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BEHIND THE DESIGN | ROOMS & GARDENS | WORLD OF CABANA
Artist Michael McGregor sat down with Cabana to talk about his six-month residency at Casa Monti, a five-star hotel in one of Rome's oldest artisan districts, and the artwork that grew out of it: hand-painted walls, works on paper, textiles and ceramics, coming together in Suite 203. He talks Julie Haëntjens through the shift from letterhead drawings to a room-sized homage to Roman myth, the research that fed it, and the hidden details worth slowing down for.
BY JULIE HAENTJENS | ROOMS & GARDENS | 16 SEPTEMBER 2026
You tend to get Rome in pieces: a pine tree behind an ochre wall, the shade of a church at midday, a fountain you hear before you see it. In Monti, where cobbled streets slip between the Imperial Forums and the Esquiline, ancient grandeur gives way to a more intimate Rome, one of workshops, small galleries, wine bars and conversations spilling out into doorways.
Casa Monti, on Via Panisperna, belongs to this quieter geography; it feels like a Roman house whose doors have been left open. The interiors, by Laura Gonzalez, are layered with color, pattern and richly textured references—playful yet refined—while the rooftop opens onto the city itself: domes, terraces, umbrella pines and that soft Roman light.
Travel is the foundation of Michael McGregor's work. Since 2016, the Los Angeles-based artist has drawn on hotel letterhead, turning the anonymous paper found in rooms around the world into a record of places encountered. His wider practice brings together drawing and painting, and has been exhibited in Mexico City, Berlin, New York and Paris.
For his six-month residency, McGregor let this visual language escape the page and take over Suite 203. Hand-painted walls, original works on paper, bespoke textiles, ceramics and a limited-edition backgammon set. The result isn't an interior merely decorated by an artist, but an artwork with doors, windows and a bed—one that turns the ordinary rituals of a stay into an artistic encounter.
His relationship with Rome began during an early stay, wandering through Monti, the Roman Forum and the city's Baroque palaces, gathering the drawings that would become ROMA AMOR, a limited-edition book for guests. Mythological figures and architectural fragments mingle with the artist's more private impressions of the city.
The project gives concrete form to Casa Monti's identity as a "Home of the Artists." Founded by the Kampf family in 2017, the Leitmotiv group creates hotels shaped by their surroundings, from Megève and Paris to Rome. Here, art becomes part of the stay.
What was the design brief for Suite 203 at Casa Monti?
I actually don't remember there being a brief. I believe it was carte blanche. When I first visited the suite, I had a few questions: Can I paint a fresco on the ceiling? Can we change the couch? Can I make coffee cups? The conversation evolved naturally from there.
How did Rome inspire your designs for the space?
Rome has a deep-seated aesthetic, art and visual history. It's everywhere, and it's hard to ignore. I wanted to honor those elements: antiquity, color, myth, sculpture.
How did Casa Monti itself inspire you as an artist?
The hotel is full of color and playful patterns. Irreverent but sophisticated. And joyful. It has all the air of an ancient aristocratic home, with a fresh, vibrant design aesthetic that livens up the ancient building.
How did you plan, prepare, and create your artworks at Casa Monti?
My preparation was mostly research—myth and ancient Roman poetry, as well as ancient mosaics in the city, particularly in Monti. When I started working, I didn't really have a plan, but I had a feeling, an idea of what I wanted to do: an homage to Roman myth and history, from Castor to Bacchus, Horace and Neptune.
Your favorite detail in the room at Casa Monti?
There are some hidden messages from Horace's odes to Bacchus that I love—they're really enmeshed into the paintings, only visible if you sit with the work for a while.
Were there any challenges you had to overcome during this project?
The biggest challenge was painting on a three-meter-tall ladder, but really, it was all pretty smooth and organic.
How did your career growth influence this design?
The residency at Casa Monti happened right after an exhibition I had in Athens at George Benias Gallery. The exhibition focused on the Parthenon Marbles, transforming ancient sculpture into paintings while honoring their form and magnetism. This focus on historical artifacts and antiquity fed directly into the project at Casa Monti. I had just spent months working on pieces in a similar vein, albeit Greek rather than Roman, and it felt natural to carry that motif forward, just as the Greek era led to the Roman.
Your most memorable moment or treasured place in Rome?
The Twombly Room at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea. There's something magical about the works the foundation gave the museum to create that room. It opened last year, so in Roman terms it's a real infant, but the juxtaposition between Twombly's essential mark-making and the time-faded patina of the city makes perfect sense.
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