Diana residence – Bibione

Located a few steps away from the beach of Lido del Sole (Bibione, VE), Residence Diana is a project that redefines the very concept of residential hospitality. Not just a simple apartment complex, but a mosaic of different atmospheres where each unit has its own visual identity while belonging to the same narrative.

Architect Marco Zanello designed a project where Instabilelab wallpaper does not simply cover the walls, but transforms them into active architectural elements: the surfaces interact with light, with the furniture, with the experience of temporary living. From the botanical atmospheres of Francisca to the contemplative dunes of Dylan, from the geometric rigour of Febe to the bold elegance of Frida, from the flowing lines of Amante to the vintage style of Torvi, from the smoothness of Ruby and Illinois to the scenographic impact of Verde Felce, Belmont, Samir and Ammoniti: each apartment tells a different chapter of the same story.

Sartorial attention to detail is one of the main features of the project: in various rooms, the cushions – coordinated with the fabrics to match the wallpaper – are used to reinforce the harmony of colours, thus bringing design coherence from the wall to the furnishing accessory. An integrated approach that shows how Instabilelab’s total look can extend beyond the vertical surface, decorating the entire environment.

We interviewed Architect Zanello to learn about the design choices behind this project. He explained how to build a visual identity capable of making each apartment unique and, at the same time, part of a recognisable system.

 

– Residence Diana houses several apartments. Each one has its own visual identity but they all form part of the same project. How did you create this balance between uniqueness and coherence? Was there a compositional logic that guided the assignment of Instabilelab’s graphics to the different environments?

Residence Diana was intended as a unitary project, so the first step was to define a common structure: base colours, recurring materials, quality of light, and other constant elements (signage, proportions, general tone). On this basis, we managed to create the uniqueness of each apartment as if they were different chapters of the same story.

Together with Instabilelab, we did not randomly “assign the graphics”: we designed a compositional logic linked to the nature and use of the space. In essence, we gave an identity to each environment based on three criteria:

1. Light and orientation: more energetic graphics where we needed dynamism, softer graphics where we needed serenity. In the brightest apartment (no. 35 facing the sea), we chose a more vibrant graphic (Papaveri 01), while in the more intimate one, we chose a softer texture (apartment no. 4 – Febe graphic 01);
2. Dimension and rhythm: denser or more airy patterns depending on the proportions;
3. Desired atmosphere: cosy, playful, more “elegant”, more Mediterranean, etc.

Each flat is recognisable and different, but still “pertains” to Residence Diana, because the original structure – materials, colour tone and visual hierarchies – holds everything together.

– In this project, wallpaper is not limited to the wall: in several rooms, you used cushions coordinated with the fabrics to match the graphics. How did you come up with the idea of extending the visual language from the vertical surface to the furnishing accessory? What is the impact on the overall atmosphere of the room?

The idea came from the desire to prevent wallpaper from remaining a “backdrop”. Instead, we wanted it to become part of a inhabitable language. When a pattern really works, it is not just a decoration: it can build atmosphere, rhythm, identity. Extending it to the cushions was a way of bringing the design from the vertical surface to the level of everyday contact, thus making it closer, more domestic, more lived-in.

It is the same idea behind the choice of white for bed and bath linen: a sort of luminous “canvas” that leaves the cushions with a central role.

From a design point of view, it was also a choice of coherence: the graphic is not limited to the wall, but interacts with the soft volumes and with the colours of the fabrics. We worked to avoid a “total look” effect, choosing quantities and combinations: in some rooms, the cushions have the same style of the wallpaper, in others they interpret it with a variation or a chromatic detail.

The impact on the atmosphere is immediate: the rooms seem warmer and more intimate, giving the idea of a “complete” and custom-made design. In addition, the textile element helps to soften the perception of the surfaces and to give depth, as the pattern takes on a different role by moving from the wall to the fabric, becoming less graphic and more tactile.

