Design-Milk

In Florence, the past is never far from the present, but designing within a centuries-old palazzo requires more than an appreciation for history. At Palazzo Sogni, a new 30-room hotel steps from the Duomo, designers Elena and Giulia Sella faced the challenge of preserving Renaissance architecture and historic frescoes while introducing their own interior identity. Their approach brings together Florentine craftsmanship, contemporary furniture, and a playful sense of discovery, with the idea of “dreaming” connecting spaces throughout the property.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

The building dates to the 16th century, when it formed part of Palazzo Testa, constructed by the Martelli family. Among its most significant features are a monumental nymphaeum with a stone fountain traditionally attributed to sculptor Baccio Bandinelli and historic frescoes spanning several centuries, including works by Luigi Catani and Antonio Marini. The conservation process involved removing layers of paint to reveal decorations that had been hidden for years. Rather than treating these historic elements as decorative backdrops, the designers used them to inform the new interiors.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

“From the beginning, it was essential to preserve the character and soul of the palazzo,” the Sella sisters explain. Original ceiling frescoes were carefully restored, while marble flooring was recreated to echo the building’s original checkerboard pattern. Contemporary additions, including amber-toned mirrors, custom furniture, and richly textured fabrics, were developed in response to the existing architecture.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

That relationship between old and new is particularly evident in the hotel’s 30 rooms and suites, where no two interiors follow the same formula. Historic frescoes informed individual color combinations and material selections, while the proportions of each room determined furniture arrangements and the inclusion of pieces such as chaise longue or dedicated seating areas. Lighting was equally considered, with integrated architectural illumination drawing attention to ceiling paintings and dedicated fixtures highlighting wall frescoes.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

The color palette takes its cues directly from the historic decorative schemes. Powder blue, which the designers associate with the hotel’s dreamlike concept, became its signature shade, appearing throughout the reception, corridors, and boutique. Mint green, blush pink, and ochre provide complementary tones, often paired with velvets, silks, and warm metallic accents.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

“We focused on materials that create richness through texture rather than excess,” the designers explain. Some velvets have a subtly iridescent finish that introduces depth and movement, while original lime-based wall finishes were preserved wherever possible. The combination allows contemporary furnishings to hold their own against the elaborate historic architecture without competing for attention.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

Rather than sourcing existing furniture collections, Elena and Giulia designed every piece specifically for Palazzo Sogni, working with specialized artisans and workshops in Florence and the surrounding region. The resulting collection includes sculptural wardrobes, four-poster beds, upholstered headboards, benches, armchairs, occasional tables, and custom lighting.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

“One of the key ideas behind Palazzo Sogni was to create an interior identity that could only belong to this place,” they explain. “Rather than sourcing existing products, we developed what we like to describe as a couture design collection: a bespoke language conceived for the hotel, where wonder, history and contemporary design come together.”

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

The emphasis on local production extends to the textiles. The hotel’s signature Floral Butterfly pattern was developed in collaboration with Florence-area textile company Alessandro Bini, which created a dedicated loom setup to translate the design into silk-based jacquard with a distinctive texture and relief. The fabric appears on bed canopies, armchairs, and wardrobe interiors, while bespoke linens and terry collections by Italian manufacturer Rivolta Carmignani add another layer of craftsmanship.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

The custom design language extends to the tableware, with Ginori 1735 reinterpreting its Antico Doccia collection in the hotel’s signature powder blue and incorporating floral and butterfly motifs into the porcelain.

One of the project’s more unexpected materials is aged amber mirror, which appears throughout the interiors, from bathrooms and elevators to larger architectural surfaces. Its reflective quality helps visually lighten substantial volumes while introducing warmth.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

“It feels elegant and warm while visually lightening larger volumes through reflection,” the designers explain. Repeated throughout the property, the material became a subtle visual connection between otherwise distinct spaces.

Beyond the guest rooms, the hotel’s Secret Garden centers on the historic nymphaeum and its fountain. A visual axis from the entrance draws visitors toward the architectural feature, while planting inspired by traditional Italian gardens, custom furnishings, and carefully positioned lighting frame the space without overwhelming it.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

“We wanted the nymphaeum to remain one of the strongest architectural moments of the property,” the designers say. Their approach allows the fountain to retain its prominence while giving the surrounding garden a softer, more contemporary character.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

Elsewhere, the hotel’s public spaces offer different interpretations of its historic setting. Segreto, the signature restaurant, pairs botanical references with views of the courtyard garden, while La Sala della Musica preserves the atmosphere of a historic salon through original frescoes and contemporary furnishings. Above it all, the Sotto le Stelle rooftop provides a more open-air experience, with views of Florence’s Duomo.

