Above the Artic circle and about 40 minutes off the coast of Norway lies a small fishing village by the name of Sørvær. This island is so remote that the next nearest piece of land is the east coast of Greenland. So, what is the significance of such a small, remote island, you ask? The answer lies within the confines of a tiny hotel on the island, featuring four sleeping cabins.
Photo credit: The Arctic Hideaway
The hotel, known as “The Arctic Hideaway” is uniquely different from a traditional hotel and allows “your senses to reset through the absence of artificial noise, or visual clutter.” The Norwegian name for the hotel is Fordypningsrommet, which means “The Immersion Room.” The concept of the hotel centers around the immersion into nature and the world of Northern Norway. This theme can be seen through its architecture. The hotel is made up of 12 detached buildings, each serving their own purpose. For example, four cabins are sleeping rooms, one building is a kitchen, another is the dining room; there is also a bathhouse, sauna room, and a few others. This design “causes you to experience nature as you pass from one room to another.”
Though one of the main focuses of the hotel is nature and re-connecting with oneself, the hotel was initially designed to be a creative, collaborative space. The idea came to Håvard Lund, a jazz musician and now owner of the hotel, after he worked with a set designer and mechanical engineer. From the encounter, his music benefitted in unexpected ways, and he decided there should be a place for such collaboration in daily life. When asked about his hotel he said, “I don’t really describe it as a hotel. It’s more of an experimental laboratory.” So for nine months out of the year, it operates as a hotel that encourages shared connections with others. The other three months it houses a creative residency program.
As is evident in the themes that surround The Arctic Hideaway, creativity and nature intertwine to produce inspiration. This oasis provides a place to reflect inward but also provides a safe space to celebrate and benefit from our differences.