Special Delivery

Jen DeRose -- Interior Design, 2/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

When Michael Sieger's daughter was born in an 1852 hospital in Münster, Germany, the managing director of Sieger Design immediately noticed the outdated facilities. "I couldn't believe anybody could begin to feel better in such a cold and uncomfortable atmosphere," he says. Known for luxury goods manufactured under the name Sieger—from 24-karat gold-plated goblets to sumptuous silk ties—he also designs the occasional interior. So he embarked on a collaboration with the hospital to update and upscale its maternity ward.

He began in the patient rooms, installing maple-veneered armoires and matching headboards fitted with dimmable task lights. He also enlarged the adjacent bathrooms and added his own sink and shower fittings.

In one delivery room, his pedestal sink stands near a freestanding tub used for water births. Both the outside of the tub and a nearby wall are clad in blue mosaic tile, chosen for its calming effect. "Luxury is in the details," Sieger says. "We had to fulfill the hospital's needs without compromising aesthetics." With medical devices discreetly stowed away in cabinetry and audiovisual equipment playing images and music of the mother's choice, the room is definitely Sieger's baby.

From top: In a bathroom in the maternity ward at Germany's St. Franziskus-Hospital Münster, the ceramic sink and ceramic-tiled shower are paired with Michael Sieger's fittings. Sieger also designed the sink in this terrazzo-floored delivery room.

From top: Glass mosaic tile clads the birthing tub and a wall in the delivery room. Patient rooms feature maple-veneered millwork and Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina's tasklighting.

SINK (BATHROOM), CUSTOM TUB (DELIVERY ROOM): DOMOVARI. SINK, SHOWER FITTINGS (BATHROOM), TUB FITTINGS (DELIVERY ROOM): DORNBRACHT. SINK (DELIVERY ROOM): DURAVIT. SCONCES: FLOS. TILE: BISAZZA. TASK LIGHTS (PATIENT ROOM): ARTEMIDE. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: LUDES ARCHITEKTEN-INGENIEURE.