Porta Rossa Hotel Firenze, Colbert Collection

The Hotel: A Unique Destination

Located in the historic heart of Florence, just steps from the city’s most iconic landmarks, Porta Rossa Hotel Firenze Colbert Collection occupies a singular place within the urban fabric. A layered composition of ancient and contemporary elements, the hotel has long been recognised for its distinctive character, including receiving the European Design Award in 2010.

A History Embedded in Florence

Housed within a historic structure featuring original frescoes and a 13th-century tower, Porta Rossa is considered one of Italy’s oldest hotels. Deeply rooted in Florence’s medieval and Renaissance history, the building reflects centuries of architectural evolution through vaulted spaces, decorative ceilings, and traditional craftsmanship.

Rather than redefining this identity, THDP’s intervention embraces it, allowing the existing architecture to guide every design decision.

Florence: Beyond the Story

Beyond its world-renowned artistic heritage, Florence is a city defined by craftsmanship and cultural continuity. Leather working, inlaid wood, ceramics, blown glass, marbled paper, and textile traditions remain alive in artisan workshops throughout the city, while markets and ateliers continue to connect visitors with authentic local life.

This enduring spirit forms the foundation of the project, where culture is not merely referenced but experienced through materials, details, and atmosphere.

The Project

The redesign is conceived as a respectful dialogue between past and present. Rather than imposing a new aesthetic, the intervention reveals and amplifies the qualities already embedded within the historic building.

Through careful spatial refinement and considered material selection, guestrooms and public areas have been transformed to offer greater clarity, comfort, and sophistication while preserving authenticity.

The Design Concept

THDP’s approach is guided by three core principles:

•   Heritage as Protagonist: Existing architectural elements - -including frescoes, vaults, and historic details - are carefully preserved and highlighted.

•  Renaissance Reinterpreted: Classical Florentine language is translated into a contemporary vocabulary of proportion, rhythm, and restraint.

•  Timeless Layering: New interventions act as subtle additions that complement rather than compete with the historic fabric.

The result is a quiet expression of luxury where elegance emerges through harmony, authenticity, and material richness.

Public Areas: Spaces for Encounter

Within the public areas, the project develops a layered identity that complements the monumentality of the architecture.

The reception features bespoke desks wrapped in textured leather and original timber panelling reinterpreted with woven leather and brass detailing inspired by Florentine craftsmanship. Custom-designed brass lighting, recalling traditional portico lanterns, casts a warm, candle-like glow that enhances depth and atmosphere.

At the centre of the lobby, a banquette functions as a contemporary piazza—an informal gathering place that encourages interaction and observation. A former storage cabinet has been transformed into a theatrical tea niche framed by a decorative wallcovering inspired by Botticelli’s frescoes.

The bistro bar introduces a more vibrant character through antique mirrored back panels and a dramatic full-height bottle display, creating stronger visual connections with both guests and the surrounding city.

Materials including Levanto marble, dark timber, brass, and leather establish a cohesive and immersive composition throughout.

Guestrooms: Intimacy and Atmosphere

The guestrooms evoke the intimacy of a Renaissance palazzo, conceived as calm and contemplative retreats. Draped headboards and softly articulated wall canopies create a sense of enclosure, while layered textiles, leather, and refined finishes enrich the tactile experience.

The headboard pays homage to Porta Rossa - the “Red Door” - through a deep burgundy framework inspired by the building’s historic identity. An inset embroidered-effect wallcovering references Renaissance textiles, introducing quiet decorative depth.

The overall atmosphere favours understated luxury, inviting stillness, comfort, and connection.

Guestroom Lobbies: A Sequence of Intimate Piazzette

Along the guestroom floors, lounge spaces have been conceived as a series of private piazzette that extend the guest experience beyond the room itself.

The Winter Garden is expressed through an emerald palette inspired by enclosed palazzo courtyards. The Grand Tour room adopts lapis lazuli tones that evoke travel, maps, and collected artefacts, while the Library Parlour employs softer amethyst hues centred around a marble fireplace to create a contemplative retreat.

Each space draws inspiration from the mineral pigments of Renaissance frescoes while interpreting them through a contemporary lens. Bespoke chandeliers composed of layered circular iron frames and candle-like diffusers unify the sequence, with subtle variations in lampshades and leather detailing reflecting each room’s distinct identity.

A Contemporary Expression of Florentine Identity

The project reflects a vision rooted in timeless tranquillity and authentic experience, balancing cultural depth with understated luxury. Local craftsmanship - from ceramics and textiles to woodworking and leatherwork - is integrated not as decoration but as a living cultural language embedded throughout the design.

Responding to Florence’s architectural harmony and artistic richness, THDP has created interiors where light, colour, materiality, and history exist in quiet dialogue, allowing the building’s extraordinary heritage to remain the true protagonist.