Experimental Roma: Rome's Sweet Rebellion

HOTELS · ROME

Beyond a pale stone door surround, red-striped fabric hangs behind a bed, with a round gold-coloured wall light mounted in front. This is Experimental Roma on Via Ludovisi, near Via Veneto in Rome. Rodolphe Parente undertook the interior renovation of the former bank, with a scope encompassing guest rooms, restaurants, a cocktail bar and rooftop spaces.

Bed and red-striped drapes beyond a stone doorway — A pale stone doorway frames the guest room, with red-striped drapes and round wall lights behind the bed.

Warm Colours and Metal in a Former Bank

According to the hotel, Parente combined marble and stainless steel with terracotta tones and gleaming metal, drawing on design elements from the 1970s. At the centre of the building, the restaurant sits beneath a glass roof.

Timber-coffered ceiling, metal headboard and green storage recesses — A metal headboard sits beneath a timber-coffered ceiling, with green recesses providing bedside storage.

Bedside pendant and doorway leading to the bathroom — A hemispherical pendant hangs from a chain beside the bed; a bathroom stand is visible through the doorway.

Round mirror and twin basins against a pale-blue panel — A round mirror stands against a pale-blue panel, above twin basins with mesh fabric hanging below.

Yellow ceiling and striped drapery behind the bed — Striped drapes sit beneath a bright-yellow ceiling, with gold-coloured wall lights on either side of the bed.

Warm colours predominate on the guest-room walls, while pale stone frames the doorways. Through successive openings, a bathroom mirror and window come into view. Some rooms have deep-red ceilings; others use bright yellow, distinct from the walls below.

Ornate building beyond stone steps, an iron gate and palms — An ornate building, palms and stone steps stand beyond a boundary wall and iron gate.

Drapery and Metal: Two Approaches to the Headboard

In one group of rooms, striped fabric rises almost to the ceiling behind the bed. Draped over a dark rail, its upper edge falls in gentle folds, with round gold-coloured wall lights mounted in front. Slender reading lights and yellow bedside cabinets sit alongside the bed. Some rooms also have internal shutters.

Metal headboard and green recesses beneath framed pictures — Framed pictures rest on the metal headboard, with slender reading lights beside the green recesses.

Other rooms have metal headboards with green storage recesses on either side and framed pictures and vases arranged along the top. Hemispherical pendant lights hang beside the bed. Some rooms feature timber-coffered ceilings and a cantilevered desk against the wall, with a small decorative mirror above.

Striped bed drapery and round gold-coloured wall lights — Striped fabric hangs along the wall behind the bed, with round wall lights mounted in front.

Hemispherical bedside pendant and in-room drinks cabinet — A hemispherical pendant hangs beneath a dark ceiling, with bottles visible in the bedside cabinetry.

Basin counter and towel rail in a warm-coloured bathroom — A pale basin counter pairs with a dark panel behind the mirror, while a metal towel rail is fixed to the warm-coloured wall.

Curtains beneath a timber-coffered ceiling and buildings beyond the window — Full-length curtains frame a window below a timber-coffered ceiling, with neighbouring buildings visible outside.

Yellow bedside cabinet and slender reading light — A yellow cabinet sits beside the bed, with a slender reading light extending from one side.

Camera on a polygonal table and upholstered stool beside it — A camera and papers lie on a polygonal tabletop, with an upholstered stool alongside.

Round wall light in front of red-and-white striped fabric — A round gold-coloured wall light is mounted in front of vertically striped red-and-white fabric.

Round mirror and basin against a deep-red back panel — A deep-red panel backs a round mirror, which reflects a window and palms outside.

Round Mirrors and Geometric Bathroom Floors

The bathrooms also have warm-coloured walls, paired with multicoloured geometric floors. Above the basins, round mirrors stand against pale-blue or deep-red back panels. Mesh fabric hangs below the counters, with metal supports and shelves visible through it.

Seating and coffee table beneath a coffered ceiling — Low armchairs and a sofa surround a coffee table beneath a timber-coffered ceiling.

Illuminated drinks cabinet within pale cabinetry — A warmly lit drinks cabinet is recessed into pale cabinetry, with bottles and glassware on glass shelves.

Freestanding bath by a window and geometric floor pattern — A freestanding bath sits by the window, with a geometric floor extending towards the basin counter.

Twin basins and mesh fabric below a round mirror — A metal stand supports the twin basins, with mesh fabric partially screening the space below.

Bed and desk by the window in a room with a coffered ceiling — The bed sits beneath a timber-coffered ceiling, with a black-framed chair at the window-side desk.

