“Questa casa non e’ un albergo!” This typical Italian mother’s rebuke – in English, “this house is not a hotel” – is the inspiration behind ZETASTUDIO’s Capri Suite in Anacapri, Italy. For visitors and vacationers, the house is a hotel; the charming suite not only offers guest services, but delivers a healthy dose of hospitality that makes it a home away from home. Giuliano Andrea dell’Uva, the principal architect, remains true to the history and natural beauty of Anacapri by including elements such as an Italian courtyard garden and ceilings that mimic the rustic look of a barrel roof. The suite carries a history of its own, and is a restoration project of a wing of the San Michele convent church. A hall connecting the individual rooms offer a peek into the garden, inviting light to wash the space. In a similar fashion, a strategic interplay of glass panels, windows, and mirrors flood the rooms with light and marry the scenic view of Anacapri with the building’s own architectural character. The façade of the building is a calming lime-white that acts as homage to the strata in Anacapri’s hills and cliffs, and is contrasted by the textured walls within. Lemon-yellow and cerulean furnishings, many of which are creations of Italian designer Gio Ponti, breathe color into the building’s interior as well as provide a modern contrast to the homey, traditional qualities of the space.
