Relaxing in wooden shack chic

In Heiligenhafen, this successful concept has been built upon, and adjusted to a younger, hipper, more urban lifestyle. And “The Bretterbude” was the result, Germany’s first themed hotel “for surfers, skaters, and other boarding acrobats”.

Guests stay right on the beach promenade in rustic, wood-paneled new buildings, that draw upon old dockside warehouses or historical fishing markets for architectural inspiration. Painting contractor Volker Nolte from Tellingstedt – who was on board with the Beach Motel in St. Peter-Ording – was kept busy with his team on the Bretterbude site for two months.

The striking facade only needed some thermal insulation; the boards from four different types of wood were left untreated and will be allowed to gray naturally over time for that longed-for vintage look.

However, inside, all the ceilings and walls had to be made even, clad with nonwoven and then painted – walls in the color shade Cemento contrast clearly with the white ceilings.

“These days, matt coatings are more in demand than ever before. Modern architecture in particular often presents the issue of light streaks, perhaps due to floor-to-ceiling windows. But thanks to Superlux ELF 3000, we were ideally equipped for this challenge. The dull matt surfaces look really good now.”

Finally, NOLTE painting contractors took care of the Bretterbude store buildings. Rooms are also located here, in addition to a store catering to all travel and watersports needs. In the hotel’s main building, painting contractors E. Bluhm, owned by Michael Bluhm, were hard at work, originally from Kiel, some 50 kilometers away. In contrast to the store building, here, the coating was applied directly to the concrete walls, even in the corridors. “We wanted it to be a bit rustic”, remembers painting contractor Michael Bluhm. Between May and August 2016, he was on site with an average team of ten employees and was also charged with the floor coating in the corridors: Concrete flooring with a transparent 2C top coat.

“In order to keep in with the seasons in the hotel sector, it’s always vital to meet deadlines”, emphasizes Bluhm. The collaboration with other trades ran exceptionally smoothly, as did the teamwork with the architects on site. The painting contractor warmly thanks his employees, and manager, Herbert Notka: “You have all contributed to the success of this project, working overtime, even on Saturdays.”

And just before the opening of the Bretterbude, Michael Bluhm was one of the very first overnight visitors. However, not as a guest – instead, he was waiting for his next job to begin – the Beach Hotel Heiligenhafen, another new operation by the Bretterbude operators. “This definitely has a certain flair, especially when you can spend your breaks on the beach,” muses Bluhm. “Of course it’s more beautiful to work here than on a concrete block in the inner city.”

And even painting contractor Nolte, from the North Sea side of Schleswig Holstein, is glad to recall his time working in Heilighafen. “It’s an unbelievable location, straight out on to the small dunes, and then the water is just there...” It's just the “boardsport” side of things he'd rather give a miss. “I think I’m a touch too old for that,” laughs the 63-year-old. “I can leave that to my son.”