Experience the “Venetian Dream” at Palazzina Grassi

It takes something very special to create a buzz in Venice, but when French designer, Philippe Starck, chose this beautiful city as the location of his first hotel design project, it was bound to turn a few heads.

Turin-born Emanuele Garosci, who created Hotel Nhow in Milan’s new über-fashionable Zona Tortona design district, made a short visit to Venice in 2008 and fell head-over-heels in love with the city. In fact, he was so astounded by its beauty that he vowed to create an establishment where visitors would have the opportunity to feel “temporarily Venetian”.

Any ambitious plan needs a visionary and Palazzina Grassi has the great good fortune to have two: Emanuele Garosci and the French design genius, Philippe Starck. Starck already owned a home on a tiny island in the Venice laguna and was as inspired by these surroundings as his new business partner.

Starck has been described as operating like a movie director, trying to create mental spaces in people’s brains. This tendency has enabled him to cast his spell on this aristocratic boutique hotel, using local materials and architectural trends to seduce guests into feeling part of the city.

When one thinks of Venice, one’s thoughts turn naturally to Venetian glass. With this idea firmly in mind, Starck employed the services of Aristide Najean, a French painter and sculptor who had relocated to Murano, centre of Venice’s glass industry, to live and work. Najean was delighted to have been included in the project and created a number of eye-catching glass sculptures that both capture and reflect the quality of light that is unique to this city on the water.

The ground floor is where the journey begins, all spaces artfully arranged to create a seamless mise-en-scène evoking the concept of a timeless Venice. PG’s Restaurant and Bar is a modern cicchetteria / osteria, a popular meeting place where people flock to meet up with friends.

Also on the lower floor the private G Club is where you can find members of Venetian nobility and the local intelligentsia enjoying a spirited discussion in these two elegant rooms overlooking the Canal Grande.

The three upper floors contain sixteen guest rooms and six apartment suites. These rooms are characterised by large backlit mirrors, warm lighting, classic terrazzo or wooden floors and bespoke furniture.

Every detail has been painstakingly created or selected by Starck, from the fine linen sheets to the natural stone in the bathrooms.

If you had ever wondered what it would be like to live the high life on the Canal Grande, this wondrous hotel offers more than just a taste of Venetian splendour.

www.palazzinagrassi.com

New post on at Thursday, 22 April, 2010, 9:00 am and is archived in Art, Culture, Décor/Architecture/Industrial & Furniture Design, Lifestyle, Luxury, Places of Interest. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.