Louis Sparre and Our Hotel
The name of our hotel pays homage to Count Louis Sparre and his achievements. We too love Old Porvoo, with its beautiful wooden architecture and winding cobbled streets.
Count Sparre has also influenced our hotel’s interior. Sparre Hotel has been fully redecorated and renovated with carefully preserved Art Nouveau details, such as our wooden and copper reception desk.
Count Sparre’s legacy is visible in our redecorated rooms; we have not repeated the already existing, but instead created something new by drawing inspiration from the past. Read more about our interior design…
Sparre’s influence on culture is something we cherish. With this in mind we want to offer our guests an opportunity to experience the rich local culture. Read more about sights and cultural events in Porvoo…
Count Louis Sparre – the saviour of Old Porvoo
Old Porvoo was in a sorry state of affairs at the end of the 19th century. The neighbourhood was a slum and faced demolition.
The cosy little wooden town, with its cobbled narrow streets, was to be replaced with an empire-style new town, with straight streets and buildings of imposing new architecture.
Luckily, Count Sparre decided to save the old town; he gave an inspirational speech to the locals, helping them to realise the true value of their unique surroundings, which ultimately saved Old Porvoo. The speech that Count Sparre gave in 1898, and the small book he published, are considered to be the reason behind Old Porvoo’s preservation.
Born in Sweden, Louis Sparre was a true Renaissance man in every meaning of the word: he was an artist, a printmaker, a furniture designer, an author and an active reformer and supporter of culture.
Count Sparre lived in Porvoo from 1890 to 1902. The cosmopolitan count fell in love with the idyllic atmosphere of Porvoo – its rows of wooden houses and winding little streets – which he also immortalised in his art. Thanks to the persistence and art of Louis Sparre, Porvoo retained its unique historic atmosphere, which now attracts over one million visitors annually.
Factory ‘Iris’
Louis Sparre is considered the forefather of modern Finnish arts and crafts. Count Sparre established the factory ‘Iris’, in Porvoo, which produced furniture and ceramics. Small-scale industrial production and artistic design were united in an entirely new way in the factory’s products.
The influence of Art Nouveau was visible in the products, and the same style is reflected in our hotel, too.
We are the designers of Hotel Sparre
This is it. Our hotel!
This is how we felt when we came to see the hotel, which was put on the market two years ago. Sparre was simply lovely – and the location was perfect – although it did require a large-scale renovation.
Enjoy an extended stay at Hotel Sparre. Guests – wearing cosy woollen socks – walk about the corridors, work in the lobby, and celebrate at Sparre.
We wanted our hotel to be both cosy and stylish, modestly luxurious, and fresh in the Scandinavian style, and relaxed as only the French know how.
Ecological, Finnish and of High-quality
At Hotel Sparre, the old meets the new. Beautiful wooden furniture, such as our reception desk and the teak tables in the breakfast room, reminds you of a bygone era.
Recycling and sustainability, as well as natural materials, Nordic brands and Finnish furniture – such as Hakola, MAIHAM and Tapio Anttila – are at the core of our design choices
French wallpapers are from Élitis. We fell in love with the luxury wallpapers, each of which has a story to tell.
Curtains and velvet cushions are from Lauritzon, and floors are covered with beautiful vinyl parquet by Tarket.
Breakfast Room
The sun-filled breakfast room is a perfect place to enjoy morning coffee and a delicious breakfast, and it is also well-suited for meetings and wedding receptions.
We wanted to create a breakfast room that is both multifunctional and stylish.
Its walls are covered with custom wallpaper from Taroko. ‘When the mist hangs on the horizon, is that a farewell to those catching a glimpse of it?’
Tables come from local shop Sasu’s Playhouse, and are made of recycled and certified teak. Old table legs were covered with black powder coating. Painting was done by Felissuon Maalaus, a local company.
Some of the old chairs have been painted and upholstered. Additionally, we have decorated the breakfast room with Danish Normann Copenhagen chairs.
A sofa from the Finnish Hakola Lazy Collection has been upholstered with a fabric customized for Hotel Sparre, and sits in the corner of the room. Hakola’s sofas are designed and produced in Finland.
Curtains and cushions are from Lauritzon, and the carpets are made-to-measure. Carpets and rugs are by MAIHAM, which is a Finnish design studio founded by two sisters.
Wall lighting is by Louis Poulsen, NJP and Flindt. We use classic Finnish tableware, from Marimekko and Iittala, as well as the French Le Creuset. Vases are by Marimekko, Iittala and Arket.
Lobby and Lobby Bar
Hotel lobbies should be welcoming, as the lobby serves as the calling card for the hotel. The lobby bar, on the other hand, is a kind of sitting room, which should be both cosy and inviting.
Similarly with our other rooms, each piece of furniture has been handpicked.
Kimono inspired golden wall paper, Soleil levant, from Elitis, covers the walls
One of the sofas in the lobby is from the 1950’s, while the other sofas are from Finnish furniture maker Hakola and upholstered with unique velvet fabric customized for Hotel Sparre. Armchairs are from the Hakola Day Collection.
The made-to-measure tables are Formwerk’s Plano tables. The desk is by Billnäs.
Lighting is by Flos, with Modern Art by Yki Nummi. Curtains and velvet cushions are from Laurintzo.
The reception desk is the hotel’s original wooden and brass desk, which we wanted to preserve in its original condition. The desk is made of solid wood, and will last for years to come.
Room Decoration
We wanted our rooms to have a certain Wow Factor. A hotel room should always be an experience. The rooms have to be stylish, tidy and cosy.
The walls are decorated in greyish beige, light green and blue tones. Walls are painted with paints by Finnish Tikkurila.
Room textiles are from Lauritso, and upholstery works were carried out by local Space & Spirit and Verhoomo Lupiini, in Järvenpää.
Hotel beds are by Hoist, and all beddings are made in Finland.
Throws are by Lapuan kankurit. Throws are designed and produced in Finland.
Night stands are from Maze and from the Japanese classic Muji. Desks were made by Finnish carpenter Patrik Hellsten.
Our Superior rooms have been decorated more luxuriously. Wallpapers are Opening, by Élitis: ‘Nature finds about night without ever sleeping.’
The sofa bed is from the Tapio Anttila Collection.
Would you like to read more about our interior design? We would be happy to tell your more!