Lederhosen and bar maids proffering steins of frothy beer are what typically spring to mind when imagining Bavaria, that mystical region of forests and medieval towns in Southeast Germany. While a nostalgic Alpine vibe is captured at Hotel Bachmair Weissach, part of the Design Hotels portfolio, on Lake Tegernsee, owner Korbinian Kohler transcends kitsch to present a sleeker, modern fairytale.

Kohler, the fourth generation to have once led his family’s Lake Tegernsee paper mill, Büttenpapierfabrik Gmund, has long had a reverence for craftsmanship. When he bought the Hotel Bachmair Weissach, 45 minutes south of Munich, which opened last December, he paid special mind to authentic details reflective of an illustrious history.

“I had a long, lingering desire to have a hotel more for romantic reasons than business,” says Kohler, whose grandfather used to be a regular at the original circa 1862 inn, which now encompasses several buildings spread across parkland.

“When guests wake up, they need to know they are in Bavaria, not Hamburg, not New York,” he points out.

To establish this distinct sense of identity, the earth-toned 146 rooms and suites feature exposed wooden beams and furniture designs based on vintage shapes associated with Tegernsee traditions. Prints of Kohler’s “collection of really old lederhosen” adorning walls add another cultural layer. To convey a natural feel, materials such as waxed, solid oak were also important to Kohler. Curtains, bed covers, and upholstery are crafted from Bavarian linens, “which symbolize farming and simple country life,” he says, “combined with velvet, associated with the Bavarian royal influence.” Bathrooms, decidedly more modern, are spacious and decked out in cool slate. “It feels like home and cozy but it’s different, like a new Bavaria,” Kohler explains.

Rooms burst with pops of subtle orange, but the hue is more prominent in the new Asian-European restaurant Laulenzi, “a bit more reddish because we wanted to emphasize Asia,” Kohler notes, as well as in the soaring Pavilion, where columns are cloaked in orange and breakfast is taken surrounded by natural light. Classic Bavarian cuisine can be enjoyed in a number of homey parlors but the Bachmair Weissach Lounge, with a fireplace set in a black wall amplified by red lighting, provides a sexy juxtaposition.