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Hey Atelier

Art Vacation Destination, Lüneburg Germany

Experience the unique fusion of art, nature, and creativity at Hej Atelier, a distinctive vacation destination in Heiligenthal, near Lüneburg. This year-round retreat, designed for one to two guests and a child, seamlessly blends vintage furniture, clean design, and the owner's art. Denise-Katrin Stehr, a painter and contemporary artist, infuses her unique touch into this inspiring space.

Immerse yourself in the charm of Lüneburg's historic old town, explore the city hall, and savor the local culture in pubs and cafes. Hej Atelier is not just a vacation rental; it's a sanctuary where art and nature converge, offering a truly immersive escape for those seeking inspiration and tranquility.

Text by Denise-Katrin Stehr

Imagery by Michael Barth

Who is behind Hej Atelier?

Hej Atelier is a vacation destination of retreat and creativity. It’s a place where art creates and reflects experience. Above all, Hej Atelier reflects our dream of having art, nature and creative freedom in our everyday life and making these things accessible to those who are interested in them.

At the heart of Hej Atelier is, Denise-Katrin Stehr. I am a painter, contemporary artist, mixed media artist and a graduate social worker from Lüneburg/Heiligenthal. Of course, my husband, Nikolas Schindler (educational scientist), and our two children are also a big part of it.

Where is your vacation rental located?

We both really liked the historical town of Heiligenthal, a suburb of the historical Hanseatic city of Lüneburg, where we both studied. Lüneburg is a lively student city with a historical city center.

We also really enjoy the close proximity of the surrounding nature, made up of fields, forests and heather. We built on an existing property with a historical half-timbered house on the back of it and across from a historical courtyard complex.

Can you chat a bit about what makes your property and vacation rental special?

From the very beginning, our piece of land had numerous beautiful and very old fruit trees that we wanted to integrate into our building concept. We took on the challenge of building a self-contained, meaningful and carefully integrated house into the existing environment. We took everything into account: the surroundings of the old farmhouses, as well as the old fruit trees, the very narrow piece of land and the strict construction regulations.

For this reason, we chose larch wood. Due to its natural graying, it fits subtly into the surroundings and yet is a contemporary material fitting for the present day. The construction company, Harms Köster, along with our supervising architect, Ralf Spitzke, accompanied us through the entire construction period. We also have solar (hot water) wood insulation, heat recovery, timber framework and a wooden facade that serves as an energy-saving resource. Symmetry shows itself as a design element throughout the architecture of our house.

Wood is not only used outdoors as a design element, but indoors as well. Oak wood was chosen for the stairs, the wooden parquet flooring throughout the house, the banisters and the window sills.

It gives our new structure substance, authenticity and realness. An open floor plan, with many floor-to-ceiling windows and light and air to breathe, was important to us.

We live with our children on the property and have several options for separating the building structure and subdividing it according to the phase of life we’re in. We transformed the lower part into a separate apartment, which we now have opened to guests who are looking for a private and serene getaway in an art-inspired environment.

Hej Atelier is in Lüneburg. If someone is visiting for the first time, what makes Lüneburg worth seeing? What is unique about the city? Which foodie spots can you recommend?

The city offers a wonderful old town, historical city hall, the ‘’pregnant house’’ and the many lovely restored, crooked old city houses in the inner city. As a university city with many students, Lüneburg offers pubs, cafes and restaurants; it’s much more than just a touristy trip back through time.

I’d recommend The Stint (Kneipenweile an der Ilmenau) or The Schröderstraße with many restaurants (sushi, vegan, etc). The Avenier (directly imported coffee and its own coffee roasting house) is sustainable and fair. The cafe, Bells and Beans, Dreiteiler (organic breakfast in a magical back courtyard), a small-but-grandiose pizza parlor, Rakker, and the many, many small businesses create a “savoir vivre’’ in Lüneburg. There are artisanal crafts like ceramics, fabric printing, praline shops, bon bon manufacturers, coffee roasters, ice cream manufacturers, etc. There is a great art house cinema and a theater directly in the inner city of Lüneburg.

There are many concerts in the summer and a “culture bakery,” where many studios are located and where theater plays and exhibitions happen. In the winter, the historical Christmas Market in the old town takes place, and the Christmas Market at the historical city hall is also beloved.

Lüneburg is not far away from various natural landscapes, so the peace and relaxation of nature are ready to be experienced. The Ilmenau River flows directly through Lündeburg with kayaking, pedal boating and the view of the Ever, a historical salt loading boat. In town, there are bikes and cargo bikes available for rent, so the relaxing, car-free inner city can be easily enjoyed.

Find Hej Atelier Heiligenthal/Lüneburg on booking.com and on Airbnb. You can find out more about the art on Instagram @denimantau.

Art has big significance in your house. What role does art play in your private and professional life?

We live our everyday life in and with art. I have the good fortune of having a studio with a lot of light and space, so I can work on my large-format pieces. My kids also use the large painting wall as a surface to draw on. My large canvases, wooden cubes and drawings appear again and again as a basic design element and the center of life in the house. We live in and with my art.

So, it was essential for us that the vacation rental also exclusively features my art. Vintage furniture, a clean design and authentic art is what make us and our house, including our vacation rental, us. They all offer that special feeling of having ‘’arrived.’’ Our guests report back that they drive home with new ideas and new color combinations in mind.

Is Hej Atelier available for rent the entire year? How many guests can stay with you?

The Hej Atelier vacation rental is available to rent the entire year. The apartment is suitable for one to two people, plus a child.

It is a ground-level vacation apartment rental with its own entrance. The apartment is outfitted with an underfloor heating system, real wood parquet, a full bath with shower, a bedroom, a new custom kitchen, its own garden space and a parking spot in front of the apartment.