The German word stuben translates to cozy living room, and that’s exactly the atmosphere Stephanie Barba Mendoza aimed to elicit in Wilde Aparthotels, Vienna, Fleischmarkt. “I wanted to lean into Vienna’s creative spirit and legacy as a place of exchange—of ideas, culture, and community,” says the London-based designer, and so she crafted an inviting lobby where locals and travelers could come together. “Aparthotels naturally sit somewhere between home and hospitality, so it was important to bring this warm, embracing sense of domesticity to life in the space.”
Barba Mendoza masterminded the public areas at the 136-key property, and their allure illuminates Wilde’s fusion of freedom and flexibility, hallmarks of the extended-stay hotel model, with imaginative design. Launched in London’s Covent Garden in 2018, Wilde Aparthotels—inspired by Irish author and playwright Oscar Wilde’s reverence for beauty—is Staycity Group’s premium spinoff brand flaunting outposts across England as well as in Berlin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, and soon Amsterdam and Porto.
Housed in the city’s former post office complex, built over the 16th to 19th centuries in the Stubenviertel quarter, the Vienna aparthotel preserves that history through elements like grand archways. Barba Mendoza also worked with local makers and suppliers wherever possible to ensure the project felt rooted in its Viennese context.
“Some of the walls and vaulted ceilings are listed, which meant we were unable to drill into them as they could be fragile. It stopped us from adding pendant lights in certain locations,” she explains. “The architecture and shell were kept intact. It has some beautiful immense columns in limestone that hold the entire building. It’s such an elegant feature.”
Wilde’s in-house design team handled the accommodations, a mix of airy bedrooms, studios, apartments, and residences decked out with wood beams and aged plasterwork. If they aren’t taking advantage of the fully equipped kitchens, guests might be unwinding at the all-day bar and café Oscar’s among books, sofas, and local artist Max Freund’s oversize floral mural meandering across the soft yellow walls. This sprawling lounge is especially animated by glimpses of the multimedia show that unfolds every evening at the AI art-focused Museum of Change across the courtyard.
Even buzzier is Rascal, the red-tinted brasserie where guests drink at the bar embellished with fretwork that recalls the Secessionist era and dine on café curtain-cocooned banquettes in the company of rich leather upholstery, polished wood, and sculptural brass wall lights. The hand painted checkered border framing the space also makes an impression. “It feels playful and unexpected,” points out Barba Mendoza, “a subtle nod to the paneling found in traditional Viennese coffeehouses.”
