Over the last three years, iconic jeweler Bulgari has expanded its collection of international hotels to include three new metropolises: Tokyo, Rome and Paris. As with all Bulgari addresses, each hotel was designed by world-renowned architecture and interior design practice ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel to harmonize the house’s signature of Italian glamour with the surrounding city’s traditions. Another constant is Antonio Citterio’s own AXOR Citterio collection, finished in chrome, which can be found in each of the hotels’ bathrooms.
AXOR Citterio. A Modern Icon.
First introduced in 2000, Antonio Citterio’s iconic AXOR Citterio collection continues to inspire and distinguish premier design projects—and, in particular, the decades-long collaboration between ACPV ARCHITECTS and Bulgari Hotels.
By its timeless, elemental design and singular character, the collection lays a cornerstone of distinctive luxury in the bathroom that helps make the Bulgari Hotel experience an unrivaled beacon of Italian gioia di vivere across cultures and continents.
The Italian Signature of Elegance
There is a universal fingerprint—defined by the shared Italian heritage and meticulous sensibility of Bulgari and ACPV ARCHITECTS—that guides the spirit of all Bulgari destinations. Dedicated to “outstanding craftsmanship and artistic detail”, the design of each hotel embodies Bulgari’s characteristic precision and appreciation for precious materials, its rich yet effortless approach to luxury. Artisanal textiles, extraordinary stonework and bespoke furnishings by an assortment of elite Italian designers are mainstays in any location. For the public spaces, exquisite spas and the exclusive Il Ristorante Niko Romito—serving site-specific, contemporary Italian haute cuisine—set a universal benchmark for pure Italian excellence across addresses.
However, the defining point for any Bulgari hotel is undoubtedly the location itself. Guided by the brand’s “sense of place” philosophy, each site is carefully selected to lie at the beating heart of the city and its interior designed to weave local vernacular into the Bulgari fabric. These three latest installments in the Bulgari saga are no exception, each with a distinct location and distinguished design concept to boast.
Tokyo
Nestled atop an ultra-skyscraper in the bustling Yaesu 2-Chome North District, the Bulgari Hotel Tokyo offers panoramic views reaching from the mystic gardens of the imperial palace below to the wider city skyline and Mount Fuji on the horizon. Inside, the space “reveals the more feminine dimension of Japanese culture”, as architect Patricia Viel explains. Regional elements including temple-like pointed arches, handmade hinoki furnishings and a selection of fabrics by centuries-old Kyoto textile makers complement characteristic Italian touches such as vintage Bulgari design pieces and furnishings designed in part by Citterio himself. A vibrant palette of orange saffron, black and elm—a material deeply rooted in the local culture—enhances the mood.
In the guest bathrooms, simple, angular shapes and undulating surfaces create an atmosphere that is unmistakably generous, albeit informed by the Japanese imperative for restraint, simplicity and comfort. An achromatic blend of Italian stone sets the backdrop for warm hinoki wood accents, subtle splashes of color and—naturally—fixtures from the AXOR Citterio collection in chrome. With its neutral yet brilliant finish and strong elemental shapes, the collection makes a bold statement while seamlessly integrating with the hotel’s marriage of Japanese and Italian design.
Rome
Housed within a rationalist building by Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo and directly facing the ancient Mausoleum of Augustus and Ara Pacis monument, the Bulgari Hotel Roma had no other choice than to be an epic homage to the brand’s hometown. Inside, breathtaking Murano chandeliers, a kaleidoscopic blend of Italian stone and a medley of impeccable Italian fittings instantly immerses guests in an ambiance of total luxury. The public spaces follow suit, with a 2000-year-old marble statue of Augustus, public library of Roman arts and sprawling rooftop giardino being just some of the sights to behold.
The guest bathrooms are a masterclass in Italian elegance, variegating between complex tapestries of contrasting stone textures, monochromatic expanses of marble—green from Brazil, yellow from Iran, red from Sudan—and hand-laid mosaics depicting historic Bulgari masterpieces. The overall effect is an extraordinary evocation of Roman history, from the baths of Caracalla and Emperor Augustus’ appreciation for exotic materials to the design traditions of Bulgari and 20th-century Rome. The AXOR Citterio collection in chrome continues this tradition into the present. By its monumental shapes, modernist proportions and timeless surface, the collection feels right at home in this remarkable ode to the Eternal City.
Paris
Situated in Paris’ golden triangle, a stone’s throw away from the city’s most important monuments and elite hotels, the Bulgari Hotel Paris embodies a casual yet uncompromising approach to luxury—rendered with unmistakable Bulgari spirit—that stands out from the crowd. From the outside, the hotel’s minimalist facade of traditional Parisian ashlar masonry and two-story, palazzo-esque windows immediately creates an aura of serene magnificence. This sensibility continues inside, with graceful interiors of varnished eucalyptus woodwork, refined stonework and masterful lacquer, parchment and straw marquetry, complemented by a tasteful blend of silk, linen and cashmere.
Guests tiring of the Bulgari Paris’ bedside Eiffel-Tower vistas will find a worthy retreat in their bathrooms. Creamy marble, frosted glass wall lights and resplendent chrome trimmings create an air of easygoing elegance. This mood finds an ideal complement in the precise, contemporary form and classic Chrome finish of AXOR Citterio at the shower, bath and washbasin.
