Ben Arpéa Reinvents the Roman Suite at Casa Monti, the Roman Artist’s Home
In the vibrant heart of Rome’s Monti district, Casa Monti stands as more than just a boutique hotel: it’s a small creative city suspended between art, design, and Roman charm. Now, with the arrival of the new season, the Leitmotiv Group hotel raises the curtain on its “Autumn Residences”, a program that turns contemporary art into an everyday, almost domestic affair.
The spotlight the other night was on the Roman Suite, reinvented by French artist Ben Arpéa, known for his ability to blend abstraction and figuration with a vivid palette that shifts between dream and reality. The opening drew figures from Rome’s design and cultural scene and beyond.
Arpéa has transformed the sixth-floor suite into a chromatic universe suspended between Rome and Paris: bespoke furniture, fabrics, and coverings animated by his motifs, art books and sketches arranged with the care of someone who knows that detail makes the difference. Even the air seemed scented with Provence, thanks to a candle created by the artist himself. Entering the Roman Suite felt like stepping into his creative world — to live in it, to dream in it. “I wanted to transform the suite into a complete artistic experience,” Arpéa said, with the ease of someone who makes art a way of life.
Alongside this intervention, Casa Monti unveiled “Stolen at Casa Monti”, a project by Giotto Calendoli, founder of Handle With Freedom, which turns everyday objects into design pieces meant to be… stolen. Bathrobes, hoodies, caps, plates, even bottles of olive oil — under Giotto’s touch — become witty, cultured souvenirs, fragments of a stay you can literally take home, like a piece of an artist’s house.
The result is a hotel that doesn’t simply host: it invites participation. It draws you into its story — one steeped in culture, color, and a light, ironic spirit. Casa Monti isn’t just a place to stay in Rome; it’s an experience to live, to breathe, and, why not, to take with you.
Text: Germano D’Acquisto
Photos: Niccolò Campita
