Six Senses Rome Hotel

The historic Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini in Rome has recently reopened to the public in its new guise as Six Senses Rome Hotel, ready to welcome its guests in a building that has achieved a perfect juxtaposition of classical and contemporary elements. The restoration and refurbishment was a painstaking project in which Starching worked closely with Prof. Paolo Micalizzi of Roma Tre University, ensuring complete compliance with the constraints dictated by the Superintendence of Fine Arts and in perfect continuity with the historical soul of the building. Although the restoration was careful to maintain the historical construction, the building is now enriched with innovative esthetic solutions that bring new interpretations of the old spaces, many of them designed by Patricia Urquiola. 

Upon entering the facility, one’s eye is immediately caught by the monumental marble staircase, decorated with 600 columns and topped by a skylight that allows natural light to flood into this grand space. Margraf’s natural stone flooring and wall cladding – Palladian, Travertino Romano Classico, marble and other natural stones – add elegance to the reception, common areas, café & restaurant and spa. 

This is especially true in the basement-level wellness center, where the refined wall cladding by Margraf gives a new key to interpreting this evocative environment inspired by Roman baths. Through the use of fine materials and original designs, the memory of ancient rituals blends with latest hi-tech treatments in a marriage of timeless surfaces and elegant creative additions. Where necessary, the Travertino Romano Classico marble that lines the walls of the tepidarium was shaped to create entrance ways, while the surfaces bordering the baths were embellished in several places using a laurel leaf design inspired by the myth of Apollo and Daphne, worked in low relief and cut using a water jet. The Roman baths feature a Palladian-style floor in Verde Cipollino marble – creating a direct link to the Roman architectural tradition – a one-piece washbasin in the same material, and some delightful artistic mosaic inlays. With its fine claddings and floorings, Margraf played a key role in creating a unique and exclusive space where matter and genius meet, allowing guests of the prestigious hotel to fully enjoy a luxurious and contemporary spa.