Paris sizzles as Bulgari hotel debuts
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Everywhere in the hotel, French art and Italian craftsmanship engage in a delicate dance. Age-old decorative arts such as straw marquetry from Ateliers Lison de Caunes and crazy lacquer from Atelier Midavaine provide a sumptuous backdrop to luxury Italian furniture designed by Antonio Citterio with brands like Maxalto and Flexform.
Aperitif is a centuries-old tradition in Italy, and there is no better place to participate in the French capital than the Bulgari Bar. With its high-gloss ceiling, black granite floors and imposing ivory onyx bar, this spectacular space is sure to be sought after by locals and visitors alike. Here Leonardo Zanini has reinvented the culture of transalpine cocktails with classics like Negroni and inventive libations like Scugnizzo, made with tequila, artichoke syrup, kiwi extraction and jalapeño essence.
Adjacent to the hotel bar, brilliant copper screens open onto Il Ristorante, whose walls are draped in saffron silk. The brand’s signature shade has a warm, luminous effect on the skin, creating a romantic backdrop for contemporary Italian cuisine from 3 Michelin-star chef Niko Romito. With an emphasis on seasonality and simplicity, dishes like vegetable lasagna and Milanese veal are served on colorful Ginori porcelain overlooking a leafy terrace.
The Spa Suite at the Bulgari hotel.
Photo: Tommy PiconeGastronomy aside, the spa is the hallmark of the Bulgari hotel experience. Evoking the thermal baths of ancient Rome, the hotel’s over 4,000 square foot spa area includes a semi-Olympic pool glittering with gold and malachite mosaics. A second Vitality Pool features a mosaic identical to the Roman Baths of Caracalla, which also inspired Bulgari’s Divas’ Dream jewelry collection. Visitors will find nine treatment rooms clad in warm Burmese teak and Vicenza stone, as well as a 213-square-foot spa suite designed for couples.
Above these sparkling baths and wellness facilities is the main dish from the Bulgari Paris hotel: A 2 bedroom, 3000 square foot penthouse with a roof garden occupying the top two floors of the building. With its polished eucalyptus wood panels, the space is an entirely new experience for the Bulgari brand, and one that resembles floating on a beautiful Italian yacht. All the comfort and extravagance have been taken into account, from a private fitness room and hammam to a glazed master bedroom with its frontal and central view of the Eiffel Tower. Leather bookcases filled with Gio Ponti ceramics create a sense of home, while black and white bathrooms sculpted in Arabescato marble have a breathtaking effect. On the roof, a tree-lined garden planted with oaks, magnolias, apple and pear trees offers a 360-degree view of the crowned jewels of the city, such as the Invalides and the Sacré-Coeur.