A short walk from the sea

A long sandy, pine-forested peninsula bordering one side of the Marano lagoon in the upper Adriatic Sea leads to Lignano Sabbiadoro, a town in the province of Udine renowned for its fine sandy beach and shallow water. In the old town centre, just a short walk from the sea, stands Hotel Monaco, an establishment that was recently upgraded from 3-star to 4-star superior following the completion of a renovation project carried out by architect Oscar Rizzatti’s practice Studio ArkOs. The project addressed the real limitations of the facility, which was housed in an apartment building constructed in the early 1960s. The work included “creating a lounge/waiting area to solve the problems caused by the lack of a reception, installing a lift and creating common areas”, explains the architect. In particular, thanks to the availability of space within the courtyard and the possibility of raising one side of the building, the project “added a seven-level staircase/lift at the rear and constructed five junior suites vertically on one side. Accessory volumes on the fourth floor were subsequently converted into a further four units, and a veranda area used as a breakfast bar was added as an alternative to the first floor restaurant room, while a large panoramic terrace-solarium with a whirlpool bath was created on the fifth floor”, Rizzatti explains. The newly built suites, designed to ensure maximum comfort for guests, not only boast large spaces but also feature bathrooms with jacuzzis. “All of these aspects, together with the decision to move away from a quantity-based approach (more guests does not necessarily equate with higher revenue) and the presence of the new communal areas, separate breakfast and restaurant rooms and the panoramic solarium which encourages guests to spend the whole day at the hotel, have proved essential in raising the standard of hospitality and the overall level of quality,” comments the architect. The aesthetic continuity of Hotel Monaco is achieved through the choice of a single kind of ceramic tile for the surface coverings. The Majestic collection from Ceramiche Piemme is used in all the rooms, from the intimate and cosy reception area to the common areas of the floors and the bathrooms in the junior suites. The white marble-effect large-size porcelain tiles recreate the sophisticated quality and neutral grey and walnut veins of the original material thanks to the use of cutting-edge technology, creating elegant atmospheres and adding a touch of luminosity to spaces that are not directly lit from outside. Areedesign, the firm commissioned to carry out the interior design project, created a concept that would modernise the rooms through a choice of clean shapes and sophisticated use of materials and customised furnishings, while retaining the classicism and focus on hospitality and comfort that has always been the hallmark of Hotel Monaco. “The judicious use of a polished veined tile in contrast to the wenge-stained oak together with colours such as gold and absolute black granite creates a sense of elegance that does not tire guests and retains the typical characteristics of a seaside hotel,” concludes Areedesign.