It is a spin-off of the exclusive Le Sereno in Saint Barthélemy, built by the same owners; it lies on the edge of a cliff in a quiet and secluded Como town called Torno. The hotel has 30 rooms with a view of the Lake. It took a total of 5 years to transform the old Villa Flora into the luxurious 5-star hotel Il Sereno.
The hotel is not just another grand dame of Lake Como, filled with age-old antiques. This is Lake Como for the next generation. Designer Patricia Urquiola has decorated the hotel and brings her cutting-edge look from Milan to Lake Como. We are invited to take a look at this overwhelming hotel! Curious?
Upon arrival at the hotel we are met by a doorman. He gives us a small tour, through the vertical gardens created by the botanist Patrick Blanc which consists of 2000 individual plants and more than 130 individual species. Upon arrival we enjoy a delicious welcome drink on the hotel’s large terrace, lined with soft sofas and nesting chairs in ivory and wood tones, the view is breathtaking. For interior enthusiasts like us, not only is the view breathtaking, the interior also makes our hearts skip a beat!
Patricia Urquiola
The originally Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola has many beautiful designs to her name. She has designed furniture collections for Louis Vuitton, Gan Rugs, Molteni, Kartell and B & B Italia and opened her own studio in Milan in 2001 and received a royal award in her homeland Spain. She has been named “designer of the year” by Wallpaper, Ad Spain, Elle Decor International and Architektur und Wohnen Magazine.
Hotel
Urquiola has used natural elements (wood, copper and stone) as much as possible to create an open feeling. For example, large windows have been placed throughout the hotel to create a 360 degree view of the lake. In the airy, living room-like lobby, Urquiola and a local builder have made a 22-meter-high walnut wood staircase where every step looks like it’s floating in the air. Almost all furniture in the lobby and suites come from Italian top designers such as B & B Italia, Cassina, Molteni and of course Patricia Urquiola himself.
Local artisans
Urquiola has had many of her designs produced locally. Milan is less than 60 kilometers away and the countryside between the fashion capital and Como is home to many of the world’s best furniture makers. Even the mattresses for the bed are produced a few kilometers away from Como. The color combination is mainly based on colors from nature and surroundings. So you see lots of green, blue, brown and nude shades, even on the headboard of the bed you can see Lake Como in a graphic print.
No trip to Como is complete without a cruise on the lake. Il Sereno has had two beautiful wooden Riva boats built so that you can end your trip with a romantic round trip on the lake! Il Sereno is a true place to relax and enjoy everything but also everything around you!
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Article by Tahnee van der Merwe
Foto’s & Video door Zack van der Merwe