Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola is behind the first new hotel to be built on the shores of Italy's Lake Como in decades.
Urquiola was involved in nearly every aspect of the design for the Hotel Il Sereno, from its architecture and bedroom furnishings to its staff uniforms and private boats.

The 30-suite hotel is the third property from luxury group Sereno Hotels, which also operates Villa Pliniana, a 16th-century palazzo nearby.
Il Sereno is one of few contemporary properties in the exclusive holiday spot, which Sereno Hotels describes as not having seen any new hotel construction in decades, and is built on top of an existing arched stone boathouse.

"It's a place with incredible history," Urquiola told Dezeen. "To do a new building on the lake in a contemporary way is not easy." "It took a lot of serious conversations with the mayor and the authorities. The process was slow. We spoke to six different authorities."

Urquiola joins the small number of designers to have entered the world of large-scale architecture with the project, which saw her create elements such as the hotel's central staircase.
Made of walnut wood and bronze, the stacked squares making up the steps appear to float free of one another as they wind up to the first floor.

Other materials that recur throughout the space include copper, traditional Venetian terrazzo and travertine stone.
In the bedrooms, lobby and hotel restaurant, Urquiola assembled earth-toned furnitur...