Sustainably furnished: Hotels with handmade wooden furniture

The BarBarossa at Hotel Klosterhof was designed by master craftsmen Philipp Haas + Söhne. The wooden elements on the ceiling reflect the layout of the room. ©Günther Standl
Do you enjoy sustainable travel and have a passion for design and wooden furniture? Then you’re just like me! Before I moved to the Middle East, two of my favorite pieces of furniture were a beautiful 19th-century wooden cabinet and a desk that was once my grandfather’s journeyman’s piece. Living with pieces like these simply makes you happy.

Driven by nostalgia, I inquired among our partner hotels and found many like-minded individuals passionate about wood and craftsmanship. Some hotels even have their own forests from which they source wood for furniture. Others use traditional materials, such as Swiss pine, applewood, and moon wood. Some hotels furnish their rooms with lovingly restored family heirlooms, while others are rethinking furniture design based on the principle of the circular economy.

A hotel made of applewood: The Klosterhof — Alpine Hideaway & Spa

The hotel’s logo has been carved into the backs of the restaurant’s chairs. ©Günter Standl | Klosterhof – Alpine Hideaway & Spa

Dr. Andreas Färber, the owner of the Klosterhof – Alpine Hideaway & Spa in Bayerisch Gmain, is one of the hoteliers who shares my enthusiasm for solid wood furniture. When he and his wife took over the hotel, they made an unusual decision: the Klosterhof would become one of the world’s few “apple hotels.”.

About 90 percent of the custom-made furniture in the house is made of applewood. However, the wood did not come from various locations; it comes from a single apple orchard. This creates a sense of unity in design and content throughout the entire house, something that can be felt in every room and detail.

The concept was implemented in collaboration with longstanding partners at Philipp Haas + Söhne, a master workshop in nearby Bad Reichenhall. The workshop’s latest project was its involvement in the “Spa Glow-Up” 2025.

Masterful craftsmanship with a regional flair

Junior Manager Ralph is a trained arborist. However, he also enjoys working behind the handcrafted counter at the hotel. ©Naturresort Gerbehof

Like the Klosterhof, many of ourpartner hotels use handmade furniture crafted by local carpenters.

At the Naturresort Gerbehof on Lake Constance, all the furniture is made from wood sourced directly from the resort itself. They primarily used spruce, which was processed directly on the farm. The furniture reflects the character of this living material, telling the story of the nature that produced it. The spa area’s whirlpool is unique as well; it was designed with stones from the nearby Rhine estuary.

The Hotel Klosterbräu in Seefeld, Tyrol, has adopted a similar concept. Almost all of the materials used for the 28 newly built nature rooms came from the region. Ninety-five percent of the materials come from the Alpine region, and the wood comes from the hotel’s own forest. One interesting architectural feature is the bed’s placement under a round arch in the wall. This creates a cozy, almost fairy-tale atmosphere. The bedside lamps with hay-flower lampshades provide the perfect finishing touch.

“”Sometimes, an inner satisfaction makes you want to reach out and touch the piece, to stroke it. God bless the craftsmen who can inspire such feelings in their fellow human beings with just a few pieces of wood!” —From the book So Grün War Mein Tal (My Valley Was So Green) by Richard Llewellyn

Wood provides warmth and creates a pleasant indoor climate. Naturhotel Outside

At the Naturhotel Outside in East Tyrol, the connection to nature is evident throughout the entire interior design concept: the rooms feature larch wood walls and beds, and the tables are made from regional oak by a Pinzgau carpenter in Salzburg. The newly designed nature spa also incorporates wooden elements from the same workshop.

Wood art in South Tyrol

Individuality and regionality are also emphasized at the Hotel Weihrerhof in Ritten, South Tyrol. For many years, it has worked with the Eisath und Lintner carpentry firm, which manufactures furniture on site from local wood with great attention to detail.

The ApartSuite is made of local larch wood and features a “floating bed” and a private sauna. Its straightforward and clear design is especially in line with the owners’ wishes and has nothing in common with “Alpine kitsch.” @OLM Nature Escape

The OLM Nature Escape in the Ahrntal Valley offers a holistic experience. Its ApartSuites are almost entirely clad in larch wood, from floor to ceiling. There are no ornate decorations or Alpine carvings. Instead, the clear, straightforward, modern design creates a natural sense of space, complemented by spruce in the saunas and maple in the restaurant area. The interior design was created by South Tyrolean master craftsmen from Plana Ladina in Val Badia.

