Lava and moss are earthy backdrops to the Ion Adventure Hotel, the prefabricated, modernist structure set atop pillars in rural Iceland that Santa Monica, California-based Minarc completed in 2013. Now, this retreat has an urban sibling: the 18-room Ion City Hotel on one of Reykjavik’s lively shopping streets. For this property, converted from a hostel and restaurant, Minarc’s founders—native Icelanders themselves—ensured the country’s landscape also guided the design narrative. “We want guests to experience Icelandic nature and get the sense of it without having to leave the city,” says principal Tryggvi Thorsteinsson.


A monochromatic palette sets a tone of simplicity in guestrooms, with those facing the ocean offset by bursts of blue and those with views of Reykjavik rooftops, red. Bathrooms are wrapped in obsidian rock and black sand accent walls, and feature murals made by Minarc principal Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, which reference Sprengisandur, a plateau straddling two glaciers. Public spaces are just as thoughtful. The front desk, a slab of white Corian, mimics a glacier set against black tiles that represent lava. Overhead, a light fixture fashioned like a bird’s nest symbolizes the comforts of home. The lobby also captivates with Dropi (“raindrop” in Icelandic): a hanging chair that appears to free-fall from the ceiling, “showered by yards of fabric that gently cradle the softly curved seat of molded metal,” explains Ingjaldsdóttir. “One of the most attractive beauties in nature is the moment when a raindrop creates a ripple effect.”


At Sumac Grill + Drinks, light floods through floor-to-ceiling windows and emerald green tiles flaunting fish-scale patterns frame the open kitchen. Even corridors conjure the countryside through integrated lighting that allows the hallways to morph from dark to illuminated as guests move through them. “It’s inspired by the hot lava flows that carve into the rugged topography of the country,” explains Thorsteinsson. “Intersecting lines of light cut through the dark walls like the vast, blackened fields of Iceland.”