Szerző: Bianka Bánóczi

Este’r partners has designed a fresh interior concept for one of Lake Balaton’s most popular, family-friendly hotel complexes. The hotel welcomes guests this summer season with a renewed lobby and common areas, but the development continues, focusing on the rest of the building.

The hotel complex is directly connected to Lake Balaton and the Balatonkenese harbor so the designers decided to enhance the closeness to nature in the organic interiors of the newly renovated building. Upon arrival at the four-star Hotel Marina Port, the interior of the lobby and the bar are characterized by the use of natural materials: oak and earth tones create a cozy and aesthetic milieu.

Not only earth tones, but also soft yellows, pristine whites and a touch of brighter elements feature the tone-in-tone color scheme. The wall cladding of the restaurant takes us to the reeds, while the rounded, soft shapes recall the pebbles of Lake Balaton. The key concept is to harmoniously blend the existing building elements with the new, and to elevate the space with affordable elegance and comfort.

“The hotel in Balatonkenese has been renovated with light, harmonious spaces; we fell in love with the client’s vision and designed a modest and close-to-nature interior. Our primary focus was to enhance the sense of arrival so now the spaces of Marina Port invite everyone including couples, families, business travelers as well as sailors to unwind.” says interior designer Eszter Radnóczy, founder of este’r partners.

The common areas, the bar and the restaurant were partially reconstructed and renovated, now the development will move on to the other units of the hotel with a similar concept focusing on elegance and friendly atmosphere.

Fotó: Juhász Norbert

Este’r partners is working on the interior design concept of one of the most popular hotel complexes of lake Balaton.

In the freshly renovated Hotel Marina-Port, the lobby and bar will use natural materials, oak wood and earthy colors to create a cozy yet elegant environment upon arrival. The key words are the harmonious meeting of old and new and affordable luxury.

Design plans on our website: https://www.esterpartners.com/hu/portfolio/hotel-marina-port/

Zazie Bistro&Bar, the new restaurant of the MOL Campus, was realized based on the interior design concept of este’r partners. Operating as a café in the morning, a bistro during the day and a casual bar in the evening, at Zazie you can experience a real sense of flow: nature shines through not only on the large glass surfaces but also in the interior, you can relax in small bays in the cozy lounge area and have lunch or dinner in cool restaurant booths.

The interior design team has focused on the Danube experience, as they explained there are very few restaurants in Budapest where you can sit near the river during a long lunch or a night out. The MOL Campus also has a unique feature: while the modern high-rise building designed by Foster+Partners of London has a contemporary style, it overlooks the former factory buildings of the Buda Danube district, continuing the bay of Lágymányos. Modern glass surfaces, stunning views and an old industrial quarter in the distance are coupled with beautiful natural features: pampas grasses dancing in the wind, a green riverbank and sunshine.

The idea behind the design was to blend the urban, modern features of the building and its surroundings with nature to create an intimate, inviting, light interior where visitors can take a break from workdays and relax.

“When designing the restaurant’s interior, we were inspired by paddling on the Danube: the river flowing beneath you at a calming slowness as you enter the reeds and discover new, small worlds everywhere. We wanted to capture this experience through the design: a space that gives you a sense of calm, comfort, yet it is vibrant, no matter what time of day you arrive,” says Eszter Radnóczy, interior designer and lead designer.

When you enter, you can literally hug a tree in the café area: whether you’re working on your laptop or just in for a work meeting, coffee and pastries enhance the experience. You can enjoy a unique lounge area in the restaurant’s bay: comfy sofas, wicker lamps, natural colors and materials.

A very special openwork material, a burnt hollow decorative brick from Mutina factory, covers the entire interior wall of the restaurant, which runs parallel to the outer glass shell and separates the kitchen area from the dining area. Above the large, flowing, curved wall, textiles are floating on the ceiling.

The concept of the flooring also evokes the paddling experience, where a reddish circular mosaic of many small circles flows into a large-scale terrazzo flooring and leads the guests all the way to the back corner. This flow is framed by a uniquely patterned colorful carpet evoking the bubbling Danube, designed by este’r partners and created by the Italian factory Radici. The tropical floor tiles, symbolizing washed wood and recalling the bay of Lágymányos, blend into this solid yet multi-colored mix of materials.

Each table in the restaurant has been designed to offer a different experience, with the option of curved booths or arbor seatings. And the area dedicated to exclusive events is in an elevated unit: a fresh design and a space for private conversations, with the same panoramic view.

