Iceland review - 2007, Síða 77

ICELAND REVIEW 83
Located literally in the heart of downtown Reykjavík, Home is exactly what most hotels
only pretend to be: a home away from home. Owner/designer Agnar Agnarsson
has used his international design experience to create five unique studios that share
one common theme: high style.
A
rt is central at Home, and the gallery space adjoining the hotel combines
with the studio apartments to present a constantly rotating exhibition of unique
pieces by Iceland’s most talented young artists. Display cases are integrated
into the apartments’ furnishings, and all pieces are available for sale. Eames
chairs mix seamlessly with Agnarsson’s wool lamps; B&B Italia couches face bespoke
wallpaper and the playful images of Stephan Stephensen (a.k.a. President Bongo)
hanging from the walls.
Housed in an historic landmark building with a corrugated iron exterior characteristic
of the early 1900s, when it was originally built, Home respects its history while offering
the modern comforts of wireless Internet, Bose sound systems, flat-screen televisions,
and state-of-the-art bathrooms with heated floors and Japanese bamboo paneling. Swedish
Tempur-pedic mattresses offer the highest level of comfort available anywhere, and thermo-
regulated blankets complete the package.
All apartments come equipped with a full kitchen, complete with a full-size refrigerator
that comes stocked upon request and at no extra charge (other than the cost of the
food, of course). Although there is currently no restaurant on the property, Home offers
room service from B5, a popular restaurant located 50 meters away on Laugavegur,
Reykjavík’s main shopping and dining street.
The jewel in Home’s crown is the two-room penthouse suite, whose wide balcony
offers stunning views of the harbor and downtown area. The open-plan living area
features an exclusive coffee table designed by techno-pop favorite Daft Punk, and the
bathroom features a freestanding teak bathtub that you have to see to believe.
Central to the experience at Home is the idea that every guest’s privacy is sacred.
Apartments have unique entrances, and the staff of only three provides concierge
services that are entirely customizable on request. Guests who prefer complete inde-
pendence benefit from another unmistakable advantage of Home: location, location,
location. Guests are literally 30 seconds from Reykjavík’s tourist information center, photo
shop and an Internet café, as well as a dozen restaurants of all types.
Staying at Home is like housesitting for the hip and stylish friend you never had, in the
most happening neighborhood of a hip and stylish city. It offers a truly unique opportunity
to experience Icelandic art and design while truly feeling a part of the city.
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