Goldilocks solutions and a Golden Age guest experience.

You'll find Palais Rudolf sitting impossibly stylishly in Vienna's Old Town, on a historic square near the Danube River. Named after the Austrian crown prince who was given a 101-gun salute on his birth in 1858 and died in a suicide pact with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, this boutique hotel is housed in a fin de siècle building overlooking verdant Rudolfspark. Surrounded by grand palaces and gorgeous art museums, it has been sympathetically designed to reflect the rich heritage that abounds in Innere Stadt.

Having launched in Paris, Barcelona and Gstaad in 2024, Miiro now has a stable of individually designed, characterful hotels in vibrant European neighbourhoods. Our brief? To embed innovative lighting throughout Palais Rudolf from day one, as part of our fourth collaboration with the brand. Each space had to highlight natural features while prioritising sustainability. With futureproofing top of the brief, every inch of the hotel was reconsidered with low-carbon principles in mind.

With a name derived from the Latin word for ‘I wonder’, Miiro encourages guests to pause, observe and savour the moment. To this end, each hotel projects its own colourful personality inspired by local stories and people, and aims to be a chic home away from home, balancing domestic simplicity with luxe hospitality.

Miiro wanted sophisticated, minimal, 'effortless' lighting to embody this intention and enhance guest experience, while reducing electricity consumption across the hotel. This included guest rooms, hallways, and the Baroness Restaurant & Bar; sure to become a guest favourite for gatherings thanks to its flair and charisma. Inspired by the tragic romance that a young Austrian aristocrat once shared with her Prince Rudolf, the space has a poetic sense of timelessness.

Hidden within architectural detailing and joinery are carefully integrated controls allowing the hotel to adapt to different moods and times of day. With dynamic, adaptive dimming and scene-setting in mind, we crafted a design transitioning from a lively sunlit-breakfast atmosphere to a refined evening vibe with chandeliers washing soft light onto guests once the sun sinks over the Viennese skyline.

In the bar, the transition is particularly immersive. During cocktail hour, the lighting dims significantly, with feature pendants and the bar itself becoming the primary source of illumination. It's a warm, intimate setting where guests can naturally convene, feel at ease, and engage with one another. The reduced ambient light allows accent features to stand out, enhancing the sense of occasion and making the experience feel intentional and memorable.

The guest journey was mapped emotionally before it was mapped technically, keeping the focus on simple functionality, creating a natural, comfortable, intuitive environment, and subtly guiding their experience throughout the day.

In the morning, brighter, balanced lighting aims to help energise guests as they begin their day. As the day progresses, it gradually softens, reducing in intensity and eliminating glare so guests can relax and socialise without distraction. By evening, the atmosphere is noticeably more intimate and calming, supporting a mood shift from daytime activity to evening leisure.

Our scheme was adapted to feel familiar to guests, through luminaire locations, lighting control plates, and a consistent aesthetic. We looked at the light sources in each space, including integrated joinery, wall lights and chandeliers, to ensure there was balance and nuance and that the layers of light felt comfortable and classic.

Working closely with Archisphere Architects we created a design that appeared pleasingly analogue on the surface, with an intelligent system of smart tech running in the background, detecting guest presence, brightening/dimming accordingly, and keeping lighting levels comfortable and energy efficient.

Decorative elements such as lamps were considered as part of the overall lighting approach, to ensure they not only looked right but contributed positively to the feel of the space. We achieved a comfortable balance of light, contrast, and colour while supporting the way the space would be used and simplifying future maintenance by implementing as few lamp types as possible. We also used the same manufacturers and products as we did for the Parisian hotel to create a consistent thread of brand identity while retaining each hotel's distinctiveness.

The high-spec nature of the project meant there were many decorative elements to consider, so it was important to source the correct kind of lightbulbs and install a system that could remain sustainable without limiting light. Having a low brightness means lightbulbs last longer, with lower electrical usage more eco-friendly and money-saving. Lightbulb choice was also key to controlling colour temperature, intensity, and contrast.

Lighting controls, paramount in creating the right atmosphere, presented the most challenging aspect to execute. We went through several iterations in the hotels to ensure the user interface and system backbone would be easy to access, maintain, and upgrade in future. There needed to be very little difference in functionality between lighting systems in Miiro's hotels, as the operations team move frequently between their bases.

With each Miiro collaboration, we have developed more intricate and sustainable solutions, and the result of our latest work is a luxury hotel that incorporates the latest advanced technology to create a seamless guest experience and evoke a beautiful sense of class and nostalgia.