The historical part in Swiss style
After the development in 1925, Sivertsen Hotel – as it was called then – appeared in much the same way as it does today. The building is in the Swiss style, which was a widely used style in northern European wooden architecture from approx. 1840 to 1930. Many of the wooden hotels that were built in Sogn og Fjordane at this time were precisely in the Swiss style. Characteristic of the Swiss style are large roof openings, highlighting of gables and richly carved ornament and moldings.
The Swiss style was characterized by high foundation walls, and that is precisely one of the features that characterizes this older part of the building.
In the historic building, the interior of the hotel has been restored and refurbished according to the style from the end of the 19th century. The owners have emphasized the historic origins of the hotel in both architecture and interior design. They have been very busy with the exciting history of the hotel and the whole time built themselves back in time. When they renovated ten new guest rooms in 2000, these were individually furnished with contemporary wallpaper with patterns from the period 1820 to 1890, old antique furniture, lace curtains and “nostalgic” bathrooms with modern comfort. In 2015 and 2016, large parts of the historic rooms were once again refurbished and work continued here until 2017.
Extension from the 1970s
In the 1970s, the then owners, the Sivertsen family, decided to expand the hotel again. They built a room and conference section behind the historic building, and with the body of the building connected directly to the historic section. And they chose to build according to the architecture and idiom of the time.
In the 1950s and 1960s, functionalism became prevalent in architecture. Now more emphasis was placed on rational construction than on aesthetic design. The architecture took on a more robust expression, and this is reflected in our extension that came in the 70s. At the same time, other historic hotels are also building new extensions, and we see, among other things, the same feature at, for example, Kvikne’s hotel in Balestrand.
In 2015, all the rooms in this wing were refurbished to modern comfort, and are now our economy rooms.
The course/conference wing from 2011
In June 2011, the new conference section with reception, office and 24 guest rooms was ready for use. The building is connected to the historic building with an intermediate building, also on three floors in addition to a basement.
With this extension of the hotel, we have been very concerned that the older building mass can stand out clearly with its original proportions and original outline. The new wing is built with a modern and simplified design language that shows that this is a new building, but it is subordinate to the architectural design language of the older one.
We achieve this through a low-key and simplified decor program and a muted use of color – typical for our time. It is well and typical of the time that we chose an intermediate building made of glass. This appears to be partially transparent and different from the other, more massive building bodies.
The decor in this new part is both traditional and modern. The historic part of the hotel is decorated in a way that reflects the hotel’s former and current clientele: salmon fishermen and hunters. The hotel has a sober and informal style with cozy living rooms with fireplaces, hunting trophies and photographs of the hotel owners’ and guests’ lives and activities.