About

Hidden Fortress is an interior architecture studio based in Berlin, with a deep interest in furniture, hospitality and bar culture. We design hospitality, retail and other spatial environments, accompanying projects from early strategy to planning, procurement and realisation.

Our approach is shaped by an ongoing interest in natural materials, their aging processes and the atmosphere they create over time. We aim for clarity, continuity and permanence, designing spaces that can endure both physically and culturally.

Hidden Fortress was founded in Berlin in 2013 by Jan Maley, Björn Meier and Ingo Strobel. The studio’s portfolio ranges from holistic interior architecture for hospitality and retail environments to the development of custom furniture and product design.

Wallpaper, Surface, Interior Design Magazine, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Stylepark, Mixology Magazine, Lumitecture (Thames & Hudson), Shopkeepers (Gestalten), Holistic Retail Design, Powershop 5 & Night Fever 5 (Frame Publishers) ...

Hidden Fortress has designed interiors for bars and hospitality spaces whose operators have received wide recognition within the industry.

Selected projects include KINK, awarded Restaurant-Bar of the Year and Bar Team of the Year at the Mixology Bar Awards 2023; Buck & Breck, Bar of the Year 2015 and Bar Institution of the Year 2026, repeatedly listed in The World's 50 Best Bars and peaking at No. 7 in 2016; Bar Zentral, shortlisted for New Bar of the Year 2017; Seven Swans & The Tiny Cup, New Bar of the Year 2016; and Wabi Sabi Shibui, Restaurant-Bar of the Year 2020.