Surrounded by the steamy, pastel-hued waters of Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, the Retreat is located on the island’s most well-known and oft-Instagrammed destination. A stay at the hotel sweeps guests away from the tourist fray into a new peaceful extension of the geothermal water attraction (known for its healing properties), complete with a subterranean spa excavated into the lava, fine dining restaurant, and the first 5-Star digs in the country.
The angular building merges with the idyllic landscape and is seemingly surrounded by the lagoon, a concept that Icelandic firm Basalt Architects (which handled the wellness destination’s original spa and hotel) carried into the interior design—a collaboration with Design Group Italia based in New York and Milan. Despite the minimalist scheme and harmonious tone-on-tone palette, luxe materials and finishes such as leather, wool, and stone “convey a sense of warmth and a reassuring atmosphere,” explains Design Group Italia’s chief creative director and native Icelander Sigurdur Thorsteinsson. “You should feel cocooned.”
Floor-to-ceiling picture windows in the 62 cozy suites offer dramatic views of an 800-year-old lava flow blanketed with neon moss, or, come winter, snow. Freestanding bathtubs and rain showers share the volcanic panorama, while living rooms open up to decks and balconies with soft curved chairs, creating the perfect perch from which to scan the horizon for the Northern Lights. Other elements bring the outdoors in: ceramic tiles made to resemble lava (43 different patterns were used), warm walnut cabinetry, and bare concrete walls. “We decided the real piece of art is nature,” says Thorsteinsson, who laid out the rooms according to carefully considered views. “You don’t need art to distract from that.”
Despite ample windows, illumination is crucial on an island where darkness reigns most of the year. The solution: lighting that shifts through the natural phases of the sun, as well as the waterjet cut perforated aluminum screens on the walls and roof that mimic the texture of lava stone.
One of the Retreat’s most dramatic spaces is the lobby and reception area, featuring soaring ceilings and windows framing the lagoon and Mt. Thorbjörn. With a wavy, textured finish, the walls mirror the “ripples on the surface of the water outside,” says Thorsteinsson. The design team fashioned a bespoke reception desk and bar for the space, as well as a custom chef’s table at Moss Restaurant, all of which were crafted from a hulking lava stone quarried onsite. But for a twist, it is merged with leather (at the reception desk) and walnut (at the chef’s table). For a further mindful connection to the outside, the OLED Pixel Cloud in the restaurant undulates “like the fog that slowly rises from the warm waters of the lagoon.”
Custom waterjet cut perforated aluminum screens evoke the texture of lava, which Basalt Architects incorporated into the walls and roofs
Located above the lobby, Moss Restaurant features a subdued, Nordic-inspired design that allows the views to take centerstage
A floor-to-ceiling lava stone fireplace stands in the center of the hotel’s lobby lounge
Each of the 62 suites is built into its environs and boast decks or balconies to be one with the natural surrounds
The predominant use of raw concrete keeps the interiors rooted in its context, particularly in the subterranean spa where a massive lava stone serves as a juice counter
