Parisian studio Jouin Manku has added a modern, fantastical touch to the classic 5-star luxury German Bayerischer Hof Hotel.

Straight in the heart of Munich, Germany, sits the Bayerischer Hof Hotel: one of the most luxurious hotels in Europe. It’s over 100 years old and has been owned and run by the Volkhardt family since is opening. Housed in a building from 1841, the hotel has interiors fit for royalty. With majestic architecture and highly stylized furniture, the hotel embodies simple lavishness.

As of January 2014, the regal rooms of the Munich hotel have gotten a splash of modernity. Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku of the French Jouin Manku studio were tapped to update the sixth floor lounge and joining restaurant and dining room. With a vision of recreating a natural landscape with fantasy elements, the designers set out to bring some magic into the hotel.

Right in the center of the new lounge, an eggshell colored cylindrical chimney shoots down onto the stone fireplace, situated in one of the many group-seating areas. mint colored walls surround the space and stand out against warm veneered surfaces and the honed, concrete floors. Without even delving into the furniture and layout, the space already feels like a make-believe landscape, with contrasting colors and textures.

During the day, a connected terrace and massive windows provide natural light and views of distant mountainous landscapes. Ambient lighting is built into the walls, seating, and the chimney, which makes the setting even more enchanted - and at night, the lounge glows. More lighting is set into folds and curves of walls and surfaces – and when lit, makes it seem like those distant mountains have been brought inside for guests to explore.

With no detail left out of the story tale, Jouin Manku designed and planned each piece of furniture to perfectly compliment the interior space. Pale, steel blue seats accented with more concrete and walnut veneered surfaces. Stainless steel tabletops and legs glisten and sparkle in the light. More benches with backs made of aerated concrete add to the mountainous and lush landscape of the lounge.

Guests sitting in the lounge or restaurant are already getting some spectacular views of Munich – and now, there are fantastic views on the inside too. The new lounge is reminiscent of gorgeous, watercolor paintings of imaginary landscapes, with an added design twist. Jouin Manku have been asked to design a private event space on the 7th floor of the same hotel, called the “Bird’s Nest”. We predict it’ll be just as fantastical as the lounge – and stop just short of piling twigs on the ground.

Photography by Nicolas Matheus