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Fornasetti Suite at Mandarin Oriental Milan celebrates Piero’s visionary world

Barnaba Fornasetti has transformed a suite at Mandarin Oriental Milan into an immersive encounter with the Atelier's decorative universe, drawing from his father's visionary designs of the 1950s.

By Jordana LynchWednesday, 4th of November 20262 min read
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A red decorative panel featuring etched musical instruments including a guitar with piano keys and ornamental lute designs rendered in silvery white lines
Fornasetti (@fornasetti)

Stepping into the Fornasetti Suite at Mandarin Oriental Milan is to enter a three dimensional essay on illusion and ornament. Barnaba Fornasetti, custodian of his father Piero’s extraordinary creative legacy, orchestrated this transformation in 2015 at the invitation of architects Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel, creating a space where the boundaries between surface, depth and imagination dissolve entirely.

A living room with sage green walls, a cream curved sofa with grey pillows flanked by black sculptural armchairs, a red decorative panel above, and architectural wallpaper in neutral tones creating trompe-l'oeil effects

The suite breathes the Fornasetti philosophy through every considered gesture. Walls wear papers depicting Milan’s architectural grandeur in meticulous black and white engravings, their classical facades rendered as architectural illusions that play with perspective and scale. A vibrant red canvas punctuates the cool green walls, etched with instruments both whimsical and precise: a guitar merged with keyboard keys, a lute transformed into something fantastical. This is Piero’s vocabulary translated into the language of contemporary luxury. Furnishings honour the Atelier’s distinctive silhouettes and decorative vocabulary: pieces that marry functionality with theatrical grace.

A monumental black and white engraved wallpaper depicting a symmetrical architectural fantasy with classical buildings, domes, columns and ornamental details in intricate linear perspective

The decorative motifs that earned Fornasetti international renown in the mid twentieth century animate the space with wit and sophistication. Faces, fantastical creatures, musical instruments and architectural elements repeat and recombine across surfaces, creating a cabinet of wonders within a suite. Lampbases stand like miniature classical columns. Every surface becomes a canvas for ornamental storytelling.

A red decorative panel featuring etched musical instruments including a guitar with piano keys and ornamental lute designs rendered in silvery white lines

The suite offers guests an intimate understanding of how Fornasetti translated the visual language of Renaissance Milan and classical antiquity into a modern decorative system, one that remains utterly original. It is not mere nostalgia but rather the living, breathing embodiment of an Atelier’s creative philosophy. Those wishing to experience this immersive world can contact Mandarin Oriental Milan directly to arrange their stay.

A red decorative panel featuring etched musical instruments including a guitar with piano keys and ornamental lute designs rendered in silvery white lines
A red decorative panel featuring etched musical instruments including a guitar with piano keys and ornamental lute designs rendered in silvery white lines

Imagery courtesy of Fornasetti (@fornasetti).

A living room with sage green walls, a cream curved sofa with grey pillows flanked by black sculptural armchairs, a red decorative panel above, and architectural wallpaper in neutral tones creating trompe-l'oeil effects
A monumental black and white engraved wallpaper depicting a symmetrical architectural fantasy with classical buildings, domes, columns and ornamental details in intricate linear perspective
A red decorative panel featuring etched musical instruments including a guitar with piano keys and ornamental lute designs rendered in silvery white lines
A red decorative panel featuring etched musical instruments including a guitar with piano keys and ornamental lute designs rendered in silvery white lines
A red decorative panel featuring etched musical instruments including a guitar with piano keys and ornamental lute designs rendered in silvery white lines

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