Red-striped drapery and bedside cabinet next to the window — Red-striped drapery behind the bed meets the window frame, with a small stool and bedside cabinet nearby.

Freestanding baths sit near the windows, served by taps projecting from the walls. The mirrors above the basins reflect window frames, palms and buildings opposite. Similar round mirrors and basin stands recur across the bathrooms, while the back panels and ceilings vary in colour.

Palms and pines above a boundary wall — Palm, pine and other tree canopies overlap above a boundary wall against a cloudy sky.

Desks, Seating and Drinks Cabinets

In the suites, low seating surrounds a textured coffee table, with full-length curtains at the windows. Adjacent cabinetry contains a gold-lined drinks cabinet, its glass shelves holding bottles and glassware above a dark counter and pale drawers.

Red bed drapery and yellow cabinet — Red-striped drapery hangs from a dark rail, with a yellow cabinet on one side of the bed.

Metal headboard and cantilevered desk in a guest room — A metal headboard, cantilevered desk and window are arranged along the two sides of the guest room.

Successive door surrounds leading to a bathroom with a round mirror — Successive door surrounds lead towards the bathroom, where a round mirror and geometric floor are visible.

Bed and headboard display beneath a timber-coffered ceiling — White bedding sits beneath a timber-coffered ceiling, with framed pictures and vases on the metal headboard.

Desk by the window and green headboard recess — A desk by the window faces the bed, with reading material in a green recess beside the headboard.

View from the bed towards the round bathroom mirror — Seen from beside the bed, a round bathroom mirror appears beyond a pale door surround.

Cantilevered desk and black chair beneath a decorative mirror — A reading lamp stands on the cantilevered desk, with a small decorative mirror on the wall above.

Bed and coffee table beneath a yellow ceiling — A glossy yellow ceiling reflects light from the window, with reading material on the coffee table in front of the bed.

Hemispherical pendant light and vases on the headboard — Blue and pale vases sit on the headboard below a hemispherical pendant light.

Striped drapes, round wall light and bedside reading material — A round gold-coloured wall light sits in front of striped drapes, with reading material stacked on the bedside cabinet.

Window beside striped drapes and furniture near the foot of the bed — A window sits beside striped drapes, with a small stool and desk near the foot of the bed.

Two types of light in front of a striped bed backdrop — White bedding meets vertically striped fabric, with a reading light to the side and a round wall light above.

A cantilevered desk sits against the wall, furnished with a reading lamp and a black-framed chair beneath. The desk and bed occupy opposite sides of the room, with a window beside the desk.

Framed pictures and vases on a metal headboard — Framed pictures and vases line the metal headboard, with green storage recesses set into either side.

Person in a guest room beside a chain-hung pendant — A person dressed in black stands in the guest room beside a chain-hung pendant light.

Decorative mirror and lamp above a cantilevered desk — A small decorative mirror hangs above a cantilevered desktop, with a slender lamp angled towards the surface.

Metal headboard, pale vases and green storage recess — Pale vases sit on the metal headboard, with reading material in the green recess.

Headboard pictures and reading light beside a green recess — Framed pictures lean above the metal headboard, with a slender reading light beside the green recess.

Bottles and glassware inside a gold-lined drinks cabinet — Open cabinet doors reveal a gold-coloured lining, with bottles and glassware on glass shelves.

Round mirror, pale-blue panel and geometric bathroom floor — A round mirror hangs against a pale-blue panel, with geometric flooring extending beneath the twin basins.

Freestanding bath, wall-mounted tap and artwork — A wall-mounted tap sits above the freestanding bath, with a small artwork on the warm-coloured wall.

Bed, storage recesses and desk in a room with a coffered ceiling — Storage recesses flank the bed beneath a timber-coffered ceiling, with a desk and chair beside the window.

Corner of a yellow building beside trees — Rows of windows and dark shutters line the corner of a yellow building, partly screened by trees.

Yellow building façade seen between tree canopies — Seen between tree canopies, the yellow building has repeated window surrounds and horizontal mouldings along its façade.

Drapes fall from close to the ceiling, with round wall lights mounted in front of the fabric; other rooms feature metal headboards, green storage recesses and hemispherical pendant lights.

Project credits

Project — Experimental Roma
Location — Via Ludovisi, Rome, Italy
Interior design — Rodolphe Parente
Hotel brand and operator — Experimental Group
Project type — Hotel renovation
Former building use — Bank
Photography — Giulio Ghirardi
Images courtesy of — Rodolphe Parente
Original feature — Yellowtrace, Team Yellowtrace
Additional sources — Rodolphe Parente’s official project page; Experimental Roma’s official website
Editorial adaptation — 01DES