Hotell Fabriken Furillen

A midcentury abandoned limestone quarry turned into one of Sweden's most fascinating hotels.
In the 18-room main building, austere meets upscale—minimalist décor, Bang & Olufsen DVD players. But beyond the guestrooms, Furillen goes to both extremes. Austere? Spend the night out on the crushed-rock landscape in a tiny "hermit cabin," made from recycled barn wood, with no electricity or running water. Upscale? Right in the factory, Gotland's finest restaurant features destination-worthy meals sourced from local produce. And arriving later this year, comes the piece de resistance: a floating sauna.

Gotland is an extraordinarily beautiful island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. It is one of the sunniest places in Sweden and a holiday paradise. The ever-shifting light, sandy beaches and fields of wild flowers made photographer Johan Hellström with family decide they wanted to live here permanently. In 1999 they left the west coast city of Gothenburg for Gotland and their recently purchased limestone quarry on the four square kilometer island of Furillen off the north-eastern coast. The Hellströms bought the property from cement company Cementa AB. They decided to build a guest house and ended up creating an 18-room hotel with a restaurant. Johan Hellström is the main designer and he has combined industrial shades of gray with Scandinavian design. The result is austere and luxurious and unique. - http://livinginandyland.blogspot.com/2007/07/fabriken-furillen.html

Hotell Fabriken Furillen / 624 58 Lärbro, Gotland, Sweden, +46 498 22 30 40 / www.furillen.nu