![Italian architect Cristina Celestino in the Happy Room she designed.](/content/dam/images/g/t/3/0/6/b/image.related.afrArticleLead.620x350.gt2sb5.png/1480931202737.jpg)
King Solomon had a magic carpet to whiz around his realm amassing untold riches; now Fendi has its equally fabulous Happy Room to traverse the globe in untrammelled glamour.
According to legend, Solomon's carpet was made of green silk with a golden weft, 60 miles long and 60 miles wide. "When Solomon sat upon the carpet he was caught up by the wind, and sailed through the air so quickly that he breakfasted at Damascus and supped in Media," according to the 1906 Jewish Encyclopaedia.
Fendi's Happy Room is made of velvet, marble and fur, with mirrored accents, and will serve as a travelling VIP dressing room for the type of client who breakfasts in Paris and sups in Milan. Created by the Italian architect Cristina Celestino, it will criss-cross the globe – popping up at suitable locations to host trunk shows and personal appointments for VIPS with a focus on the Italian luxury house's most prestigious offerings, including made to measure and custom creations.
"The Happy Room offers an intimate, private and personal experience designed to host our very important clients worldwide," says Fendi chairman and chief executive Pietro Beccari. "The name expresses a sense of lightness and pleasure. The ideas were to give value to the time and care for oneself."
![An illustration of the Happy Room, which promises a special experience for Fendi's most important clients worldwide.](/content/dam/images/g/t/3/2/s/n/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1480671849165.jpg)
Unveiled at Design Miami this month, the space has a '50s meets art deco vibe and includes an arched changing screen, a mustard velvet sofa, armchairs in mint green and low tables with marble inlays.
There are several references to design elements of Fendi, including the distinctive arches of the company's new headquarters, the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome. These are replicated in the marble inlays of the low tables in the room, which have bases made to resemble the closure of an earring. References to the Fendi fur atelier abound in the grey fox fur trims on furniture.
New fur treatment
Celestino also created a new fur treatment under resin called Etere, which is reminiscent of Karl Lagerfeld's 1971 Astuccio fur collection for Fendi, and is displayed in dark blue and light grey panels on a screen with a frosted 3D effect. The inlays recur around the room in the low tables, which play on the contrast between various types of marble, including Roman travertine, green Saint Denis and Rosso Lepanto and onyx.
Celestino first caught Fendi's attention at Milan's international furniture and design show Salone del Mobile in April, where she won the special jury prize for Plumage, an innovative ceramic and porcelain mosaic made by hand. The architect and designer has used a Plumage mosaic on the walls of the Happy Room as part of her exploration of geometry, form and colour, which Beccari describes as "very refined, feminine and sophisticated, with always a touch of ironic playfulness".
![Fendi creative director Silvia Venturini in the Happy Room that has a '50s meets art deco vibe.](/content/dam/images/g/t/3/0/6/y/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1480671849248.jpg)
Selecting Design Miami for the debut of the Happy Room is a continuation of the luxury brand's partnership with the design fair. Since 2008, Fendi has collaborated with architects, designers and studios including Guglielmo Ulrich, Dimore Studio, and Maarten De Ceulaer on projects that have been displayed to coincide with the event.
"It brings together the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics from around the world in celebration of design culture and commerce, so it was the perfect location to preview our Happy Room."
NEED TO KNOW
Fendi opened its first Australian flagship store in the Chadstone shopping precinct in Melbourne this month. Address: ground floor, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone. Tel: (03) 9569 802. Its second store in Australia opens at Westfield Sydney on December 15.
The first confirmed location for the Happy Room is Omotesando, in Tokyo.
AFR Contributor