Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2008/January 2009 | Page 108

life

FOOD & DRINK

CASATI HOUSE–

Expect the Unexpected
Unique to the Isle of Wight is a new concept
in premier entertainment. Casati House is a
bijou luxury 18th century style boutique bed
& breakfast in central Ryde. It is the essence
of a welcoming private residence. Launched
as a luxurious members’ establishment
for discerning ladies and gentlemen who
demand quality, service and somewhere
harmonious when it comes to relaxation.
Casati House offers individual Rooms or
exclusive Salon Rooms set in an atmosphere
of a bygone era. Antique furnishings and
exquisite decoration make any one of these
rooms a romantic home from home.
The venue occupies what once was the
Mayor of Ryde’s official residence from a
long forgotten age. The house, more akin to
one of the familiar Island villas is beautifully
proportioned and extends through several
entertainment rooms, through a bright
conservatory and out to the walled Italian
style garden, boasting a central fountain
and surrounded by classical and neo-classical
statuary and architectural relics – gryphons,
nymphs and deities. The conservatory itself
is dominated by an impressive twisted grape
vine, reputed to be some 200 years old,
which in summer with its dense foliage and
fruit becomes a natural centrepiece, bringing
the outside world within.
As a bespoke boutique bed and breakfast
venue which also combines a fine dining
room with atmospheric and well appointed
drawing rooms, Casati offers members

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a definitive alternative to other venues.
Explore the delights of Jo Jo’s Drawing
Room filled with antiques, paintings and a
grand piano taking centre stage. Festooned
with crystal, lit by countless candles and
warmed by a roaring fire, the bar offers all
the traditional drinks and a discerning wine
list as well as the special House Cocktail
selection featuring such unusual tipples as A
Max Mara Moment and The Hex. The natural
conviviality and intimacy of this drawing
room is the ideal setting for the beginning
of an evening, a relaxing venue for members
and their guests or the perfect end to a
perfect supper.
Throughout Casati, opulent and
immaculate interior design, featuring
sumptuous swags in silk-velvet, damasks
and unusual weaves decorate the windows,
some with far reaching views over the Solent
and others balancing the busts, figurines
and objects d’arts, Venetian masks and
enormous, ornate mirrors with the unifying
influence of a colour scheme predominantly
aubergine, gold and black, echoing perhaps,
Stendhal’s famous nineteenth century novel,
‘Le Rouge et Le Noir.’
Casati is the ideal location for a celebration
– whether for birthdays, intimate gatherings,
send-offs or as the occasion demands. A
designated ‘quiet room’ devoid of music is
aptly named. The Nook takes its place at
Casati as an ideal and intimate space for
reading, conversation and contemplation –

again decorated in heavy drapes and filled
with intriguing objects.
Above are two further entertainment
rooms – one principally for atmospheric
invitation only suppers by candlelight hosted
by the Head of House with an imaginatively
designed table which can be varied to the
organizer’s demands and another room
which may be reserved at no charge to
members for business meetings and the like.
An opulent double suite, lavishly appointed
can be hired by members for overnight stays,
either for themselves or visiting friends and
relatives. Added to this is the balcony where
breath taking views of the Solent can be
enjoyed. Casati often hosts special evenings
of costume parties, impromptu cabaret and
poetry recitals by the Head of House or a
Casati host. Members, if they so wish, are
invited to participate, as the Muse guides.
It may well be worth remembering that
Casati is named in honour of the striking
and elegant Marchesa Luisa Casati who ruled
European chic society in the early twentieth
century. Her sense of aesthetics, surprise and
grace embody the quintessential spirit of the
Casati House today and will appeal to all
those who understand that to be unique is
elegance itself.
Casati is open only to members and their
guests. Limited memberships are currently
available for 2009. www.lecasati.co.uk or
Telephone; 01983 565691 for enquiries.

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