– With a varied catalogue such as the one proposed by Instabilelab – and with dozens of apartments to decorate – the risk is choice paralysis. Was there an initial criteria that narrowed the field, or did you proceed by progressive combinations?

Initially, the catalogue was a temptation, so we gave ourselves a rule: atmosphere first, then the graphic. We “labelled” each flat with a precise character and then we looked for the appropriate graphic. Once the field was narrowed, the rest was direction work: wallpaper changes completely depending on light, dimensions and environment, so we did many attempts and adjustments.

We divided the work in two phases: an initial selection aimed at narrowing the field (colours, pattern intensity, scale, colour temperature), and then a process of progressive combinations verified in the real environment: natural light, room size, materials already present and, above all, balance between walls and textile elements. In some cases, the choice was immediate, while in others we needed a little “direction”: we had to add, remove or simplify until the right combination was found.

Our aim was not to fill each apartment with different solutions, but to ensure that each graphic was exclusive, coherent with the atmosphere, and in harmony with the others.

– A recurring element in the project is the use of monochromatic wallpaper from the One Color collection combined with the main graphics. Which was the role of these uniform surfaces in creating the overall visual balance?

In a strongly graphic project, solid colour is like silence in music: it is not absence, but rhythm. Thanks to the One Color collection, we made the graphics “sound” better by creating pauses, hierarchies and colour continuity between materials and fabrics. When everything breathes, everything seems more natural.

Monochromatic wallpaper worked as a linking tool: it helped combining decorative wallpaper, furniture and fabrics through a colour “system” that is coherent with the palette of the apartment. In some rooms, it defined hierarchies (where to put emphasis and where to bring a sense of calm), in others it modified proportions and light, thus making the whole space more balanced and contemporary.

It also helped us manage the perception of light: the same pattern changes so much if combined with a monochromatic surface that is calibrated to the right tone.

Actually, solid colours are not the neutral background of the project, but the silent structure that holds everything together and creates harmonious compositions.

– In a hospitality project of this scale, with multiple apartments to coordinate, how important was it to rely on a single supplier for wallpaper, fabrics and integrated solutions? Did the collaboration with Instabilelab influence the operational process as well as the creative process?

Collaboration had a great impact, because in a hospitality project with so many apartments, creativity is not enough: you need a solid system at the operational level. Being able to rely on the same supplier for wallpapers, fabrics and coordinated solutions gave us two enormous advantages: coherence and control.

Thanks to Instabilelab, we felt like working with a language that was already “complete”: graphics were not an isolated element, but they were naturally combined with fabrics and details. This allowed us to imagine each apartment as a small coherent world, with its own atmosphere, without losing the overall identity of the project.

Finally, there is the less visible but more decisive part: when there are so many environments to coordinate, complexity can become a noise. Having a single director means fewer steps, faster decisions, clearer samples, and a continuity that follows the entire design project. In simpler words, creativity remains free, but the process becomes lighter. In the hospitality sector, this is a concrete form of luxury.

We wanted Residence Diana to be understood as a single world, not as a series of rooms. This is why the project was not limited to the apartments, but also extended to the corridors, reception, breakfast room and service areas. Entrusting even these areas to a single director was a choice of trust and responsibility that made the identity of the place more compact, more convincing and more memorable – because guests don’t experience separate environments, they experience the journey.

 

 

Architect Zanello created a system in which each apartment is a chapter, each graphic is a voice, each cushion is a connection between the space and its inhabitants.

The design expresses a multi-layered balance: a common structure – colours, materials, visual hierarchies – on which to apply controlled variations. Instabilelab’s graphics become characterising tools; solid colour acts as a connector and calibrator of light; coordinated fabrics bring coherence up to the scale of tactile detail.

This interaction between style and emotions, between pattern and atmosphere, is what shapes the identity of a place. Hospitality planners know that guests don’t remember the finishes, they remember how they felt. A coherent visual language – capable of extending from the walls to the cushions – is the most effective way to turn a stay into a memory.