This book features the design details of the largest and most innovative examples from such cutting-edge firms as Archi-Tectonics, ARO, Escher GuneWardena, and Office dA, among others. Its pages offer ...
Past Perfect: Two meticulous palazzo restorations in Venice and Florence give visitors a tantalizing taste of the past with all the creature comforts of the present.
| Tweet |
Designer hotels are opening faster than you can say "basta!" Maybe that's why a bit of history is starting to look so good. Ca'Sagredo Hotel, a 42-room five-star in Venice, might be considered "boutique" if it weren't for the museum-quality frescoes, paintings and statues that have been carefully restored. And the new 116-room Four Seasons Hotel Firenze in Florence is every bit as airy and fresh as any glass-and-steel competitor. Comprising two refurbished palazzos connected by an 8.6-acre garden, it offers well-heeled guests an authentic trip through the past without sacrificing the technology and modern standards integral to this luxury brand. A welcome change from neutrals and natural elements, hotels like these are putting the new classicism on trend.
Ca'Sagredo
If you're asked to help bring a 15th-century Venetian palazzo back to its former glory, it helps to have a sense of humor, says local architect Roberto Canovaro. "Otherwise, you will be killed by the building," he remarks with a laugh. Canovaro should know. He has 25 years of experience designing and restoring hotels in Venice, where new buildings are not an option.
Transformation of the five-floor Ca'Sagredo from palatial residence to hotel with a palatial feel wasn't easy. Considered a historical monument, Ca'Sagredo, a canal-side palazzo in the off-the-beaten-path Rialto area, had to be returned to its original grandeur under the watchful eye of the local authorities, including the Sovraintendenza delle Belle Arti (Department of Fine Arts).
"You couldn't change the shape of the major areas or enlarge the windows," explains Lorenza Lain, general manager. "Everything had to be restored, one by one-all the sculptures, the paintings, the windows, the flooring, the façade."
The hotel's previous owner, Giuseppe Malaspina, approached the project with one hand in the past and the other in the present. Many of the design choices were inspired by an original rococo-style alcove from Ca'Sagredo that is permanently installed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And because the building dates back to the 1400s, Malaspina specified light colors (pale pinks, blues and greens) that were popular at that time, rather than the rich reds and golds that tourists typically equate with Venetian décor.
Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
