Bentley Hotel Istanbul

The work of Milanese architect Piero Lissoni, the Bentley is a careful balance of orient and occident befitting its location in Istanbul – the bridge connecting Europe and Asia.

After three years of construction under the guidance of Lissoni and Nicoletta Canesi, the Bentley opened in Istanbul in 2003 as a temple of radiance and light in the centre of the city’s European section. Glass features heavily in Lissoni’s design and is meant to invite the visual stimulation from the streets outside into the interior of the hotel, which in contrast, is full of the clean lines and subtle colours typical for Italian design. First indications of the blend of oriental and western influences Lissoni was after, is found in the hotel’s lounge. Ottoman turquoise velvet fabrics cover chairs give a voluptuous twist to the clean-lined table, by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, at which they’re placed.

The hotel’s 40 guestrooms and ten suites are a testament to minimalism and harmony: Floor to ceiling windows continue the theme of glass and light. Pale hues of blue, beige, green and grey in the rooms’ interiors set a transparent, light-flooded scene, where warm parquet flooring and light beige boucle carpets lend something of the traditional to this temple of cool. Custom-made furniture and tables are all made of olive stained oak. Those guests staying in the penthouse step out onto private terraces with panoramic views across the Bosphorus to the Golden Horn. Lissoni conceded to incorporating one single round element in the entire building: A glaringly white staircase wraps itself around an elliptical column that acts as the pure and understated backbone of the overwhelming elegance of this hotel.

Piero Lissoni
Nicoletta Canesi