Header: Courtesy of Belmond
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a train known throughout the decades for its opulence and luxury, carrying fashionable crowds dressed in diamonds and fur from Paris to Milan, Rome to Venice, and far beyond. The train maintained its glamour for a while, but the lighting fixtures did not help keep its colors and ambiance vibrant enough for our century. With this in mind, L’Observatoire International was tasked with renovating the lighting design of several social carriages, such as the dining and bar cars.
The team, led by Hervé Descottes, wanted to modernize the train’s lighting while keeping its historical essence intact. The goal was dreamy: to bring the brush of a 1920s painter to reality. To ensure everything ran smoothly throughout the design and installation processes, the design team collaborated with the train’s operators, Belmond and Chef Jean Imbert.
Hand-crafted lamps, produced by Venetian and French artisans, were specifically created to meet the technical needs of the moving train. These lamps provide soft, diffused lighting that gradually warms as the day progresses, which seems to have come straight from the early 20th century. The lighting design also incorporates subtle accents and functional spotlights to balance ambiance and practicality.
The interior maintains its Art Deco style, with the new lighting emphasizing the previous design elements without overwhelming them. This combination of old and new gives passengers a sense of going back in time, making them feel the luxury of traveling all around Europe in these cars.
