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A dream for porcelain lovers: At the KPM Hotel & Residences in Berlin you can not only admire outstanding architecture and chic design, but also exquisite pieces from the manufacturer. Daniel Zeeh, 36, and Damian Brunner, 34, won one of our raffles - and reported in our WEISS Magazine No. 4 of their impressions.
A weekend for two at the KPM Hotel & Residences is being raffled off: When Daniel read the announcement on the KPM Berlin Instagram page, he spontaneously applied with a few lines. “I didn’t expect at all that I would win – and I was even happier,” says the 36-year-old with a laugh. He traveled with Damian: the two only moved in together in May. Daniel, who comes from Leipzig and works in supply chain management for a large furniture company, now lives in the home of his partner, a client director at an asset management company, near Zurich. “We have KPM vases from the Bauhaus period and plates, cups and bowls from the LAB series. With its clear shape, it fits perfectly with our Scandinavian furnishing style,” he explains his affinity for KPM Berlin.
The two immediately felt at home in the new KPM Hotel & Residences, which opened in September 2019. It is centrally and quietly located on English Street, right next to the factory. A visit was of course on the agenda, as was a porcelain workshop and dinner at “Dong A”. “We liked it so much that we’re coming back in August,” says Daniel. “It’s already booked!” Can there be a better compliment?
ON A TOUR OF DISCOVERY
“You can discover unusual exhibits everywhere in the KPM Hotel & Residences: in the rooms, in the hallways, in the restaurant and of course in the lobby at the reception. Because the colors gray, black and anthracite dominate, the white KPM figures and objects stand out great. I find it absolutely remarkable that KPM has been manufacturing all of its products in the factory in the middle of Berlin for more than 250 years and has not outsourced production elsewhere. The Tiergarten is just around the corner, and because you can also rent bicycles at the hotel, we took a short tour into the countryside and through Charlottenburg after breakfast.”
FINE HANDMADE
“During the tour of the factory, we walked through the individual steps of porcelain production: from processing the raw material to firing.”
“In the hands-on factory, a KPM manufacturer explained to us how the TOAD figure is created. It is not modeled, but rather the body and legs are cast individually and later put together. We were allowed to try that out: sanding the edges again and again until everything fits – that was fun.”
HIGHEST PLEASURE
“On the ground floor of the hotel there is the restaurant 'Dong A', which serves modern Asian cuisine: we had a delicious meal here in the evening. In the middle of the room there is a life-sized KPM beaver figure on a table, really an eye-catcher. Also very original is the wall covered by white KPM coffee filters - an installation by the Berlin artist Michael Felix Langer. Later we took our drink to the sun terrace on the roof and enjoyed the view: you have a great view over the city. By the way, on the fourth floor we were able to play table tennis in the playroom, pretty cool. There is also a table football – but after dinner you might want to go to the small cinema: with a projector and space for ten people.”
A RELAXED TIME
“We were completely thrilled with the room: it was generously proportioned and equipped with a fold-out pantry kitchen that disappears into a smart wall module. We particularly liked the wonderfully comfortable, slightly raised bay windows from which you can look out onto the Royal Porcelain Manufactory.”
There are a total of 117 rooms in five categories. They are between 25 and 45 square meters in size. Daniel and Damian stayed in an executive room.
“In general: There are many original corners in the hotel. The two atriums, for example, which are between the 1st and 2nd floors and the 4th and 5th floors. You sit on casual Bauhaus-style lounge furniture, where you can meet other guests or marvel at the five-meter-high wall with embedded glass display cases: very different pieces from the history of KPM Berlin are on display here.”
WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS - Europe's Leading Design Hotel 2021
The KPM Hotel & Residences is one of the leading design hotels in Europe and was nominated as “ Europe's Leading Design Hotel 2021 ” at the World Travel Awards.
Images: Franz Grünewald
