Located in the heart of Florence’s historic centre, the Starhotels Group’s Helvetia&Bristol hotel was elected winner of the ‘Luxury Heritage Hotel’ category during the “15th Annual World Luxury Hotel Awards 2021”. This aristocratic Renaissance-style residence has recently undergone a major and delicate restoration, which has allowed the city to return to one of its historic palaces and, at the same time, an authentic icon of hotelerie.
For this hotel, the famous Milanese Interior Designer Andrea Auletta was responsible for the creation of the Heritage Suite Helvetia and the Bristol Winter Garden, focusing his work on the need to reconcile the spaces and atmospheres of a fascinating past with the contemporary nature of an exclusive five-star hotel.
The Heritage Suite Helvetia is an original space that pre-existed the intervention, for which Andrea Auletta chose to maintain the white boiserie already present and the amber-coloured chenille wall fabric, enriched by vertical panels with an ivory-coloured fabric diamond pattern.
The floor is in Italian-style herringbone oak parquet. The bench, sofas and chairs are upholstered in fabric and here white alternates with gold, as in the play of cushions.
The wrought-iron four-poster bed embellished with curtains at the back is the work of a master craftsman from Arezzo. The carpets designed and made of viscose pick up the amber colour of the walls with the insertion of ivory-coloured borders.
In the bathroom, the existing white Carrara marble with black marble edging has been retained, elegantly taken up by the black stripes on the ceiling. In the restyling work, the designer tried to maintain all the beauty already present, also enlisting the help of restorers and master craftsmen, enriching it with elements that would enhance its personality.
For the Bristol Winter Garden, Andrea Auletta wanted to keep the elegant and original skylight that covers the ceiling and is marked by an alternation of coloured glass in delicate shades of green and antique pink. The large skylight illuminates a cosy and relaxing space, enveloped in the delicate lines of a wall-mounted Choiserie designed by Ottavia Moschini, which echoes to scale the fabric upholstery of the sofas and bergère. The chairs are upholstered in velvet in an intense peacock colour and the table is covered with a gold leaf top.
The pattern of the wallpaper decoration is the same as the textile upholstery and is inspired by the flora and fauna of Tuscany.
Wall mirrors with gold-finished edges alternate with mirrored screens with antiqued gold metal frames, carefully positioned to separate the space.
The storytelling of the winter garden is completed with materials of antique Tuscan flavour such as terracotta and pietra serena and is completed with a black marble fountain on the wall, enclosed between two triumphs of flowers in stone vases.
For more information visit www.andreaauletta.it.
CREDITS
Project: Heritage Suite Helvetia and Bristol Winter Garden
Studio: Andrea Auletta architect
Location: Florence, Italy
Year: 2022
