Get Your Credit Cards Ready: Europe’s First Shoppable Suite Is Opening At Lake Como’s Il Sereno Th...

Photo Credit: Sara Magni

Il Sereno, a five-star property on Italy’s Lake Como, has unveiled the first fully shoppable suite in Europe. Designed by Patricia Urquiola and hotelier Luis Contreras, this stand-out penthouse features custom-made Urquiola furnishings available for purchase alongside décor pieces hand-selected by the designer. This penthouse will accept bookings beginning on August 1.

Photo Credit: Sara Magni

Standing atop a newest development at Il Sereno, adjacent to the original hotel (also the design brainchild of Urquiola and Contreras), this stunning suite features breathtaking views over Lake Como and a design language that draws from the property’s natural surroundings. From a verde-alpi green marble wall sourced from the Aosta Valley to pavement made with Ceppo di Gres (Sereno’s stone) from the neighboring mountains, the new suite echoes the hotel’s overall contemporary design that melds with its dramatic lakeside landscape.

Photo Credit: Sara Magni

Inspired by “Italian 50’s and Como silks”, Urquiola’s design emphasizes the important designers that marked the era and that are still inspiring architects all over the world today, from Carlo Scarpa to Ettore Sottsass. The interiors reflect classic post-war Italian glamour, ‘La Dolce Vita’, modernist Italian designers, the much-loved Como silks for which the region is famous, and the design icon of Il Sereno itself.

Photo Credit: Sara Magni

Notable design features include:
• Noce Canaletto (Walnut) ceiling reminiscent of post-war modern architecture
• Ceppo di Gres pavement in geometric patterns inside venetian terrazzo, inspired by Carlo Scarpa’s work in Venice in the famous Olivetti boutique
• Urquiola designed new foulards made in Como’s silk works with patterns inspired by the Lake, and luxurious Jacquard fabrics in similar patterns used for wall coverings and cushions
• Franco Albini’s fabulous Infinito bookcase along the West wall of the living room, populated with acquired old and new ceramic objects
• Objects by Gio Ponti, Vico Magistretti, Charlotte Perirand
• Murano made Tessuti Battuti vase and Essagono set of jars and glasses
• Scarpa, Ponti, Ettore Sottsass, Aldo Londi objects come together with a selection of books handpicked for the penthouse
• Late ‘1940’s vintage chair by Gio Ponti restored to keep its patina of over sixty years as the Poltrona in front of Patricia’s Love me Tender sofa in the living room

Photo Credit: Sara Magni

The choice of furniture is a tribute to the emblematic pieces of Italian design, the tradition of their local production and the architecture of the post-war years. The suite is a mixture of new bespoke pieces by Patricia Urquiola, as well as some of her latest design projects, such as the fabulous Lariana bathtub designed for Il Sereno and now available from AGAPE or the Ludo lounge chair from Capellini, mixed with classics from the likes of Franco Albini and Gio Ponti.

Photo Credit: Sara Magni

Some of the items available for retail include:

Moroso (Love me) Tender – Large Patricia Urquiola
Moroso (Love me) Tender – Medium Patricia Urquiola
Moroso (Love me) Tender – Sectional (same as PH) No Image Patricia Urquiola
Moroso Silver Lake with Armrests Patricia Urquiola
Cappellini L’Udo Patricia Urquiola
Peter Mabeo Safefo Outdoor Patricia Urquiola
B&B Italia FAT FAT Outdoor Sofa Patricia Urquiola
Cassina Infinito Bookcase Franco Albini
Cassina Luisa Chair Franco Albini
Cassina Legera Chair Gio Ponti
Cassina Super Leggera Chair No Image Gio Ponti
Tato Luna Lamp Gio Ponti
Astep Model 537 Gino Sarfatti
Oluce Atollo – 233 Vico Magistrerri

Photo Credit: Sara Magni