Anouska Hempel designs first hotel in Italy
Set within a 19th century Florentine townhouse close to Milan’s Duomo and Uffizi Gallery, Helvetia & Bristol Firenze has undergone a complete renovation since 2016 and will finally be unveiled later this Summer.
The 1885 Helvetia wing first underwent a two-year refurbishment and modernisation project, after which the property was sensitively expanded in late 2019 with the addition of a new annexe – the Bristol wing – adjacent to the original palazzo, providing 25 new rooms, including the Presidential Suite Bristol. In all 89 rooms and suites, it was imperative for the design to reinterpret the building’s history using Italian craft.
The décor of the new Bristol wing rooms and suites were the vision of acclaimed interior designer Anouska Hempel, who was briefed with creating a home-from-home experience that expresses the authentic soul of the Firenze and evokes the Florentine palaces of the past, thanks to the contributions of the finest Florentine master craftsmen. Also set to be unveiled later this year are a new restaurant and an eagerly awaited 500ft² spa – the latter will be built on the site of the former Capitoline thermal baths of the Roman Florentia.
The Presidential Suite Bristol, measuring over 100m², comprises two bedrooms and a large sitting room with velvet sofas, marble finishes and a period fireplace. Both bedrooms encompass four-poster beds fashioned in antique-finish mirror panelling or wrought iron by Italian craftsmen, finished with fabrics and curtains in Italian silk shantung. The bedrooms and sitting room are decorated with bronze lamps handcrafted by Bronzetto, scagliola occasional tables by Bianco Bianchi, antique-finish mirrors and brass furniture.
The suite also has three bathrooms with white Carrara marble panelling, while the master’s bathroom features double sinks, a Devon & Devon bathtub in front of the fireplace, a Turkish bath and walk-in shower.
