In the depths of the French countryside sits 48° North Landscape Hotel, a holistic ecotourism and wellness destination inspired by Scandinavian and French traditions.
Realised by Nordic architecture firm Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter in collaboration with local architects, ASP Architecture, the secluded hotel is perched on the heights of the Breitenbach village.
Accommodation consists of 14 interpretations of traditional Scandinavian cottages – called a hytte – designed as cosy wellbeing retreats connected to nature through panoramic views.
Interiors are minimal and rustic, complete with light-coloured wood, snug built-in furniture and framed views – perfectly embodying the Nordic concept of “hygge”.
Four different sizes of cabin dot the hillside, balancing privacy and outlook.
Guests can choose between the smallest ground-level Grass hyttes, the slender yet towering Tree and Ivy options, or the largest Mountain hyttes – perched atop the hill with private saunas overlooking the hotel’s lush surroundings.
A handful of the larger three cabins feature either a Nordic bath or Jacuzzi.
An intimate 80sq m wellness centre anchors 48° North inside its main building, offering guests a selection of massages, facials and body treatments.
These are supplied by French product houses Phytodia and Camille Becht.
Differentiating itself from typical spas, the facility doesn’t have treatment rooms but instead one dedicated wellness room for treatments.
However, guests staying in the Grass or Mountain hytte are also offered exclusive in-room massage service.
Thermal facilities consist of an outdoor Nordic bath and a sauna, both supplied by Ultra Bio Ozone.
Emil Leroy-Jönsson, hotel landscape architect, designer and founder, calls 48 ° North “the meeting of two passions of two cultures” – nature and architecture and Denmark and Alsace.
“The hotel is a place of contrasts. Open and intimate, sober and luxurious, design and natural, wide and narrow. It’s a space of freedom where each guest delights in the calm of nature,” he said.
“More than a hotel, it’s a world where everyone takes the time to live.”
The ultimate vision for the property is to encourage the art of living in harmony with the landscape, to the point where construction only involved four trees being felled.
Built on stilts, the hyttes are even removable, so that the landscape stays preserved, natural and untouched.
The architectural approach to 48° North makes use of clean design and signature lines to evoke the Nordic countries.
