Studio Giovanni Cattani Architetto leads the restoration of a 17th-century palace transformed into a hospitality space, an intervention that weaves together conservation, material culture, and contemporary design in the heart of Bologna’s historic center.
The project is grounded in the conservation of the original wall surfaces and in the enhancement of the 16th-century coffered wooden ceilings. These elements have not only been preserved but reintroduced into the spatial narrative as active devices, capable of shaping perception and restoring the building’s temporal depth.
Central to the design approach is the notion of the threshold between interior and exterior. Views over Bologna’s historic fabric are not treated as a backdrop, but as a living component of the project: the interior space opens up, engages in dialogue, and allows the city to permeate it. This visual porosity becomes a defining feature of the intervention.
The interior design is built around a precise idea of comfort, interpreted as harmony with light. The lighting component, developed through a series of bespoke elements designed specifically for the space, represents one of the project’s most research-driven aspects: lighting fixtures conceived as site-specific objects, capable of creating atmosphere and guiding the reading of the existing structure.
The selection of furnishings reflects the studio’s international outlook, developed through collaboration with French and Belgian manufacturers, chosen for their cultural affinity and craftsmanship quality.
The result is a form of hospitality architecture that rejects spectacle in favor of restraint: a project in which memory and contemporaneity do not stand in opposition, but instead recognize and reinforce one another.
For more information, visit www.giovannicattani.com
CREDITS
Project: Restoration of a 17th-century palace
Studio: Studio Giovanni Cattani Architetto
Location: Bologna
Year: 2025
