In the heart of Florence, a few steps from the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, the new W Florence Hotel of the Marriott group gives new life to a historic building of rationalist-modernist inspiration. The building which, over time, hosted the prestigious Grand Hotel Majestic and the historic Banca Popolare di Novara, today – after a complex recovery and transformation intervention – welcomes a proposal of contemporary hospitality with an international scope.
Regenerate while preserving the identity of the building
The rebirth of the building bears the signature of the Genius Loci Architettura (GLA) studio for architecture and the international studio AvroKo for interior design, who were able to reinterpret its identity through a contemporary and refined language in line with the highest standards of sustainability.
The rigor of the architectural shell dialogues with softer and more welcoming environments, characterized by sinuous shapes, refined palettes and selected materials to give coherence and identity to the interior design.
With more than 10 thousand m2 distributed over nine levels, three of which are underground, the hotel houses 119 rooms – including 16 suites and a Penthouse overlooking the Duomo – as well as numerous spaces dedicated to guests and the city, such as the central courtyard, two restaurants, the rooftop and the wellness area. The interior design of these spaces reinterprets the Tuscan artistic heritage in a contemporary key, through graphics, colours, fabrics and decorative motifs that recall the language of Renaissance architecture. In the rooms, luxury furnishings combine fine textures and refined decorative motifs, such as the spectacular light installation placed above the headboard of each bed.
Technology as part of the regeneration project
Within a chromatic project built on an intense and refined palette, from intense green to Medici red to regal blue, the Eikon Exé series by Vimar integrates harmoniously.
In the anthracite gray total look metal finish, with flat controls, it helps to define elegant and contemporary environments through a formal, essential and rigorous language, standing out for the purity of the lines. The square shape of the controls creates a refined effect flush with the surface of the plate, enhanced by the chromatic continuity, for an aesthetic result consistent with current interior design standards. The vertical insertion inside the bedhead boiserie also enhances its application versatility, highlighting its ability to integrate naturally into different design contexts.
Eikon Exé combines technological precision and craftsmanship, offering a wide choice of materials and fine finishes, from stone to metal to glass. The different control variations – traditional, Vintage, Flat and Tondo, the latter recently awarded the Compasso d’Oro International Award – are also available in the KNX and By-me Plus versions for home & building automation, expanding the possibilities for customizing the system and integrating it into different project contexts.
Regeneration, technology and quality of spaces
More than a simple redevelopment, the W Florence Hotel represents an example of how the regeneration of built heritage can combine memory, new functions and quality of spaces, returning to the city a building that had remained unused for decades.
A process in which technological innovation becomes an integral part of the project: not an accessory element, but one of the tools through which existing buildings are adapted to the contemporary needs of comfort, functionality and quality of living. In this balance between conservation and transformation, Vimar solutions have contributed to defining a coherent design language, in which design and technology dialogue with the architecture and accompany the new life of the building.
For further information
vimar.com
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