L’Observatoire will join the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in 2025. It is the first carriage to be designed by an artist onboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and will become the most spacious accommodation type onboard the train. The private carriage will offer a bedroom with a double bed, an en-suite bathroom, wardrobe, reclining day bed, lounge area, library and a secret tearoom with a fireplace. There will also be rounded windows and an oculus skylight on the ceiling to take in the landscapes of Europe.
Each of the spaces will have hidden details curated by artist JR "to drive curiosity and instill a sense of imagination." These include hidden compartments and secret messages layered in the intricate marquetry.
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express totals 17 carriages built in the 1920s and 1930s. At that time, acclaimed designers and exponents of the Art Deco movement, such as René Prou and René Lalique (who created the train’s tulip lamp and the glass paneling of the Côte d’Azur restaurant car), were commissioned to decorate these carriages. Almost a century later, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express chose JR to infuse new life into one of its original carriages, Sleeping Car 3553, through a restoration of the interiors.
Tip: In celebration of Biennale Arte, Belmond is offering the public a chance to peek inside this carriage in Venice until April 22, 2024. Visitors can peek inside this carriage through several viewpoints located on its windows to discover JR’s design as it unfolds through the different environments including a bedroom, an en-suite bathroom, lounge area, library and secret tearoom. Until April 19, L’Observatoire will be on display at Fondamenta Vendramin (Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice) and open from 2-5 p.m. From April 20-22, it will be on display at Riva Dei Sette Martiri and open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
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