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

Not every intervention is quite so restrained. Brass “Press for Champagne” buttons introduce an unexpected moment of playfulness in the guest rooms, reflecting the designers’ interest in creating experiences that go beyond the purely visual.

“Conservation was always the starting point, and every intervention was carefully designed not to interfere with the historic frescoes or architectural features,” they explain. “Within that framework, we wanted to introduce a stronger sense of experience and discovery.”

Photography courtesy of Palazzo Sogni

Throughout Palazzo Sogni, the designers have resisted the temptation to reproduce a traditional Florentine interior, instead allowing contemporary forms, custom craftsmanship, and historic ornamentation to coexist. The result is a hotel that draws much of its character from the past without remaining confined to it.

Editorial Transparency: This article was developed with the assistance of AI tools, which may have been used for research, outlining, editing, or copy refinement. Reporting, fact-checking, and editorial decisions were made by the Design Milk editorial team.

More than a decade after first reimagining Mandarin Oriental The Landmark in Hong Kong, Joyce Wang Studio has renovated the hotel a second time. The new work covers its 109 rooms and suites, the mansion foyer, the spa, and the former MO Bar.

Photography by Common Studio

Joyce Wang, the studio’s principal, says the latest brief placed greater emphasis on the hotel’s connection to Hong Kong. “We took inspiration from the colonial country manors frequented by the Tai Kwuns of a bygone era to celebrate the beauty of these historic homes that still fascinate today,” she says. “Our vision this time has a greater focus on local relevance and the heritage of the building.”

Photography by Common Studio

The redesign is organized around the idea of a lived-in mansion, a type with many historical examples in Hong Kong. Green and orange anchor the palette, drawing on the city’s lush gardens and the terracotta tones of its colonial architecture. In the lobby and arrival sequence, classic architectural gestures meet contemporary detailing in stone, timber, textured wallcoverings, and custom eglomisé glass. An undulating staircase, artwork bays, and sculptural plinths guide guests through an arrival sequence modeled on that of a grand residence.

Photography by Common Studio

The city’s skyline runs through the building as a motif. The studio created custom artworks of the Hong Kong silhouette and produced them as carpets, tapestries, and eglomisé glass for the lobby, the elevators, and the guestroom corridors. In the rooms, custom rugs take their pattern from Hong Kong’s historic brickwork. They sit on lightened timber floors alongside cracked gesso wall finishes and a Fromental wallcovering incorporating hand-painted and silk elements.

Photography by Common Studio

Art was integrated into the design program from the start. Wang says the artwork program “is rigorous in that there is a story behind each piece.” The collection brings together work by emerging and established artists, both local and international. Wang describes the hotel as a pied-à-terre for guests to experience the city up close. Sculptural vases, artisanal vessels, and other objects were selected to look like things gathered over time in a private home.

Photography by Common Studio

Together, these details give the hotel the layered character of a private residence, while the references to Hong Kong’s architecture, landscape, and artistic community keep the design firmly rooted in its setting. Rather than simply revisiting the studio’s earlier work, the renovation offers a more distinctly local interpretation of the luxury hotel.

Robot vacuums have become increasingly sophisticated, but their appearance hasn’t always kept pace. Even as these devices get better at navigating our homes independently, their docking stations remain conspicuous pieces of technology, often at odds with the interiors they’re meant to maintain. With the Flow 2 White, Narwal is taking a closer look at how a robot vacuum might fit into a living space—not just functionally, but visually.

Photography courtesy of Narwal

The latest iteration of the brand’s flagship robot vacuum and mop introduces a white finish designed to complement lighter interiors, from pale wood floors to the warm neutrals commonly found in contemporary homes. But Narwal’s approach goes beyond changing the appliance’s color. The design also considers how materials, lighting, and form can make an everyday device feel less like equipment and more like part of its surroundings.

Photography courtesy of Narwal

“White wasn’t a simple repaint, but a reflection of how we think a cleaning robot should live in today’s lighter, calmer interiors,” explains Junbin Zhang, founder and CEO of Narwal.. “The frosted glass-textured panel softens light and resists fingerprints, an ambient light bar turns status signals into design language, and the semi-enclosed base station unites robot and dock as one form rather than two separate parts.”

That last detail is particularly important. Rather than treating the dock as a separate piece of equipment, Narwal has designed the two components to read as a single unit when the robot is parked. The result is a more cohesive silhouette, with restrained lines and a relatively compact visual presence.

Photography courtesy of Narwal

Of course, no matter how nice it looks, a robot vacuum still needs to perform its primary function. The Flow 2 White retains the flagship model’s cleaning technology, including Narwal’s FlowWash mopping system, which uses a continuously rotating track-style mop and heated water to clean the mop as it operates. The system is designed to remove dirt during cleaning rather than repeatedly dragging it across the floor.

