Hotel Villa Dubrovnik / Studio Arthur Casas

Architects: Studio Arthur Casas
Area: 5,530 m²
Year: 2025
Photography: Fran Parente
Lead Architects: Arthur Casas
Architects Team: Nara Telles, Raissa Furlan, Gabriel Contreira, João Lisboa, Natalia Lorenzoni, Augusto Godoi, Valentina Lindner, Ana Maria Pedreschi, Amanda Tamburus
Design Team: Tamar Firer, Rafaella Barcellos, Ana Paula Mendes, Manoela Vilaça, Fabiola Andrade
Materials: Croatian limestone, stucco, Croatian oak, Via Appia stone
City: Dubrovnik
Country: Croatia

Hotel Villa Dubrovnik is perched on a cliff overlooking the Adriatic Sea and Dubrovnik’s historic walled city and has undergone a comprehensive interior transformation by Studio Arthur Casas. Working within strict preservation regulations that protect the building’s external appearance, the Brazilian practice focused on reimagining the hotel’s interiors through a contemporary interpretation of Croatian culture and Mediterranean hospitality. Drawing inspiration from Dubrovnik’s cosmopolitan character during the mid-twentieth century, the project combines local materials, custom furnishings, traditional craft references, and contemporary Croatian art to establish a renewed identity for the landmark property. Croatian limestone, oak, and artisanal motifs are integrated throughout the hotel, while redesigned guestrooms, public spaces, restaurants, wellness facilities, and outdoor areas strengthen the relationship between architecture and landscape. Programmatic reorganization improves circulation across the steeply sloping site, allowing guests to experience uninterrupted connections to the sea and the surrounding environment. The result is a hospitality project that balances heritage, contemporary design, and a strong sense of place while repositioning the hotel within the international luxury market.

Hotel villa dubrovnik / studio arthur casas

Hotel Villa Dubrovnik demonstrates through its renovation how a landmark hospitality property can be renewed through interior architecture while preserving the qualities that have long defined its presence within the city’s coastal landscape. Originally built in 1961 and later converted into a hotel, the structure occupies a privileged position between the Adriatic Sea and Dubrovnik’s medieval urban fabric. Preservation regulations governing the building’s external appearance restricted intervention on the façade, directing the design effort inward and encouraging a more nuanced exploration of cultural identity, atmosphere, and spatial experience.

Studio Arthur Casas approached the project through an interpretation of Dubrovnik’s modern golden age, a period between the 1950s and 1970s when the city emerged as one of Eastern Europe’s most sophisticated destinations. Rather than relying on literal historical references, the design translates memories of that era into a contemporary language informed by elegance, craftsmanship, and Mediterranean lifestyle. Venetian and Italian influences, deeply embedded within Dubrovnik’s history, are subtly reflected through furniture selections, textures, and architectural detailing that establish a dialogue between local traditions and international hospitality standards.

Materiality serves as a key instrument in connecting the interiors to their context. Croatian limestone and stucco reference the region’s architectural heritage, while Croatian oak appears throughout millwork, paneling, and custom-designed furnishings. These local materials are complemented by Brazilian Via Appia stone, introducing a restrained authorial gesture from the studio. A palette of soft whites, sand tones, terracotta hues, and vegetation-inspired greens draws directly from the surrounding landscape, creating a visual continuity between interior spaces and the Adriatic setting beyond. Traditional Croatian lacework and historic graphic patterns further inform custom carpets, woodwork, and textiles, embedding local craft traditions within a contemporary framework.

The hotel’s interiors are enriched by a curated collection of contemporary Croatian art commissioned and selected specifically for the project. Sculptures, ceramics, paintings, and handcrafted objects are integrated throughout the public and private spaces, reinforcing the connection between architecture and local cultural production. This dialogue extends to bespoke furniture created by the studio in collaboration with Croatian manufacturers, as well as carefully selected pieces from renowned international designers. Together, these elements contribute to an atmosphere that is both rooted in place and aligned with the expectations of contemporary luxury hospitality.

The organization of the hotel follows the natural topography of the site, descending gradually toward the sea. Public spaces were reconfigured to improve circulation and create stronger connections between the various programmatic elements, including restaurants, wellness facilities, guestrooms, and outdoor terraces. The 56 suites and two private villas were redesigned to maximize views and natural light, while direct access to a private beach reinforces the relationship between architecture and landscape. Despite significant logistical challenges associated with the cliffside location, the project achieves a seamless integration of design, context, and hospitality, allowing the Adriatic coastline to remain the defining feature of the guest experience while positioning Hotel Villa Dubrovnik for a new chapter in its history.