See the Pucci-designed lobby of the Hotel Savoy in Florence
The lobby of the Hotel Savoy in Florence features cushions in Pucci fabrics.
Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci was one of Florence’s favourite sons. Born to one of the city’s noble families, he lived and worked in the Tuscan capital for much of his life, gaining international fame in the ’60s when Marilyn Monroe was photographed wearing his signature geometric prints. After that everyone from Sophia Loren, Jackie Kennedy, and even Madonna was spotted in his distinct designs.
The new reception area in the lobby of the Hotel Savoy in Florence.
Following Emilio’s death in 1992, his daughter Laudomia became the image director of the brand, which continues to dress celebrities like Katy Perry and Poppy Delevingne to this day. She occupies the same home and office her father did and shares his love of the northern Italian city. So when Florence’s historic Hotel Savoy needed an update, it was natural for them to turn to the Pucci fashion house for a breath of fresh local air.
This scarf designed by Laudomia Pucci was the starting point of the Pucci-Savoy collaboration.
Laudomia designed a scarf (pictured above) for the Hotel Savoy that featured illustrations of their building and the city square it stands in, Piazza Della Repubblica. That was the beginning of the collaboration. “It always starts with a scarf,” said Laudomia, referencing one of Pucci’s most popular accessories.
Chairs in the lobby of the Hotel Savoy in Florence are upholstered in Pucci fabrics.
The Savoy’s Director of Design, Olga Polizzi, oversaw the restoration of the lobby. It was a delicate task, as the Savoy’s building in Florence is over a century old. Polizzi raised the ceilings to five metres, exposed columns and painted the space in white, creating a canvas for Pucci to splash colour onto. She also decorated the front desks with caryatids (pillars sculpted into figures) in a nod to classical Florentine architecture.
A cluster of detailed vases in the lobby.
Polizzi wanted to add some youthful vibrancy to the grand old hotel. “The Savoy is a reflection of the personality of the city,” she says. “Florence is fun – she’s the whimsical, naughty, younger sister of Rome.” As well as updating the lobby, Polizzi also made significant changes to the guestrooms of the hotel, making them more spacious and adding additional balconies. Scenic outlooks at the Savoy are important – after all, Florence is the city where E. M. Forster’s famous novel A Room with a View was set.
The view from the Panoramic Suite.
The bedroom of the Presidential Suite.
Living room of the Grand Suite.
The bedroom of the Grand Suite.
The Junior Deluxe Suite.
The Presidential Suite features whimsical artwork.
Living room of the Presidential Suite.
Pucci scarves on display on the tabletops of Irene.
And that vivid scarf that started it all? Blue and fuchsia versions have been printed and displayed under glass on the tabletops at Irene, the Savoy’s terrace café on the Piazza. So if (by some miracle) you tire of the fantastic people watching on the square, your eyes will still be well entertained by signature bright Pucci colours.
The entrance to the Savoy in Florence and its terrace café, Irene.
The exterior of the Hotel Savoy in
Piazza Della Repubblica, Florence.
Visit: roccofortehotels.com
Click Here: highlanders rugby gear world