Yet at the same time, this Helsinki hotel aspires to go even further, to "take the hotel out of the hotel," creating an ultra-designed lifestyle experience where contrasts abound, such as the Renaissance-inspired Rake Sali ballroom. This inspiration is expressed on an intimate—indeed, fun-loving—human scale throughout the space.
The hotel also has strikingly unique restaurants.
For example Toscanini serves delicious dishes originating from Tuscany and exemplifies the level of high-minded detail that goes into the Klaus K—its interior is inspired by the Finnish national painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela, who spent time in Florence while studying the technique to paint frescos.
ARCHITECTURE
SARC GROUP
Originally the Klaus Kurki hotel, a Helsinki landmark for many years, the rechristened Klaus K has been transformed into a welcoming and storied world of brick and Nordic majesty, thanks to the vision of renowned Finnish architects SARC Group. The lead architects of the project, Antti-Matti Siikala and Sarlotta Narjos, have created some of Finland’s foremost modern architectural projects including the Sanoma Talo and the city’s groundbreaking Kone Building. But for Klaus K they went further, creating a high-minded canvas of contrast and wonder, a place where each room unfolds itself like the eagerly-turned pages of a national epic.
INTERIOR DESIGN
STYLT TRAMPOLI
What designer wouldn’t love the charge that comes from being asked to create rooms that represent desire, passion, mysticism, or envy?
The folks at Stylt Trampoli certainly rose to the challenge at Klaus K with walls that sparkle, floors that beguile, and spaces that invoke grand emotions.