Koto Design, a team of architects and designers known for constructing Scandinavian-inspired modular homes and small buildings, has recently teamed up with Aylott + Van Tromp, an experience-driven design and strategy team, to deliver Hytte, a new modular hotel concept. The collaboration was one born of the times. With the onset of COVID-19 came socially distancing regulations, which put a damper on a lot of our travel plans. However, the regulations have also brought us closer to a collective quest for community and a renewed sense of environmentalism. Noticing this, Koto Design and Aylott + Van Tromp conceptualized Hytte.
Similar in appearance to Koto Design’s existing geometric cabins, Hytte is a modular concept that delivers clusters of cabin units to landowners, developers, and operators who hope to provide an escapist experience to guests looking for a retreat or holiday. The makers at Koto Design and Aylott + Van Tromp design and build everything from the ebony black exterior to the cabin’s refined interiors. Merging with the natural surroundings, the cabins capture a minimalist Nordic design, with a soothing balance of natural wood and marbled stone interiors. Inside the units, guests will find a single room with a wood stove fireplace, a sunken bed that merges with a nearby window bench and storage area, a separate bathroom, and finally, a cathedral skylight that brings guests even closer to the outdoors.
Each concept is based around a single cabin unit, which can increase to a cluster of multiple modular units, reinforcing the comfort of a community that socially distanced regulations have curbed by means of hotel shutdowns and resort modifications. In constructing the modular concept of Hytte, Koto Design and Aylott + Van Tromp hope to reinstill a sense of community for those looking for a retreat and to present it in settings that encourage guests to reflect on the relationship between travelers and their environment.
Designers: Koto Design x Aylott + Van Tromp
Hytte cabins merge with the surrounding outdoors no matter where they’re placed.
Reinforcing a traditional sense of community, Hytte can accommodate clusters of cabins.
“Hytte redefines prefabricated, modular hotels and retreats dedicated to creating space for escapism.”
Ebony-stained wooden panes line the exterior of each cabin unit.
Come night, each cabin blends into the darkness, emanating only the light that comes from indoors.
Each bathroom in Hytte’s cabins comes equipped with storage areas, a shower, and a wash basin.
Hytte’s cabins include a king-sized sunken bed that merges with the unit’s glass windows.
“They are fully constructed & fitted out and furnished within the factory and will arrive on site ready to be used.”