Ice Hotels

ShelvesUpstairs, away from the entrance and the restaurant, a corner is given over to reading, and the shelving there belongs to the permanent building. Anything built from snow at this resort is put up again each winter and taken down again, so nothing printed is kept in it.

Who put them thereThe house maintains the corner as part of its indoor common space, and what stands there reflects a long season of guests arriving in the dark and staying inside. It is a hotel arrangement rather than a collection with any single person behind it at all.

What the room doesThe corner is used most in the hours between coming in from outside and sitting down to eat, when boots are off and the light outdoors has gone entirely. It faces inward, towards the room, rather than towards any window.

ShelvesCases stand along the wall of the long common room, and the opposite side of that room is glass looking down the valley. Shelving here is fixed and permanent; the snow buildings associated with the area are constructed fresh each winter and hold nothing of the kind.

Who put them thereThe fittings belong to the hotel and are looked after by it, and the published material treats the space as a lounge that happens to have shelving in it rather than as a library. It has been kept through refurbishment rather than assembled in recent years.

What the room doesThe long room is where people sit before and after going out, and the view along it does most of the work. Reading competes with the window, which is a fair description of how the room actually behaves.

ShelvesBeside the reception desk there is a shelf of publications produced in the town and the surrounding region, and that is the printed matter of the house. It stands in the permanent building, as any winter construction in this part of the country is raised again each season.

Who put them thereThe papers arrive through local distribution and the desk keeps the shelf tidy, so the arrangement belongs to the front of house rather than to any curator. It reflects what is being published in the region at the time rather than any longer intention behind it.

What the room doesReception here doubles as the room where people wait, and the shelf sits within reach of the chairs. The building is modest and the desk is its centre, so the shelf gets used simply because it is passed.

ShelvesIn the common room on the river side of the building stands a case with books in it, and both the case and the room are part of the permanent house. Anything made of snow or ice in this region is put up again from scratch every winter.

Who put them thereThe hotel keeps the case, and the contents have gathered across many seasons of guests rather than arriving all together as a set. Published descriptions treat it as a feature of the lounge, which is an accurate way to put it and a modest one.

What the room doesThe room looks at the water and is used for sitting, waiting and eating at either end of the day. It is the warmest part of a building whose other rooms are for sleeping and for arriving out of the cold.