A World First: Seaweed Hotel Room Showcases Sustainable Design on SS Rotterdam
On 28 October 2025, visitors can step inside the world’s first Seaweed Hotel Room on board the SS Rotterdam. The room is part of the North Sea Seaweed 25 event and is presented by North Sea Farmers (NSF), the European seaweed industry association, with support from Hotelschool The Hague. The project demonstrates how seaweed can serve as a sustainable design material for today and tomorrow.
Why Seaweed Matters
Seaweed is gaining attention as one of the most renewable resources available. It grows quickly without the need for fresh water, fertilisers, or farmland. It can also be cultivated locally, while producing very low carbon emissions. Because of these qualities, seaweed is an ideal candidate for replacing or enhancing traditional materials. Its uses extend into architecture, interiors, product and fashion design, as well as cosmetics and food. The Seaweed Hotel Room allows visitors to experience these applications in a realistic and inspiring setting.
Experiencing Seaweed in Design
The hotel room brings seaweed to life in everyday products. Furniture and accessories are crafted with seaweed and seagrass, and textiles are dyed using natural seaweed pigments. The bed, with mattress and bedding, blends natural fibres with seaweed-based elements. Guests can also test skincare and wellness products created with bioactive seaweed compounds. Even the minibar contributes to the experience, offering chocolate, tea and beer made with seaweed ingredients. This immersive environment shows how one resource can connect interiors, wellbeing and food in a circular way.
Collaboration and Creativity
The project unites a wide network of designers and innovators. SeawoodMaterials and Weedware supplied furniture and accessories, Cocomat developed natural bedding with seagrass, and Zeefier coloured textiles with seaweed-based dyes. Wellness brands such as Origin by Ocean, Zji and SaunaIng added body care products, while Neptune Elements and Gebrouwen door Vrouwen introduced edible creations. With design direction by l’Eautealier, Morgan Rae, all contributions came together in a coherent and imaginative interior.
Inspiring Future Designers
Hotelschool The Hague sees the project as a direct way to connect students with new design practices. “This shows how circular and local resources can create a positive ecological impact in the hospitality sector,” explains Judith van Diepen, Manager Real-Life Learning. Elisabeth Rompa Sinke, Business Manager at North Sea Farmers, adds that the hotel room encourages people to “rethink possibilities” and highlights the diversity of seaweed applications.
Source: North Sea Farmers via Duurzaam Ondernemen
Photo: Francesco Ungaro