Honeycomb design

The shelf designed to sell the hotels organic honey features a honeycomb pattern. ©APIPURA hotel rinner

Lastly, there is the Apipura hotel rinner in South Tyrol. Here, a local carpenter crafted all the furniture in the rooms. The hotel has its own organic beekeeping operation, so the carpenter chose honeycombs as a recurring design element.

Custom work from the Green City: Handcrafted ash furniture at the Hotel Vauban

The Vauban district of Freiburg is known throughout Europe as a model of environmentally friendly urban development. Right in the heart of the district lies the Green City Hotel Vauban, which carries this philosophy through to every detail, including the furniture.

The entire interior was custom-made by Werkhalle 53, a Freiburg-based collective of three master carpenters. They used solid ash wood from nearby Umkirch, a wood that impresses with its fine grain and high durability. The modern, timeless, and clear-designed furniture can be found throughout the hotel, including in the rooms, lobby, and conference rooms.

This is a barrier-free hotel room with durable, custom-made wooden furniture that can be repaired. ©Baschi Bender | Green City Hotel Vauban

Another advantage is that the furniture can easily be added to or restored as needed. This approach is sustainable and creates long-term design continuity, which is perfectly in keeping with the neighborhood’s reputation for thoughtful interplay of ecology, architecture, and community.

The power of the moon: Furniture made from moon wood at La Vimea

The hotel rooms at La Vimea feature handcrafted furniture made from moon wood. ©Gregor Khuen Belasi | LA VIMEA

People deeply involved in traditional craftsmanship and sustainable processing know that not all wood is the same. Moon wood is a prime example: it is wood cut during a waning moon. This ancient practice is based on the knowledge that the moisture content of wood is lower during certain phases of the moon. The result is a highly resistant, durable, and dimensionally stable material — no chemical additives necessary.

At LA VIMEA, a purely vegan hotel in South Tyrol, moon wood plays a central role. Most of the furniture is made from locally sourced wood harvested during the waning moon. The wood is left untreated, making the rooms’ special energy and authenticity palpable.

LA VIMEA uses only natural, cruelty-free materials, such as wood, paper, jute, straw, and cork, for its decorations. Even the candles are made from eco-friendly rapeseed wax.

Furniture in a Cycle: Circular economy meets design

Furnishings don’t have to be new to look modern and high-quality. In a circular economy, everything can be reused. Two of our partner hotels have demonstrated this by incorporating it into their design concept. In addition to wood, other recycled and recyclable materials play a central role as well.

Circular Living at the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA

In cooperation with the impact service providers RITTWEGER + TEAM and Fritz Schlecht GmbH, the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA in the spa town of Bad Herrenalb developed room concepts such as “Freigeist” (free spirit), “Waldklang” (forest sound), and “Falkenstein” (falcon stone)—a stylish combination of nature and contemporary design. Highlights include oak parquet flooring with Cradle-to-Cradle Bronze certification, regional softwood side tables, and pendant lights made from PEFC-certified birch—ecologically sound and aesthetically pleasing.

The circular hotel room at Hotel Luise

The Hotel Luise in Erlangen is a pioneer among sustainable city hotels. Of particular note are the “circular hotel rooms,” which were designed according to the cradle-to-cradle principle. This means that everything in the room, from the floor to the ceiling, is either biodegradable or fully recyclable.

The hotel also features upcycled furniture and restored pieces, including an antique pharmacy cabinet from the Coburg court pharmacy. The cabinet was found by the owners in the local classifieds and was restored. Now, it houses the hotel’s “Tiny Shop.”

Old pharmacy cabinet ©Hotel Luise

Furniture with history: restored, inherited, and preserved

Like the apothecary cabinet, many pieces of furniture carry memories of previous generations and nearly forgotten craft traditions. In some Green Pearls® hotels, this emotional connection is incorporated into the interior design. Rather than using mass-produced items, they focus on restoring unique pieces and preserving family heirlooms, complemented by custom-made furniture from sustainable production.

At the Ligurian Relais del Maro, you will stay in historic houses belonging to the host family — lovingly restored and scattered throughout the village of Borgomaro in the style of an Albergo Diffuso. Some of these houses contain furnishings that still belong to the family, while others were sourced from small antique markets on the nearby Côte d’Azur — with each piece telling its own story.

