BERD’S Design Hotel

It’s certainly not every day that a design-oriented boutique hotel opens in Chișinău, the capital of Moldova. Berd’s Design Hotel is no half-measure, but is a fully realized luxury boutique hotel, from its monumental modern exterior to its stylish minimalist rooms, an inspired blend of cosmopolitan contemporary design and traditional Moldovan art and culture.

Visually it’s all down to the Italian architect Luca Scacchetti, whose work underlines the close historical connections between Italy and Moldova. In the rooms this means Tibetan-style Moldovan hand-woven carpets alongside luxe design furniture by Poltrona Frau and lighting by Flos, both contemporary Italian concerns. Signature rooms and suites add freestanding bathtubs, and the Prestige Suite features its own jacuzzi as well as design elements by Antonio Citterio, the Milanese master of luxury home design.

A full-service spa offers everything from massage to the Institut Кérastase, for a thorough beautification. And Mezzo, the restaurant, takes its cues from Berd’s design concept, interleaving Moldovan and Italian flavors in a moody, elegant space, complete with a capacious wine collection and an expansive cocktail bar.