Milan-based architect and designer Hannes Peer has unveiled Spazio 46, an intimate retreat in South Tyrol.
The hideaway, housed in a building designed by Thomas Kienzl among the vineyards near Merano, combines alpine authenticity with international design culture and contemplative luxury.
Part of the Pergola collection – initiated with the Pergola Residence designed by Matteo Thun and curated by host Karin Innerhofer – Spazio 46 is an exclusive loft for two boasting a rooftop pool, a spa with a panoramic sauna, a fitness area and lounge – also open to guests of the neighbouring Pergola Residence.
Peer approaches the subject of hospitality with a sensibility reminiscent of private residential design. Much of the furniture has been specially designed and the works of art have been curated as integral parts of the room.
Peer’s design philosophy – ‘nostalgic utopia’ – manifests itself in Spazio 46: “It’s about a deep immersion in the cultural context before you even think about design,” says Peer. For him, nostalgia doesn’t refer to a retreat to the past, but to a sustainable foundation for future-oriented design. “Every design is utopian – it is always a step into the future,” he explains.
Guests can experience Peer’s playful approach in the contrasts that characterise the interior: urban spaciousness meets rural comfort. For example, the lounge of the spa area offers a free interpretation of a South Tyrolean Stube with velvet, bouclé and a fireplace reminiscent of an American conversation pit.
The loft’s material palette features textured mortar; a nod to the rough aesthetics of historic farmhouses, while regional walnut meets gneiss from the Passeier Valle.
Generous windows open to the landscape vistas, and custom-made furniture and selected artworks provide emotional depth. The striking solid wood room divider was designed by Peer before being skilfully sculpted and inlaid with natural stone.
Spazio 46’s spa concept includes a fitness room and sauna, both of which are oriented towards the outdoors to enjoy panoramic views of Merano and the Adige Valley. In contrast, the spa lounge is a deliberate sanctuary, designed with maximum sensitivity. The offer is crowned by an outdoor rooftop pool, shielded yet still open to the vastness.
The loft was created as a retreat that combines an international understanding of design with South Tyrolean humility. Describing the philosophy behind Pergola, Innerhofer says: “Our guests are looking for intimacy and privacy, a home away from home.” Spazio 46 seeks to be the answer to this by offering an escape that is deliberate, personal, unobtrusively luxurious.