Photography courtesy of Narwal

The vacuum also incorporates the NarMind Pro autonomous system, which combines onboard processing with cloud-based AI to recognize objects and adjust its cleaning behavior. Depending on what it encounters, the robot can change its approach to obstacles and different types of debris. Dedicated modes for homes with pets or young children further tailor its operation, while the base station automates tasks such as emptying collected debris and cleaning the mop.

These features are part of a broader effort to make the appliance less demanding of its owner. The overall design focuses on reducing how much attention the device requires—both visually and in everyday use.

Photography courtesy of Narwal

“We believe home technology should be powerful but unobtrusive, so the Flow 2 White earns its place in the home as decor, not just a tech device,” Zhang says.

The Flow 2 White reflects an interesting shift in how manufacturers are approaching domestic technology. As smart devices become permanent fixtures in our homes, their relationship to furniture, architecture, and interior finishes becomes increasingly important. Narwal’s answer is to make the technology quieter in appearance, even as its capabilities become more complex.

Photography courtesy of Narwal

The Narwal Flow 2 White is available at us.narwal.com and amazon.com.

Editorial Transparency: This article was developed with the assistance of AI tools, which may have been used for research, outlining, editing, or copy refinement. Reporting, fact-checking, and editorial decisions were made by the Design Milk editorial team.

A once-ordinary restaurant begins a new chapter in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the Southeast’s fastest-growing cities. Designed by FictionWorks, Napa Bistro and Wine Bar Stonecrest draws inspiration from the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting, blending the aesthetics of a French bistro with the subtle charm of a Napa Valley farmhouse.

Photography by Pablo Enriquez

“The goal was to create a restaurant that feels approachable enough for a casual weeknight dinner while offering the sense of occasion people look for when celebrating a great meal and a bottle of wine,” say FictionWorks co-founders Andrea De Camps and Olivia King.

Photography by Pablo Enriquez

With architecture by In Situ Studio, the 6,500-square-foot space is organized into a series of connected rooms, each defined by its own character. A curved, vaulted ceiling with a system by Baswa Acoustics softens the sounds of a busy dining environment while also contributing to the interior’s spatial rhythm. Thoughtfully scaled dining rooms feature intimate seating areas with worn leather upholstery, inviting guests to settle into their surroundings.

Photography by Pablo Enriquez

Perhaps one of the restaurant’s biggest roadblocks was working within an existing structure. Transforming a former taco restaurant into a warm, wine-focused destination, FictionWorks strategically invested in high-impact elements. Completed in under nine months, the renovation required intentional coordination, smart budgeting, and a clear design hierarchy. The result is a transformation of a flat, open layout into a layered sequence of rooms that echo the coziness of a Napa Valley farmhouse.

Photography by Pablo Enriquez

“We put the money into the details that would really make an impact—the stained-glass installation, custom lighting, and millwork,” the team at FictionWorks says, “and we stayed more practical with the secondary elements—the tabletops, mosaic flooring, thrifted artwork, and accessories.”

Photography by Pablo Enriquez

Drawing on three key influences, the color palette reflects the verdant vineyards of Napa Valley, the warmth of 1970s interiors, and the refined character of a Parisian bistro. Deep greens and warm wood tones are accented by shades of amber and bronze, evoking the richness of aged wine without feeling dated. Classic black-and-white tiles from Daltile’s Keystone collection ground the design, providing a unique mosaic floor pattern that contrasts sharply with the more natural materials.

For De Camps and King, every “design decision, from the architecture and materials to the artwork and guest experience, supports a deeper appreciation of food, wine, and the history that inspired the brand.”

Photography by Pablo Enriquez

Crafted from hand-blown rondels, the custom stained-glass installation references 1970s glasswork and takes the form of a wine bottle punt. Custom lighting, linen pendant fixtures, and sculptural chandeliers are arranged to complement natural light while creating intimate, moody vignettes. A series of distinctive photographs and digital artwork by California artist Julia Crane are intertwined with pieces by Charlotte-based creatives, connecting the space back to its local community. The result? A materiality that tells a story that goes far beyond the menu.

Photography by Pablo Enriquez

Modeled after a global wine competition that transformed the perception of Californian wines, Napa Bistro and Wine Bar builds its identity around the spirit of that event. For the team at FictionWorks, the restaurant is a celebration of challenging expectations. “That same spirit shaped every aspect of the design,” they explain. “The restaurant draws from this spirit of transformation, not to recreate history, but to honor and reimagine it.”