JK Place Firenze - Florence

JK Place is a superb boutique hotel located on Florence's Piazza Santa Maria Novella close to the city's legendary medieval apothecary. The Kafri family who owns and manages the hotel contacted the renowned Italian architect Michele Bonan to assist them in the realisation of their venture to transform a building which had lain derelict for some 50 years in to the city's most stylish 4 star hotel.

The JK Place, is the epitome of discreet luxury and impeccable yet highly personalized service. Behind what might be described as almost anonymous doors off the busy Piazza of Santa Maria Novella, the palazzo opens out from a central corridor with lacquered black wooden floors and panelled walls painted in soothing neutral tones of grey and taupe. A pathway of pietra serena stone leads from the courtyard to a staircase with intricate wrought iron balustrade.

Michele Bonan's interiors are characterized by an eclectic mix of exposed wooden beams, antique architectural renderings, original artworks, large mirrors, and ottomans upholstered in zebra hide. The result is a curious yet highly successful marriage between Italian antiquity and 1960s pop art. The bedrooms, many of which with large four poster beds, are all seductively furnished in cream cashmere and soft grey wool. Elaborate Louis XVI marble fireplaces and ornate crystal chandeliers feature in the same rooms as 1930's chrome desk lamps and abstract art from recent decades.

The public rooms of the JK Place are sophisticated yet gloriously comfortable, from the high ceilinged library lounge with open fireplace to the reception area which features little more than a large walnut wood table strewn with glossy art books. A beautifully presented breakfast is served in the room or taken in the company of other guests sat at the huge polished antique dining table dominating the glass roofed courtyard, which is hung with large Moroccan lanterns. A roof terrace with sofas shaded by pantiled eaves is the perfect place where to enjoy an aperitif or choose a light lunch from a menu featuring refreshing salads, club sandwiches and a selection of fine wines.