DESIGN, COMFORT & PATAGONIA
The Standard Lake rooms, in their origins, respected the essence of the hotel industry of the time, typical of Patagonia. Of the 15 rooms that the hotel had, 12 were Standard, with the concept of small cozy rooms, focused on small details and each one decorated with its original details and textures.
The industry was moving and settling into more modern styles. Little by little, guests asked us for bigger rooms, bigger beds, without losing what all the rooms had, which was that spectacular view of the lake.
In this sense, since 2016, Las Balsas has gradually headed in the same direction.
Thus, 6 Standard Lake rooms were transformed into 3 Studio Suites, modern, spacious and spacious.
On this scheme remained the original 3 Corner Suites, the new 3 Studio Suites and the traditional 4 Standard Lake rooms, the latter, intact in style since 1988 when the hotel was created.
We have already said that the pandemic was a time that we took advantage of to do introspection and think ahead, and one of the points that we worked on as a team was how to redesign the Standard Lake rooms and how to maintain the traditional spirit of Patagonia, always seeking to meet the expectations of our guests.
In this sense, the incorporation of the Architect Mauro Wysocki to the team, in the midst of a pandemic, was key. Regarding this rooms Mauro tells about the process in the first person:
When I was given the challenge of redesigning and redesigning the hotel’s four Standard Lake rooms, starting a short-term restructuring and with the premise of turning the way of seeing and thinking about them, leaving the Imprint of a standard room and deeply rooted in the typical Patagonian room style of the 90’s.
In the Tower room, where a radical change was sought with small details, giving it more spatial opening with the implementation of a light-colored wall, using the patina technique and vintage finish, thus managing not to lose the veins of the cypress so characteristic.
The space above the radiator near the bed was used, transforming it into furniture with sharp-edged shelves for a small library and base for the amenities provided by the hotel, giving the possibility of removing the furniture that made it difficult to move around the room. .
It went from a dark color in the structure of the roof to a light color, these steps from dark to light are what generate spaciousness and openness. A change was made to its flooring, leaving behind the carpeting so characteristic in the area, the old curtains and curtains were removed, placing simple and light curtains, generating a full view of the lake and mountains.
The great morphological and spatial change occurred in 2 rooms, identical in shape, central and symmetrical that divide the hotel into 2 on its upper floor (Lunera & Maitén), turning it around and giving it life in essence and conception.
A bright, spacious room with a full view of the landscape was designed, so that while lying down they can contemplate the lake and the mountains without any obstacle and also allow them, if required, to be able to use it as a study for their personal tasks.
In order for these guiding ideas to be carried out, firstly, it focused on the change of nuances in the color of its walls and type of curtain, for the latter the existing heavy one was removed, leaving a lighter and simpler one, for the walls a great twist, taking its original colors pink for Lunera and green for Maitén to a light color close to white and only the wall that supports the furniture was given color.
For its design and not to lose the Patagonian imprint, it was made of cypress, whose tree used grew on the grounds of the inn, it fell due to the weight of the snow, in the great snowfall of 2019, using its wood for the design of this furniture, precious wood of this Patagonian species, looking for simplicity and functionality for its use, but without losing the essence of such characteristic wood, leaving its live edges as is its bark, that same furniture was designed to serve as a study , library and support for the amenities that the hotel offers.
So that the guest can contemplate the landscape that surrounds him, the flooring was raised in the bed sector and thus the visitor will be able to contemplate from there the lake and the mountains, in this same sector and at the foot of each bed a foot of handcrafted bed with imprints of patagonia.
All these rooms are intervened by local artists. On the headboards of the beds, we place paintings by local artists, closing a path so sought after by us, in rafts, the path of sustainability and the use and participation of the local, achieving it with the use of the raw material that once knew standing in the inn and today it became part of it, and the recognition and contribution of the local, where firstly an artisan carpenter made the furniture and 2 great plastic artists put their mark with their creations.
La gran Raquel Rosemberg para la revista El Conocedor escribía en la sección de Viajes hace más de 20 años atrás acerca de Las Balsas “Recuperar el silencio y el sonido de la naturaleza, reencontrarse con el placer de la contemplación, descansar sin agenda, mimarse con una comida… son solo algunos de los ingredientes que hacen de Las Balsas un lugar único, especial”. Hoy seguimos manteniendo intacta esta esencia en el espíritu del hotel y en cada una de las 10 habitaciones con vista al lago.
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