Mornington Hotel

A room with white curtains and a glass wall.

Client
Profile

A Swedish Hospitality Icon Seeking Renewal

Mornington Hotels is not just a place to sleep; it is an institution within the Swedish hospitality landscape, known for its rich history and cultural depth. Located in a prime spot, the hotel boasts a fantastic restaurant, a high-end gym, and a loyal clientele.

However, they faced a disconnect. While their public spaces hummed with life, their B2B offering—specifically the conference and meeting facilities—felt stuck in a bygone era of corporate blandness. They approached Blink, recognized as the premier retail design agency in Sweden, because they didn't just want an interior decorator. They needed strategic thinkers who understand that a hotel is, at its core, a retail experience where the product is time and atmosphere. They needed Scandinavian retail design experts who could look past the beige walls and see the potential for a revolution in hospitality design.

A glass wall is decorated with an illustration of a cat chasing a mouse.

Key concept features

Theatrical Inspiration

Inspired by the building’s past as a theater, each conference room is named after a Shakespearean character, adding a storytelling element throughout the space.
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Art and Culture Integration

The concept of "Mornington Galleries" was introduced, blending theater and art to create a gallery-like atmosphere in the conference areas, enhanced by theatrical details.
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Fornasetti-Inspired Design

Playful optical illusions and hand-drawn graphics were incorporated into the glass walls, reflecting Fornasetti’s distinctive classical architectural style.
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Custom Design & Sustainability

Every design element was bespoke, from mirrored walls and custom rugs to unique wallpapers and trays. Sustainability was prioritised, with materials from the original interiors reused wherever possible, such as repurposing conference tables with new oak tops and recycling marble for benches and windowsills.
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Sustainable Practices

A large portion of the furniture was sourced second-hand through auctions. Additionally, worn curtains were repurposed into furniture, reinforcing the hotel's commitment to sustainability.

Result and impact

The redesign transformed Mornington Hotel’s conference spaces into vibrant, artistic environments that reflect the hotel's historical heritage while embracing modern sustainability practices. The original spaces were outdated and uninspiring, making them difficult to market. However, with its prime location and amenities such as a restaurant, gym, and rich history, the hotel needed a fresh design to make the spaces competitive and appealing as conference venues.

Discover how

Blink's Creative Design Process for Mornington hotels conference spaces

Assessment of Existing Spaces

The original conference areas were outdated and uninspiring, affecting their marketability despite the hotel’s excellent location and amenities. A redesign was essential to reposition the hotel as a top-tier conference venue.
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Drawing Inspiration from History

The new design drew from the building’s history as a theater and the owner's remarkable collection of Swedish 20th-century art, providing a rich cultural foundation for the concept.
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Theatrical and Artistic Integration

Each conference room was named after a Shakespearean character, introducing a unique narrative throughout the venue.
Mornington Galleries: The blend of theater and art created a gallery-like ambiance in the conference rooms, with dramatic elements adding flair.
Fornasetti-Inspired Touches: Playful design features, such as optical illusions and hand-drawn graphics, added a creative twist inspired by the Italian artist Fornasetti.
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Customization and Sustainability

Every design aspect was uniquely tailored, from custom rugs to mirrored walls.
Sustainability was at the forefront, with existing conference tables repurposed, second-hand furniture sourced, and recycled materials used throughout the project.

A space decorated with a green sofa, matching green curtains, and three framed pictures on the walls.

A door with wallpaper that creates an optical illusion in the shape of an arch.

Challenge

Overcoming Stagnant Ambience and Low Engagement

The problem was clear, though painful to admit. The conference spaces were suffering from what we in the industry call "The Beige Box Syndrome". Despite the hotel’s excellent location and amenities, the meeting rooms were outdated, uninspiring, and frankly, difficult to market.

In a competitive market like Stockholm, "functional" is no longer enough. Corporate clients are looking for venues that spark creativity, not suppress it. Mornington’s sales team struggled to sell these spaces because they lacked a narrative.

As a leading European retail design studio, our challenge was to take these static rooms and inject them with enough personality to rival the most trendy co-working spaces, all while maintaining the operational functionality required for high-level business meetings. We needed to stop the decline in interest and turn these rooms into the hotel's crown jewels.

Three insights shaped everything

The Ghost of Theaters Past.

Our architectural excavation revealed that the building wasn't always a hotel. It once housed a theater. This was the "aha!" moment. A conference room is, in essence, a stage where speakers perform and audiences engage. This historical link provided the perfect narrative hook: we needed to bring the drama back.

