Vipp Palazzo Monti Pop-Up Hotel: Walking into a Masters Painting

13/02/2023 - From 18 April, the Baroque frames of Palazzo Monti - a 13th-century palace in the heart of Brescia, from 2017, under the aegis of curator and founder Edoardo Monti - take on a new dimension by merging art, design and hospitality with a pop-up hotel by Danish design brand Vipp.

Envisioned as a liveable installation, realised by Danish interior designer Julie Cloos Mølsgaard, Vipp Palazzo Monti is the 7th entry in Vipp’s guesthouse portfolio, a deconstructed hotel concept involving leading architects and designers in the exploration of architectural archetypes turned one-of-a-kind bookable venues. “We have a loft, a shelter, a factory, and a farmhouse in our guesthouse portfolio. Now, during April, which epitomises European design, we add a palazzo to our list of one-room wonders. Our ambition is to transform objects into curated design experiences. At Vipp Palazzo Monti, this experience reaches a whole new dimension”, says Kasper Egelund, 3rd generation owner and CEO of Vipp.

The ephemeral venue will open its gates on April 18th, 2023 at the occasion of Salone del Mobile, turning Italy into the world’s epicentre of design.

Located in Brescia, halfway between Milan and Verona, stands a 13th-century palace decorated with frescoes from 1750: entering its opulent gates of the palazzo is like stepping into an old master's painting. A voluminous staircase framed by pastel frescoes guides the guest in an almost royal manner to the Vipp guesthouse occupying the first floor. Three consecutive rooms, including a hallway, a salon and a bedroom with adjacent walk-in and bathroom, are transformed into a contemporary suite boasting Vipp’s minimalist furniture and lighting collection against a backdrop of ornamented décor and art pieces. Danish interior designer Julie Cloos Mølsgaard has imagined both the rooms and the combined kitchen and dining area occupying the ground floor. Here in the so-called piano nobile (hosting floor), a modular V1 kitchen island from Vipp in matte black takes centre stage in a curious dialogue between contemporary industrial design under a loft of historic Venetian frescoes and over a tiled floor of locally crafted jade tiles. Repeated green detailing is a reminiscence of the region’s interior style from the 1600s.

“Celebrating contemporary art and design in classic frames, the interior scheme unveils a sophisticated dialogue between new and old. Historic ornamentation becomes a complementing contrast to the industrial design heritage of Vipp. They say opposites attract. I call it chemistry in its purest form”, explains Julie Cloos Mølsgaard.

Waking up under 3-meter-high fresco-adorned ceilings as the only guest in the ephemeral space gives plenty of room for an out-of-the-ordinary experience. The communal space invites for an espresso and chats with the three current artists following Palazzo Monti’s residency program. Visit the artist in their workshop on the top floor of the palazzo with scenic views over Brescia’s historic neighbourhood boasting UNESCO heritage sites and endless streets of osterias full of charm and Italian delicacies. “Palazzo Monti showcases a broad array of art exhibitions. For the first time, we will host a liveable installation curated by Vipp where we invite guests to check into our residency”, says Edoardo Monti, founder of Palazzo Monti.

The Monti Edition, limited edition Vipp Swivel chair Imagined for the interior is a new Vipp Swivel chair titled Monti Edition. A limited number of Vipp’s Swivel chair are upholstered in a rich textile woven in Italy by the renowned textile company Torri Lana. Available in selected stores from March.

Vipp on Archiproducts.com