Boutique Hotel Marielle

Dream team: wooden floorboards and clay walls

The labyrinthine house on the banks of the Erft was perfect. Built in the 16th century and continuously expanded, it was first used as a residential building and since the middle of the last century as a hotel. The initial plan was to update the rooms with a few cosmetic repairs. In the course of this undertaking, it turned out that the old plank floor was intact in many areas.

Instead of concealing the old floorboards under a new covering, they were sanded down and they now shine, again, in a warm wood tone. The walls were designed to match. A clay design plaster in brilliant white was applied to a base plaster made of loam. The surfaces of these natural materials harmonize perfectly and the colours enhance the brilliance of one another.

As a traditional building material, earthen clay is a perfect match for the historic half-timbered house. The wooden frame was left visible on some of the interior walls and completed with structured clay plaster surfaces, reviving the look and charm of the traditional half-timber style.

At the same time, clay earth regulates humidity, which ensures a good indoor climate, especially in bedrooms and lounges, kitchens and bathrooms – all the rooms in a hotel in which you want to feel comfortable.

Dreamlike: you’ll feel at home here

The old floorboards and the traditional earthen-clay surfaces not only create an inviting atmosphere but also re-awaken the spirit of the house as a residence; a home that is open to guests and welcomes them warmly.

But the dream did not end with the renovation of the old hotel building. Three houses down was another building waiting patiently to be reawakened, the Hotel Jungmühle. Marielle and Christopher Haep saved the old half-timbered house from being demolished and expanded this hotel into additional guest rooms and meeting space. Particularly nice: Both buildings have an outdoor area directly on the river Erft.

Here one feels welcome and has the sense that one has arrived: in the renovated rooms that have lovingly furnished with a keen sense for materials, and in the garden behind the building complex directly on the Erft – another hidden pearl that Marielle Haep re-awakened and with the garden designer Nicole Johag made shine again.