside, a covered pergola creates a sheltered place to sit, with horizontal slats forming a clear overhead grid. Inside, large windows and glass doors do a similar job of opening the rooms while preserving structure. The transition from exterior to interior is therefore not abrupt; it is handled through repeated materials and simple lines.

Seen together, the project reads as a calm study in applied detail. The barn-inspired interior is not built from nostalgia, but from timber, metal and light used with precision. Sliding door hardware, custom hardware, oil-based fragrance dispensers and the darker tile surfaces all contribute to that reading. Nothing is over-signalled. The building lets its fittings, surfaces and openings carry the story of an eco-friendly hotel that also has to host meetings, rest and daily use.

In collaboration with Patrick Retour, Mich Verbelen and Lindeborg Development.