The Hotel Ritter Durbach, founded in 1656 in Southern Germany’s Black Forest, has completed an expansion and renovation.
The Ritter family acquired the property in 2007, after 100 years of ownership by generations of the Brunner family, and worked with JOI-Design on the 16-month project.
JOI-Design set out to maintain the traditional essence of the old hotel while introducing contemporary palettes and materials.
The 40 new rooms and suites have been designed to complement the existing accommodations, with apple green curtains and a wall panel inset with raspberry-toned niches. The leather headboards are embossed with the Hotel Ritter Durbach’s updated logo.
The most recent project also doubled the size of the hotel’s spa, with additional amenities for a “herb chamber” where guests can inhaled infused vapors in a vineyard-inspired space done in shades of lavender and honey with comfortable lounge chairs. New treatment rooms have backlit dropped ceilings to avoid glaring lights, with a palette of spring green and white. New relaxation areas have a natural feel, with rustic timber, fireplaces, and walls in deep olive tones with accents in berry and gold; seating options include side-by-side chaise lounges, a “sofa lounger,” and beanbag chairs. The space also offers a new tea lounge and library.
The new Ritter Lounge is an atrium with natural light, a modern fireplace, and leather armchairs with accents of magenta and lime.
The Michelin-starred Wilder Ritter has been given a new look, with splashes of crimson against a tone-on-tone scrolled wall covering and timber paneling. Collections of vintage dining utensils serve as art installations on the walls.
A new annex gives the hotel increased conference facilities, with new meeting rooms that subtly reference the region’s oenological history with an abstract grape motif in the carpeting. The breakout space has natural elements including a curved bar top made from a timber plank and tree branches that serve as candleholders on coffee tables.
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