What La Dolce Vita Orient Express looks like today

Dimorestudio transforms the new Orient Express – La Dolce Vita into a mobile design piece. Combining Fellini flair and future-retro stylings, an interior has been created that is more than luxury: it is emotion in motion.

Shadows flit across brass-framed mirrors, velvet curtains sway gently to the steady rocking of the train, and somewhere an imaginary string quartet plays. Welcome aboard the Orient Express – La Dolce Vita: a train that is more than just a means of transport. It is a stage, a dreamlike backdrop, and a journey through time – all rolled into one. Designed by Milanese design duo Dimorestudio, the interior glides through eras, styles, and desires – as if Federico Fellini were holidaying with Wes Anderson and Gio Ponti.

Design that tells a story

At Dimorestudio, design is never just decoration. It is staging, dramatic composition, narration. Every cabin, every lounge, every corridor tells of the golden years of Italian cinema, of the glamour of the 1960s, of the Dolce Vita on the Riviera. The references are intentional: Cinecittà, jet set, Riviera flair – but with something of an ironic a wink.

Like a rolling film set, the train is reminiscent of the studio backdrops of Cinecittà – the legendary film studio in Rome that once established Italian cinema on the international scene. Dimorestudio has brought this spirit to the rails: with dramatic perspectives, intentional stylistic reference,s and a flair for scenographic excess.

Between lacquered wood panels, diffused light, and mirrored walls, an atmosphere is created that is like a dream – familiar and strange at the same time. The sense of luxury? Not garish, but ethereal. Unobtrusive, yet palpable.

From means of transport to stage

Velvety fabrics meet artistic inlays, recessed lighting units allow the light to dance across golden shimmering surfaces.

Nothing is left to chance here – and yet everything appears casually elegant. ​‘We don’t design rooms. We design feelings’ states one of Dimore’s guiding principles. And indeed, the train becomes a habitable fiction, a mobile interior drama that you never want to leave.

Nostalgia with nonchalance

Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci are known for their idiosyncratic signature style – a dazzling blend of Art Deco, Space Age, Memphis references and Hollywood glamour. They exaggerate, play with irony, and tell stories. Those who have seen their Dior installations or Milan apartment shows will immediately recognise that this is about more than just beauty. It’s about atmosphere, memories and emotion.

With the new Orient Express, they are — for the first time — transferring their narrative style to an entire mode of transport – and in so doing they are definitely striking a chord: in a world marked by hyperreality and digital overload, the train presents as a sensual alternative. A homage to elegance – not as a status symbol, but as an attitude.

We asked Dimorestudio five questions

Your design for ​‘Orient Express – La Dolce Vita’ is like a moving cinematic dream. What was the first image or emotion that triggered your vision for this travelling stage?

Dimorestudio: The initial impulse was the desire to create an experience that extends beyond mere travel. We had in mind a space where time appears as if to stand still and every detail tells a story. Imagine a passenger sitting by the window, slowly watching the Italian landscape pass by, surrounded by an atmosphere of timeless elegance. This intimate, almost surreal setting provided our starting point.

The train combines references to 1960s Italian cinema, the elegance of Art Deco and futuristic retro fiction. How did you choreograph these elements into a coherent spatial narrative – and what role does irony play in this staging?

Ds: We wanted to create a dialogue spanning different eras and combining the opulence of Art Deco with the levity and irony of 1960s Italian cinema. For us, irony is a means by which to avoid ostentation; playing with contrasts and surprising the viewer. This approach has enabled us to construct a multi-layered spatial narrative in which each element contributes to a unique sensory experience.

You have often said: ​‘We don’t design spaces. We create feelings.’ What feelings or moods did you hope to evoke in the compartments and salons of this train?

Ds: We wanted to create a refined nostalgia, a return to a time when travelling was an experience to be savoured slowly. The compartments and salons were designed to exude warmth, intimacy and a touch of discreet luxury. Every material and every soft light feature was chosen to create an enveloping atmosphere in which passengers feel part of a timeless story.

Material selection seems to play a central role in this project – velvet, lacquer, reflective surfaces, subdued lighting. Can you tell us more about your choice of materials and how they contribute to the overall drama?

Ds: Every fabric tells a story. Velvet whispers, lacquer shines, mirrors distort. We have used these materials like lighting moods in the theatre – they set the tone, arouse anticipation and provide surprises. The subdued lighting allows the space to flow, flatters the human figure, and encourages self-reflection. It’s not just about comfort, it’s about creating an emotional narrative through surfaces and shadows.

You have created iconic spaces for Dior and unforgettable installations for the Salone. What is different about designing a mobile, temporary space like a train, and what appeals to you most about this new form of luxury?

Ds: A train is both architecture and movement – a paradox. You have to think in terms of rhythms, repetitions, and cinematic sequences. We were attracted by the challenge of creating an immersive environment within a compressed, mobile setting. Here, luxury does not mean excess, but rather the patina of time. It’s about making the ephemeral unforgettable.

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