The Hidden Art Archive.

We discovered that the owner possessed a remarkable collection of Swedish 20th-century art. We realized we could leverage this collection to elevate the space from "meeting room" to "art gallery", creating a unique selling proposition that competitors couldn't mimic.

The Sustainability Imperative.

We identified that a total "rip-out-and-replace" strategy was wasteful. The existing bones were good, and as store interior design specialists, we saw an opportunity to practice radical reuse—transforming old materials into luxury features through creative upcycling.

From Strategy to Execution

Strategy

Orchestrating the "Theater of Meetings" Concept

Our strategy was to treat the renovation not as an office update, but as a theatrical production. We coined the concept "The Mornington Galleries". The core idea was to blend the drama of the stage with the sophistication of an art gallery.

Most retail design agencies in Sweden might have just updated the furniture and lighting. We went deeper. We decided to give each of the five rooms a distinct personality, effectively treating them as characters in a play rather than numbered units.

We utilized a "Store Experience" mindset. Just as we guide a customer through a flagship retail store, we wanted to guide conference guests through a narrative. By integrating the owner's art collection and nodding to the theatrical history, we created a space that demands attention.

We also committed to a "Circular Design Strategy", deciding that constraint would drive our creativity. If we couldn't buy it new, we would reinvent it. This approach positioned Mornington not just as a hotel, but as a curator of experiences.

Solution

Immersive Interiors Meets Functional Hospitality Design

Balancing Visual Impact & Functional Simplicity
The execution of the "Mornington Galleries" concept required a delicate balance between visual noise and functional quiet. As Scandinavian retail design experts, we know that too much "design" can be distracting.

Spatial Layout & Category Messaging
We redesigned five distinct conference rooms, but we stripped away the boring alphanumeric names. Instead, drawing on the theater heritage, each room was christened after a Shakespearean character. This immediately sets a tone of narrative and drama before the client even walks in.

Visual Merchandising & Digital Touchpoints
To create the "Gallery" feel, we introduced the concept of the "Fornasetti" touch—inspired by the Italian artist Piero Fornasetti. We applied playful optical illusions and hand-drawn graphics to glass walls and partitions. This added a layer of whimsy and classic architectural style, breaking up the visual monotony typical of corporate spaces.

Materials & Sustainability Choices
This is where the project truly shines. We rejected the catalog-order mentality. We designed custom rugs that act as "stage floors", anchoring the room. Mirrored Walls to expand the space and reflect the "audience", creating a sense of grandeur in tighter footprints. We took the existing, tired conference tables and gave them a new lease on life with premium oak tops. We salvaged marble from other parts of the renovation to craft stunning new benches and windowsills.

Lighting & Atmosphere
We moved away from harsh fluorescent office lighting to warmer, gallery-style spotlights that highlight the art and the people, creating an intimate, focused atmosphere conducive to negotiation and creativity.

Execution

Implementing Bespoke Circular Design Principles

Implementing this vision required a level of agility that confirms our status as a top European retail design studio. The biggest challenge was our strict adherence to sustainability. It is infinitely easier to order 50 new chairs from a factory. It is infinitely harder—but more rewarding—to hunt down vintage pieces.We sourced a significant portion of the loose furniture second-hand through auctions, ensuring each piece had a history and a soul.

One of our proudest achievements during the build was the "Curtain Resurrection". We took worn-out velvet curtains from the hotel's previous life and reupholstered furniture with them. This wasn't just recycling; it was alchemy. We turned waste into luxury. The coordination required to match vintage auction finds with custom-built joinery was intense, but it prevented tons of waste from hitting the landfill and gave the Mornington a texture and patina that "new" simply cannot buy.

Results

The Impact

The sales team now has a unique story to sell. They aren't pitching "Room B"; they are pitching a Shakespearean theater experience. The spaces have gone from "outdated" to "Instagrammable", a crucial metric in today's digital-first economy. This project stands as a benchmark for sustainable interior design, proving that luxury and circular economy principles can coexist beautifully.

The real validation

The Mornington Hotel now boasts conference facilities that rival the city's top creative hubs. The "Mornington Galleries" are vibrant, artistic environments that honor the past while fiercely embracing the future. It serves as proof that when you hire store interior design specialists like Blink, you don't just get a renovation; you get a business transformation.

CLIENT

LOCATION

Sweden

INDUSTRY

Hotel, Hospitality

SCOPE

Client
Profile

A Swedish Hospitality Icon Seeking Renewal

Key concept features