In the restaurant area, the eye is drawn to the custom-designed upholstery, created by este’r partners with their own pattern designed on the Italian textile brand, Flukso’s materials. The dynamic pattern is balanced by pinkish-peach tones, with the columns covered in a soft cushion-like covering at the bottom.

At Zazie, the design experience flows, rocking us on the waves of the river, it feels good to arrive.

Photo: Csaba Villányi

Este’r partners designed a high-end apartment for their client in the exciting industrial environment of Budapest’s 11^th district. In an interview, interior designer Csilla Szabó shared some interesting details about the project.

What is so special about this industrial part of Budapest, where the newly planned apartment is located?

As the historical records show, in the second half of the 19^th century the milling industry developed significantly in Budapest, and several large steam mills were built. It was during this period, in 1879 that the Gizella Mill was built on Soroksári Street in the 9^th district of Budapest, designed by Károly Bachmann, commissioned by the Krausz-Moskovits family. After the change of regime, the mill was listed as a historical monument, the interior was demolished in 2000, and then in 2009 office buildings, a hotel and residential apartments were built inside the remaining walls. This is where our client bought a loft apartment, which was designed by the team of este’r partners and where we worked on the interior design execution all the way to the handover of the project..

What was the client’s request and what was the starting point for the project?

The structural design of the apartment with exposed brickwork inside, ground floor and mezzanine floor, stairs, terrace was suitable for a small office; the owner requested a change of function to convert it into an apartment for himself. In terms of design, simple, modest interiors were the main focus, which was a real joy for us, as we could keep the emphasis on the space. However, the most important aspect was to achieve a unique look with subtle elements in the space. The spatial structure provided us with a fantastic basis for our work, the challenge was to create residential functions along the inner gallery (an area without frontal windows).

Tell us about the spatial structure, the division of the space, the room layout.

We planned to keep the original spatial structure but develop the apartment function: the windows on the double level illuminate the living room, we did not plan a wall in the open space structure, the owner requested the kitchen function on the ground floor to be created with windows, so the ground floor guest room/study room was designed without windows, and on the ground floor there was also a utility room and a bathroom with sauna. Opening up the interior room, connecting it as much as possible to the large space, and defining it with large sliding glass doors were also important design considerations.

The upstairs guest bedroom is also designed as an interior room and although the upstairs bedroom has a small window facing the Danube, both rooms have been designed to maximize the amount of light from the gallery through a glass wall.

In the design of the corridor with walk-in closets connecting the rooms, transparency and the maximum amount of light from the gallery were also key factors.

What exciting solutions did you implement in the living room? What makes this space unique?

On the one hand, the internal glass and lamella wall system on the gallery level, which encloses the upper level and enriches the original spatial structure.

In the original space, which was bordered by exposed brick walls, a single large white painted partition wall seemed strange in the space, so a mural was painted on this surface to break through the wall and extend the space.

The lighting was the most exciting task in the vast space of the living room, replacing the previous industrial lamps and designing lamps that are rarely used in residential spaces due to the lack of ceiling heights. These lamps are delicate, light, airy and blend almost imperceptibly into the space.

How does a special spiral staircase and brick wall transform the apartment?

The original staircase was retained for cost-effectiveness reasons, and it also functions well, being comfortable, wide, and good at breaking up the angularity of the space, as well as having a sculptural effect. The brick wall in its original condition was not suitable for the owner, so we replaced and repaired the missing and damaged elements, and impregnated the surface. In the completed apartment, it became a prominent and dominant element of the space, which no longer required the use of other decorative interior elements.

Tell us about the unique solutions for storage and lighting.

With a restrained, more geometric use of architectural lamps, the principle of less is more works throughout the whole concept, including the lighting. In the interior room on the ground floor, we designed a carpet with custom-made graphic illuminated with adjustable lighting on the ceiling.

In the living room, the suspended linear lighting from the vaulted ceiling appears as a bracket on the brick wall surface, but there are no fixtures on the unique brick wall, we installed them on the floor.

Storage solutions include a number of exciting elements, such as wall-mounted hall and kitchen furniture, or custom storage units covered with full length mirrors in the bathrooms – these do not actually look like furniture in the space.

What makes this apartment truly a ‘Budapest home’ and gives it an ‘este’r partners style’?

We have utilized the existing elements of the renovation of the historic industrial mill, focused on its structure and finishes, while preserving its architectural character, and this has been supported by the interior design from start to finish with unique elements and solutions to create a cozy atmosphere for our client in this exceptional space. We agreed to complete this project with the contractor, keeping a constant eye on costs, preparing and delivering this apartment during the most difficult period of the construction industry in recent years, so I can honestly say that this is our work as the team of este’r partners in every aspect.