Oltremare Lounge Bar at Mediterraneo Sorrento Hotel

The new “Oltremare Lounge Bar” will be inaugurated. Located in the hotel lobby, every evening from six to midnight, the Oltremare will offer hotel guests a varied wine and champagne list, as well as international and signature cocktails created by our head barman Arturo Iaccarino. Also available is a selected menu of seafood specialities. Every evening there will be a DJ in the lounge, and the bar will also be open to non-resident guests. The design of the Oltremare was entrusted, as well as every area of the boutique hotel, to THDP studio in London. Sea colours are the protagonist of the design, along with natural fabrics and gold.

The project brief envisaged the restyling of the lobby spaces and the creation of a destination lobby bar in addition to the popular skybar used during the summer season. A bar space that could also be used during the winter months and that celebrated the view of the Gulf of Sorrento.

Design elements and inspirations:
The renovation involved the creation of an informal and welcoming check-in area. The waiting areas are transformed into an elegant and refined living room with a sofa with sinuous shapes and armchairs with details in natural wood and fabrics declined in a marine palette, with tones from aqua green to ultramarine blue. The existing arches are embellished with bronze frames and showcases with a collection of objects and artefacts made by local artisans and collected by the hotel owners over the last 50 years. The memorabilia collection is inspired by the Grand Tour, where Sorrento represented one of the unmissable stops starting from the 19th century.

From the lobby space, previously joined in a large room with arches, a small room has been created for private events with a double-sided fireplace that separates the room from the lobby, a chandelier with blown Murano glass waves by Italamp illuminate the space creating unexpected reflections.

Blue velvet drapes frame all the arches creating theatrical wings that open towards the ‘Oltremare’ lobby bar. The walls of the bar are covered in custom wallpaper by Jannelli and Volpi, where the blue line of the sea, visible from the large windows on the terrace, continues into the interior spaces, giving guests the sensation of immersing themselves in the blue waters, I mean of the Mediterranean Sea.

The bar counter is covered in natural brushed brass, characterized by a light dark patina that will oxidize over time, giving the surface unexpected nuances. The back of the counter is characterized by the overlapping of panels in bronze, brass and ribbed glass which overlap the bottles creating a real artwork. The transparency in its central part allows daylight to illuminate the room and during the evening hours to create interesting views from the outside.

The domes in blue burnished bronze are also made to measure and embellished with an internal coating in gold leaf. The bar also has a fixed DJ station for more social evenings.

The palette of fabrics and finishes is declined in all the shades of the sea. Upon arrival, sand and rope shades were selected as a suggestion upon arrival at the beach, also represented by the custom-designed carpet by Besana, where the waves of the sea meet the sand of the coast.

The eco-leather of the Artnet stools have a shagreen print and the tables have a laminan finish with silver reflections that recall the skin of the blue fish of the Mediterranean Sea.

Design: THDP
Photography: courtesy of THDP