The warmth of FENIX® meets the natural warmth of wood in two mountainside hotels

Arredamenti Andalo, a custom carpentry and interior design firm, recently oversaw the redesign of two hotels in the Dolomites in Trentino. Hotel Panorama in Malosco and Hotel Paganella in Andalo feature the wooden finishes traditionally used in mountain interiors paired with FENIX^® innovative materials, giving  lobbies and suites a warm, sophisticated feel.

The Hotel Panorama lobby showcases a wall-mounted designer magazine rack made of FENIX in Grigio Antrim. Juxtaposed with walls, floors and a reception desk in natural stone from the Dolomites, along with wooden ceilings and wall inserts, the ultra-matte surface lends the space a hint of depth and harmony. 

The hotel’s Lovely Suite features a desk, bedside tables and wardrobes made of FENIX in Cacao Orinoco, providing an excellent counterpoint to the rustic feel of the wood used in the walls, exposed beams and four-poster bed. The Little Window and Madama Butterly suites, meanwhile, create a cosy atmosphere by pairing the wood with a lighter shade of FENIX—Beige Arizona—for the desk, bedside tables and wardrobes. The Little Window suite, in particular, features a small yet charming wood-panelled cabin with booth seating and a table, adorned with a side window in FENIX. 

The suites at the Hotel Paganella, on the other hand, have cooler wooden finishes paired with bedside tables, wardrobe shelves, drawer fronts, desks and drinks cabinets made of FENIX. For the Bridge, Fieno and Finesse suites, the designers opted for the more intense shade of Castoro Ottawa. The Dolomite suite, with its dark wood walls and inserts, creates a striking contrast with the much lighter Beige Arizona. The Stella Alpina suite combines the bold design of a mosaic made from cross-sections of logs with the comforting visual and tactile calm of Grigio Antrim. 

What kind of design effect were you going for when pairing FENIX materials with the classic appeal of wood in these mountain settings? 

The goal was to strike a balance between the modern and the traditional. Wood immediately conjures up the warm, cosy atmosphere typical of mountain hotels, whilst FENIX introduces a more contemporary, elegant visual language. Combining these two materials allowed us to preserve the authentic feel of the Alpine environment, but with a cleaner, more modern aesthetic. This results in spaces with an elegant, basic feel that still remain deeply rooted in their natural surroundings.

Did the soft-touch and anti-fingerprint features of FENIX add value to these projects? 

Absolutely. FENIX’s soft-touch surface helps to make the sensory experience of the space more pleasurable and sophisticated. In hospitality settings, where the furnishings see heavy day-to-day use by guests, its anti-fingerprint feature also offers a considerable practical advantage, as it keeps surfaces looking neat and  . This combination of aesthetics and functionality adds value in terms of both design and space management.

What motivated the colour selection? 

The colour palette was carefully designed to dialogue with the mountain landscape and the natural materials used in the various rooms. The shades we chose emphasise and balance out the warmth of the wood whilst also helping to create a harmonious, relaxing atmosphere. At the same time, the FENIX colours we used allowed us to introduce a more contemporary, sophisticated note to the project, reinforcing its modern identity without erasing its links to the traditional Alpine aesthetic.