Old meets new at Hotel Okelmann’s in Lower Saxony, too. For example, the grandmother’s wedding cabinet has found a place of honor in the new Signature Suite. Adjacent to it are handcrafted furnishings from a carpentry workshop in the neighboring village. Other antique pieces have been refurbished and carefully incorporated into the design.

The Okelmann sisters restored their grandmother’s wedding cabinet and put it in the “Signature Suite” bedroom. ©Okelmann’s

Individuality is a top priority at Gut Sonnenhausen in Bavaria. They have collected original farmhouse cabinets from all over Bavaria and lovingly restored them in the stables of the historic farmhouse. These cabinets form an exciting contrast to the modern art and contemporary design found throughout the hotel. And the beds were designed in-house and crafted by a local carpenter using regional wood. Each room is unique; no two rooms are alike.

“”Wood is proud of its age.” —From the book “So Green Was My Valley” von Richard Llewellyn

Immerse yourself in craftsmanship: Carved rooms that evoke a sense of well-being

The Swiss stone pine wood in the relaxation room promotes a sense of well-being. Hotel Bella Vista Zermatt

In some hotels, you will find not only unique pieces of furniture but also rooms that are completely carved.

At the Hotel Bella Vista in Zermatt, the “Arvenstube” is the perfect place to relax. This entire relaxation room is furnished with fragrant Swiss stone pine wood, which is known for its restorative properties , you can unwind on waterbeds after an active day exploring the mountains around the Matterhorn. According to Fabienne Anthamatten, the hostess, this is one of the guests’ favorite rooms. 🙂

Hand-carved sauna David Johansson für Hotel Klosterbräu

The Hotel Klosterbräu in Seefeld showcases master craftsmanship with its unique, hand-carved “Herzerl-Sauna” (heart sauna). You won’t find another one like it anywhere on the planet.

Handcrafted rooms like this one combine craftsmanship, natural materials, and wellness in a special way.

Wood in all its facets: regional materials, sustainable partners, and natural construction methods

In addition to offering handmade furniture, our partner hotels are taking various approaches to providing a sustainable wood and nature experience, such as using regional materials, creating durable products, and employing innovative construction methods.

At My Arbor, for instance, furniture crafted from regional oak and sun-baked larch, both sourced from sustainable forestry, dominates. Entirely built high up in the treetops of the South Tyrolean spruce forest, the hotel offers unique views of the Plose from its rooms.

“Arbor” is the Latin word for “tree.” The surrounding forest seamlessly blends with the wood inside the hotel. Hotel My Arbor by Benno Prenn

Sustainability is a recurring theme in the partnerships at the Lifestylehotel SAND (SAND Aspires Natural Design). The beds here are from CocoMat, a company whose mattresses are made exclusively from natural materials, such as coconut fibers. The sturdy, recycled teak bed headboards and matching tables in the breakfast and bar areas highlight the hotel’s commitment to sustainable interior design, focusing on quality and durability.

Vacation in a log cabin

The Summit Lodges in Pfunds are completely different but equally impressive. These vacation homes are traditional log cabins, built entirely from whole logs. This construction method boasts an excellent ecological balance, minimal resource consumption, and a particularly pleasant indoor climate thanks to natural Tyrolean sheep’s wool insulation and large windows that let in plenty of sunlight.

Summit Lodges Pfunds

Wooden furniture inspiration for your home

Do you want to bring a piece of craftsmanship into your home? Here are a few ideas for finding furniture with history, character, and sustainability:

• Go treasure hunting: Antique and flea markets, as well as online classified ads, are full of special pieces with patina.
• Discover journeyman pieces: Many cities, including my hometown of Cologne, have chambers of crafts that exhibit journeyman and master pieces every year. You can find inspiration there and connect with young carpenters. Years later, these unique pieces sometimes end up in classified ads.
• Build it yourself using the right wood: Numerous DIY instructions for shelves, tables, and more can be found online. When buying wood, look for regional origin and the FSC seal, which is better than PEFC.
• Choose solid wood over chipboard: Furniture made of solid wood is more durable and better for the indoor climate because it doesn’t contain adhesives or formaldehyde. Veneered panels have their place, but opt for solid wood if possible.
• Consider custom work from a professional: Need a new piece of furniture? Ask your local carpenter. Custom-made pieces are more expensive, but not prohibitively so. They are also unique and high-quality.

This demonstrates the versatility of wood as a raw material used in sustainable hotels and homes. It is used not only for furniture, but also in a variety of other forms, always with the goal of blending nature, design, and responsibility.