The New Rooms at Sweden’s ICEHOTEL Will Terrify And Amaze You

With the holidays upon us, you might be dreaming of a relaxing winter getaway. Look no further than Sweden’s ICEHOTEL. The famous hotel, which sits 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle in the village of Jukkasjarv by the Torne River, is open once again. Each year since 1989, the hotel built is anew for the winter season (although last year the hotel did add a more permanent sister hotel next door) and it is an art and design lover’s dream. Each suite has been individually themed and designed by artists from around the world.

Forget Malm beds and Billy bookcases, at this Swedish hotel you won’t find any IKEA pieces, just frigid yet uniquely beautiful furniture carved entirely out of ice.

In a recent interview with Lonely Planet, Arne Bergh, Creative Director at ICEHOTEL said, “We have created the 28th rendition of ICEHOTEL this year, and I think we’ve managed to refine Torne River better than ever. The art is exceptional with a great variation and we are looking forward to welcoming guests from all over the world.”

The rooms include a suite named after everyone’s favorite pick to replace the fiddle leaf fig as most popular houseplant, Monstera. Designed by Swedish designers Nina Kauppi & Johan Kauppi. The duo brings the perspectives of a jewelry designer and interior architect to the unique project.

Want to sleep in the arms of a reindeer ice queen? Right—stupid question. Well then perhaps the most frightening and awesome (frighteningly awesome?) room, named Queen of the North, is the suite for you. The room is designed by Stockholm artist Emilie Steele and furniture designer Sebastian Dell’Uva. Steele is known for her trademark fantastical macabre dolls and drawings and clearly puts her stamp on this unforgettable room. I suggest sleeping with one eye open.

In a year of #MeToo moments and women’s marches the suite created by artists Nina Hedman and Lena Kriström seems awfully apropos. In The Invisible (Invincible) Army room you’ll find an all all female ice army consisting of ten women. Their inspiration was found in a number of sources: the Terracotta army in China, Hans Runesson’s famous photograph of a Swedish women hitting a Neo-Nazi, “The lady with the purse,” as well as Monty Python’s women.

These are just a few of the hotel’s many art suites—to see more (King Kong Suite, anyone?) check out the slideshow above.

h/t Contemporist