A 1950s building designed by Italo Gamberini in the middle of Florence has been renovated by local outfit AMDB Studio’s Daniela Bianchi into Glance, a swanky, modern 69-room boutique hotel.
The interventions have been subtle, aided, in part by the well-conceived bones of the original design, though perhaps Bianchi’s most remarkable achievement was the insertion of a small swimming pool on the rooftop, an unusual enough feature for Florentine hotels, much less one this small.
The public spaces and rooms are furnished entirely by Lema, the Italian outfit providing customised tables and counterspaces alongside choice pieces from its Lema Casa collection, such as the free-forming Cloud sofa by Francesco Rota, coffee tables by Studio Kairos, and poufs by Officinadesign Lema.
The absence of an in-house restaurant is perhaps an indication of the hotel’s rating, but what of it. In Florence, it is an obtuse diner who goes hungry. On this point, it’s worth nothing that the hotel’s location in the San Lorenzo quarter can barely be bettered – the Accademia, Uffizi, Santa Maria Novella station, and the Duomo are all within striking distance, though it’s tempting to just loll indolently by the rooftop pool while contemplating the elegant lines of the Medici chapel.
ADDRESS
Via Nazionale, 23
-
Fluid workspaces: is the era of prescriptive office design over?We discuss evolving workspaces and track the shape-shifting interiors of the 21st century. If options are what we’re after in office design, it looks like we’ve got them
-
This collection of slow furniture is a powerful ode to timeA serene exhibition of David Dolcini's 'Time-made' collection has fast-tracked its place into our hearts and homes
-
Is the Pragma P1 the most sustainable watch yet?Geneva-based brand Pragma combines industrial design with real sustainable credentials
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Romeo Roma: a new hotel that’s one of Zaha Hadid’s last projectsLocated within Rome’s Tridente, Romeo Roma is a palimpsest of periods in which the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid left her avant-garde mark
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitalityAs women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
The best Milan bars for a fashionable aperitivoMilan’s after-dark renaissance is evident in a new wave of design-led cocktail bars, setting the right mood for enticing aperitivos and nightcaps; Milan editor Laura May Todd recommends the best
-
How Four Seasons Hotels became The White Lotus’ unofficial starAs The White Lotus season three whisks us to Thailand, Marc Speichert, chief commercial officer of Four Seasons Hotels, discusses the luxury group’s perfect synergy with the hit HBO series – and where you can live the experience
-
Night at the museum: the best art hotels to book nowSleep amid surrealists at London’s Broadwick Soho, or wake up to contemporary favourites at New Hotel in Athens – indulge in an immersive art hotel experience
-
A next-generation Milanese members’ club wins Wallpaper* Design Award 2025The Wilde wins our Best Social Hub award for its embodiment of the cosmopolitan Milanese spirit
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: meet the travel winners transcending destinationsDiscover the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025 travel winners – the year’s places to stay, dine, drink and join – and watch our video to find out why they won
