Ibis Styles Sarajevo

MIXD studio as the main theme of the project choose the winter Olympics 1984  - anevent that residents of Sarajevo remember with a great nostalgia.

With 192 rooms, the hotel was built from a combination of an existing building with a newly built tower block. Designers from MIXD studio decided to use as much as possible elements referring to the spitit of Sarajevo: its architecture, history and local craft.

Their goal was to preserve the unique atmosphere of the city, where Islam, Catholicism and Orthodoxy meet; where traces of wartime destruction can be still found in the streets; where oriental cafes and craftsmen's workshops exists next to trendy boutiques and clubs.

In the selection of materials and colours, this was reflected in the large amount of exposed installations and raw concrete walls in the corridors and the hotel lobby. They were combined with wooden panelling in warm tones and locally woven wool carpets of rich colours and patterns.

The central lobby point - shisha bar Chill Cafe – is all lined with colourful carpets and decorated with furniture by Bosnian craftsmen. Local handicrafts appear in many details: for example, the room numbers are hand-woven kilims, and in the restaurant one of the walls is decorated with a constellation of hand-forged metal trays.

On the ground floor, the main space is a lobby with reception and restaurant and a lounge bar. On level -1, a spa zone with swimming pools and saunas was created. Part of the hotel is also a`la carte restaurant - in this interior we have very bright, cold colours and a huge mural by Polish artist Karol Banach - referring to the winter landscape and the aforementioned Olympics from 1984. The restaurant connects with the bar and lounge, where again the design is warmer and more casual. The old gondolas from the ski lift serve as a seats partially.

On the 15th floor of the tower there is a sky bar with panoramic windows on three sides - Ingman Bar. It was named to honour the highest mountain visible from there - Ingman - the arena of Olympic skiers' rivalry.

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The bar, where alcohol is not served in accordance with local customs, was made of glass blocks and the stools around are covered with sheep`s skins. Beautiful views can be enjoyed while sitting on a specially designed grandstand and drinking soft drinks, healthy cocktails and traditional drinks from this region.

References to the Olympics also appear in other places. They are main subject of several murals by Karol Banach. In each of the rooms you will find on the wall one pair of vintage skis - restored and painted in a warm orange color. At the reception hang swings made from colourful snowboards - this is a favourite place of hotel visitors to take selfies. The guests of the hotel are welcomed by wolf Vućko - the Olympic mascot – who`s gazing from the portrait above the fireplace in hotel lobby

Project type: Hotel 

Location: Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Brand: ibis Styles/Accor Hotels

Design: MIXD (Wrocław/Poland)

Design Team: Piotr Kalinowski, Katarzyna Majer-Hola, Joanna Mazurek, Paweł Panek, Agnieszka Kaczara, Agata Motyka

Murals: Karol Banach

Photos: Pion Studio