Palazzo Volpi hotel - Venice, Italy

It’s incredible to think that this light-washed 16th-century Venetian pile – immortalised in oils by Canaletto and Francesco Guardi – has lain mouldering for most of the past 70 years, its only occupant a solitary priest.  

A round of applause then for the palazzo’s new owners and Paris-based designers Anna Covre and Frederic Tubau who have parlayed career stints as creatives for the likes of L’Oreal, Coty, Armani and Beiersdorf to take on the role of interior designers for this striking serviced apartment project.

The three suites – one of which is a three-bedroom apartment that opens into a bijou courtyard, though the entire palazzo can be rented for a party of nine – have been fully restored complete with original exposed timber beams, staircase, and windows. Covre and Tubau unified both rooms and public spaces under a colour palette of dark brown timber, white marble and pale hues, while accents are provided by way of silk rugs, extravagant Rubelli drapes, travertine showers, and flanks of mirrors that endlessly reflect the lovely soft light of Venice and views of the Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo. 

A daily cleaning service keeps things spick and span, but the hotel is largely self-catering, though this is hardly a hardship as San Marco and Rialto, alongside Rosa Salva, Venice’s oldest bakery, are all just minutes away. For everything else, a private chef can be arranged.