One of Belmond’s hotels in Italy will undergo a complete redesign while it is closed for the winter.
Belmond Splendido Mare and the linked Chuflay restaurant, set in the Portofino harbour, will be refurbished by Parisian interior designers Festen Architecture.
The revamp, which draws inspiration from nautical traditions, will see each of the 14 rooms styled like an Italian fishing boat using natural wood, ropes and brass.
It will be decorated with Italian furniture, such as antiques by Paolo Buffa, fabric from Loro Piana and Rubelli, wall lamps using Murano glass, and hand-crafted headboards by Veronique de Soultrait.
Door archways and ceilings will be painted in traditional Ligurian colours – amber, sea green and terracotta.
Bathroom decor will be inspired by the neighbouring Santa Margherita beach cabins, using white and yellow geometric wall tiles and white marble floor.
“We like to work on a transformation of classical space, delving into a storied past to conceptualise its future,” said Charlotte de Tonnac, co-founder of Festen Architecture.
“Our work for Belmond Splendido Mare cherishes its humble beginning and a cinematic setting of Portofino. The redesign will evoke a stylish home where contemporary and vintage pieces co-exist to provide a timeless feel.”
The hotel, which is down the hill from its sister Belmond Hotel Splendido, is scheduled to reopen in June 2020.
Arnaud Champenois, Belmond’s senior vice-president of brand and marketing, added: “The new Splendido Mare will celebrate that timeless Italian sophistication by incorporating the highpoint of Italian mid-century modern design that corresponds to the incomparable spirit of Portofino.”