Dantesque nights

Hermès métiers, designers who have given their own interpretation to water, playing on the complementary quality of opposites, lines, colors and materials. Water and light inspired the shape of the custom-woven carpets and the wall surface’s iridescent reflections imitating concentric circles. Ceramic tiles in 1930s styles, made by ceramists with exceptional expertise, embellish many areas of the shop. Luminous blues and greens are echoed in mosaics and terrazzo floors, warmed by the cream and caramel hues of the glazed lava stone tops and crackle lacquered wooden shelves. This combination goes beautifully with the 120-meter long colored fresco L’Odysée d’Hermès that unfurls along the walls, designed by the French artist Matthieu Cossé. A selection of exclusive pieces was chosen to celebrate the shop’s reopening, including Birkin, Bolide 1923 and Lindy handbags in a collection of water-inspired hues that match the shop’s color palette. The adjacent space for Petit H infuses life and meaning into unique, high-quality hybrid objects, made under the artistic direction of Godefroy de Virieu by meticulously crafting discarded materials (leather, silk, crystal and porcelain), made from materials which were not used. In this upcycling project, RDAI’s architects deftly highlighted the terrazzo floors with marble punctuated by brass pieces from the leatherworking craft, magnetic whitewashed cork panels on which to attach different pieces each season, and cubic cork furniture with leather handles that fully express the concept of reuse. The layout will change four times a year to tell ever new stories about (re)creation, and, an absolute first, the shop will host workshops where you can discover the infinite possibilities of things you no longer use. the star material of the opening was earthenware with pieces made from Ravel workshops in south of France…. shaped like a jar.

The interiors of the brand-new 25hours San Paolino hotel are the work of Studio Otto-Paola Navone. Taking inspiration from Dante’s Divine Comedy, this relaxed, experiential hospitality with touches of Pop Art uses class and wit to redevelop the former Monte dei Pegni in the historic center of Florence

It goes without saying that it depends on your character and mood if you opt for a few nights in the torrid red of an infernal circle of hell or to fly, with silvery wings and all, in the paradisiacal ambiance of the Host of the Blessed. For angels or demons alike, boredom is banished in the brand-new 25hours Hotel San Paolino, the first Italian hotel of the German group that chose to redevelop and expand a historic building in the center of Florence, through a project by the global-scale Florentine team, GLA - Genius Loci Architettura. The complex was a former convent and then the Monte del Pegni lending company and had been long abandoned. It is strategically

Owner: Invesco Investor & Developer: Art-Invest Real Estate Hotel operator: 25hours Hotel Company Architecture: GLA - Genius Loci Architettura Interior design: Paola Navone, Studio Otto Concept & Original Inspiration: 25hours Hotels Furnishings: Amura, Baxter, Casamilano, Chaises Nicolle, Gervasoni, Maximum Lighting: Karman, Lapo Binazzi/UFO, Slide Wallpaper: Vescom Carpets: Seletti, graphic design by Studio Otto-Paola Navone Antique handcrafted mirrors: Franco Failli Flooring: 14Oraitaliana, La Pietra Compattata

Author: Elena Franzoia Photo credits: Laura Fantacuzzi, Maxime Galati Fourcade, Dario Garofalo

located not only close to the hub of the tram line and railway station and the iconic monumentality of Piazza Santa Maria Novella, and Florence’s elegant area full of antiques and designer fashion. The general manager of 25Hours Bart Spoorenberg had the inspiration to focus the concept on Dante’s Divine Comedy and chose to entrust the interior design to the class and experience of Paola Navone. “I have known Christoph Hoffman, who created the 25Hours brand, for over 10 years. What immediately struck me was the ‘disruptive’ design approach with which 25hours’ places were conceived, which was very close to my own,” says the designer. “Each project is unique, a white canvas on which to build a memorable, immersive, fun experience tied to the city hosting you.” Navone’s distinctive taste for the theatrical use of color and fascination with objects (often found ones) are expressed differently in each area, designed to meet the varied audiences that the hotel is catering to. One includes locals as well as it aims to take root in its Florentine setting as a place to dine, drink and gather, also spilling into the small San Paolino square. The heart of the project is the large central courtyard of the former Monte dei Pegni company, which was covered and enriched by a lush installation made with recycled fabrics by the Dutch artist Linda Nieuwstad. The lounge quickly has become a site for photoshoots, holding the reception, the Italian restaurant San Paolino, with a kitchen in full view and a Nomadic Shop with furnishings and accessories chosen or made by Paola Navone. More secluded areas are gathered around the courtyard, including the Bacchus Room, which can be used for tastings or work meetings, a large bar/lounge area on an Aromatic Garden and areas that can be accessed externally, like the chic American bar Companion, with a Central European ambiance, and the ultra-Tuscan gourmet shop Alimentari. Though its 171 rooms are dedicated to the virtuous and the damned, some nonetheless have balconies and private gardens, and a roof loft is immersed in a Secret Garden with the welcome cooling off spot of a swimming pool.