As Artistic Director, Suzanne Oxenaar was involved in the projects of all the bridge houses, from initial sketch to final design. "Transforming a cottage into a beautiful hotel room always starts with a so-called design picnic. This is where all kinds of architects come together to see how they can best design a bridge keeper's house efficiently and beautifully," Oxenaar said. Not only did the architects from Space& Matter, Grayfield and Seven New Things meet, but housekeepers and an in-house team of interior designers also put their heads together.
"This is the most fascinating lesson in architecture I have ever had," said Suzanne Oxenaar.
Consent not obvious
The team of architects Oxenaar manages did not have the proper permits needed to realize the hotel rooms in place within a day. "This took a really long time, it was a lengthy process. We pitched countless times to the City of Amsterdam to finally get the permission we had so hoped for," Oxenaar said. The entire SWEETS Hotel project consists of 28 hotel rooms, all in different bridge crew houses, each with its own interior. From a slightly more spacious cottage in Noord to one accessible only by boat near theater Carré.
According to artistic director Oxenaar, the process of designing is quite involved. "For each house we look at exactly what the potential of the house is and how we can transform it into a nice place. At the same time, we want to leave a house as much as possible as it is, to ensure that the character of the bridge keeper's house is not lost." Oxenaar has not shied away from collaborations with other designers either, and this has created international allure. To take the house on the Willemsbrug as an example: here, the design of the curtains was collaborated with a Japanese design studio: Studio Onder de Linde. This resulted in white, ornate curtains with gold details - a real eye-catcher.
This February, SWEETS hotel was named "Hotel of the Year 2020" at the annual Frame Awards ceremony in Amsterdam. The Frame Awards are a worldwide leader among interior and design design professionals.
High-tech innovations, optimal convenience for guests
The principle for guests is simple. For the lack of a central lobby - due to the fact that the cottages are scattered throughout the city, a simple solution has been found. Guests book a cottage online and on the day of arrival are sent a bluetooth-enabled app called FLEXIPASS on their smartphone. By entering code obtained through the app, the door can be opened for the first time using the phone. And it by no means ends with this high-tech innovation. Even for the team of cleaners an idea has been conceived. They travel all over the city by electric bicycle, and in all the houses cleaning utensils are stylishly concealed. "In the city, of course, you can't just park a car on a bridge. The bicycle ensures that housekeeping can easily reach all the cottages at all times," Oxenaar said.
Most fascinating lesson in architecture ever
When asked approximately how long a total metamorphosis of a bridge keeper's cottage takes, Oxenaar does not have a straightforward answer. "It really varies from cottage to cottage, but looking at minimums, I would venture to say that the transformation of a cottage takes at least four months. Of course, each cottage brings different challenges due to its original, technical layout."
Oxenaar says that realizing SWEETS Hotel has been a tremendously educational and fun period for her. However, the project's artistic director does say that beforehand she didn't quite know what she was getting into. "I was really mistaken about some of the practicalities, it's 28 different cottages and you have to go all in on the location, technical things like sewage and floors and so on," she said. "It's the most fascinating lesson in architecture I've ever had."
Collaboration
SWEETS Hotel is a collaboration of architecture firm Space&Matter, developer Grayfield and Seven New Things by Suzanne Oxenaar, Otto Nan and Gerrit Groen, founders of the Lloyd Hotel and Hotel The Exchange.