Preserving a residential idyll
Cologne was already a large city in Roman times. The surrounding countryside, however, was long dominated by villages. In some places, you can still feel this today – for example in Cologne Weiß. The city district is picturesquely situated at a bend in the Rhine on the south side of the metropolis. In the middle of the old village centre is the Old Carpentry Boutique Hotel. The house, dating from 1892, has been renovated in keeping with the requirements for historical preservation. Coloured earthen-clay walls and stylish antiques lend the rooms an idyllic charm.
A house with history
Cologne Weiß has only belonged to the city of Cologne since 1975. By then, the brick house with the frieze board eaves and the symmetrical façade had already been standing for almost 100 years. It was built at the end of the 19th century as a residence for the Wildenberg family, carpenters by trade.
Over the years, the building was used for a variety of purposes: first as a furniture and coffin-making workshop, then as a corner shop, and finally as a pharmacy. In the meantime, the clinker brick façade had also disappeared under a coat of white paint.
In 2013, the transformation into a boutique hotel where you can forget about time began. On the outside, the brickwork was stripped of paint and the large shop windows on the ground floor were also restored to the original arched windows.
Today you have the choice of three double rooms and a family suite. You can enjoy breakfast in the cosy café on the ground floor. A flat in a neighbouring renovated half-timbered house completes the range of accommodation.
Charming Rooms
During the course of the renovation, which followed government historical preservation guidelines, the original materials in the home’s interior were uncovered and restored. The old floorboards, for example, were refurbished. In the attic, you can see the old roof beams.
The walls were plastered with earthen-clay plaster in a variety of colours to match the individual rooms. As a traditional building material, clay earth fulfils the historical preservation requirements. As a natural building material, it allows you to breathe freely as well as get a restful night’s sleep. It regulates the humidity in the room air and even binds pollutants and allergens.
The interior has been furnished with great attention to historical detail. Immerse yourself in the time period of the home’s construction. Coffered doors with historic handles, stucco work on the ceilings, a free-standing claw-foot bathtub and carefully selected and combined antiques – together with the colourful clay-earth walls – create a new idyll.
Read more »Walls with clay plaster – by Claytec
During the conversion of the historic residential and commercial building, pains were taken to restore the house to its original condition – of course, adapted to its current use as a hotel and café.
The walls were plastered with earthen clay. The colour design of the rooms was done with chalk paints and in the café with YOSIMA clay design plaster in Kolumba grey. The natural variation in available shades of clay is used for the colouring. Claytec offers a total of 146 natural colours.
In the guest rooms, in-wall heating was integrated into the plaster. The heat storage capacity of clay earth is ideal for this type of heating. The resulting radiant heat is particularly pleasant and draught-free.
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