The best design hotels in Venice
An insider's guide to the best design hotels in Venice, including the top places to stay for opulent interiors, canal-side locations, gorgeous suites, quirky design features, cityscape views, excellent restaurants and tranquil gardens, in locations close to St Mark's Square, the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal.
The Clooneys opted to spend their wedding night in this 16th-century Grand Canal-side palazzo, which says it all. A trompe-l’oeil grand staircase leads from the lobby up to the piano nobile and rococo ballroom, with their gilt mirrors, frescoes, Murano chandeliers, terrazzo floor and windows overlooking the Canal. Contemporary furnishings mix with sumptuous chandeliers and burnished mirrors in the 24 ultra-luxe suites, including the Alcova suite with its ceiling paintings by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Overlooking pantiled rooftops, the wooden 'altana’ is a small decked roof terrace for sunset drinks.
? Where to stay in Venice: hotels by district
Ca Maria Adele takes Venetian style to gothic extreme in five statement concept rooms, all delightfully decorated with subtle tones, beautiful dark-wood furniture and marble bathrooms. The Sala Noire with its black Murano glass chandelier is deliciously decadent. An additional five deluxe rooms and two top-floor suites are equally plush, and the air of warm, welcoming urbanity makes this seem like a very grown-up hotel. Very intimate and very stylish: there’s a welcoming hush to this little place, and you’ll be made to feel immediately at home.
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Small, intimate DD724 was a contemporary-minimalist design trailblazer in 2003 on a Venice hotel scene swamped with twiddly Murano glass and busy brocade. The feel is urbane but friendly, with lots of understated neutrals and clean lines complemented by splashes of red, orange and ochre. There are just nine extremely stylish rooms spread across DD724 and its DD694 annexe (the names are taken from the addresses of the two sites), ranging from an extensive four-person Deluxe suite to the much tighter Essential room. The more expensive enjoy views over the narrow Torreselle canal and/or the gardens of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
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Brocade-and-chandelier Venetian hotel norm doesn’t appeal? This 10-room boutique successfully foists very contemporary décor onto an historic framework, juxtaposing serious design pieces, vivid colours and industrial-chic materials against exposed beams, beautiful terrazzo floors and some lovely original ceiling frescoes. The central courtyard — with Paola Navone for EMU furniture beneath a huge wisteria vine — is a lovely place to relax, as is the welcoming living room indoors, complete with grand piano.
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Once through Oltre il Giardino's front gate you could be forgiven for thinking you’d left Venice behind: it feels more country hideaway than Venetian palazzo. The contrast is very engaging. It also boasts that most enviable of Venetian rarities: a garden, where breakfast is served during the warmer months. The six rooms in the main building are large by Venetian standards and delightfully airy and bright. Some overlook the garden, others the canals around. It is located right by the Frari basilica, and is just a 10-minute walk from the Rialto Bridge and St Mark's Square.
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Ca’ Pisani was the first Venetian hotel to abandon brocade and chandeliers in favour of an Art Deco décor – with some superb period pieces. Each room is individual, with some wonderful items of period furniture dating from the 1920s to 1940s blending warmly with exposed beams, eye-catching rugs and some striking contemporary metal-and-glass fixtures. A stay here is as charming as it is chic, with friendly staff generally able and willing to dispense spot-on advice and help on all aspects of visiting the city.
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Casa Burano offers guests the chance to experience the brilliant colours and lively local scene of this most picturesque Venetian lagoon island, without the hordes that flock there by day. It describes itself as an albergo diffuso – a scattered hotel – with five houses nestled throughout the island. The quaint fa?ades are similar to the neighbouring homes with their bright colours, but the modern and minimalist interiors have all been renovated in collaboration with local artisans and design firms. All rooms and suites have a breezy air about them yet no two are identical; opt for a Junior Suite to enjoy spacious soaking tubs and relaxing steam showers.
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Five-star Palazzo Venart boasts 18 extravagantly decorated rooms and suites that aim to challenge Venice’s accommodation grandes dames. The feel is luxe classic Venetian: rich colours, lush furnishings and great attention to detail with a quirky edge. Décor varies in the 18 sumptuous rooms, while remaining very much in the Venetian vernacular, with glorious fabrics and colours. Some rooms have original wall or ceiling frescoes, others have wonderful terrazzo flooring. Four suites enjoy Grand Canal views. On the top floor, some of the rooms are rather small but their access to roof terraces makes up for this.
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Gothic on the outside, contemporary on the inside: the five-star Centurion Palace looks across the Grand Canal towards San Marco from the quieter, artsy Dorsoduro district. With the Guggenheim, Accademia and Punta della Dogana galleries close at hand, it’s perfect for art lovers. The 50 rooms and suites combine antique features with contemporary design – striking colours, huge mirrors and bathrooms in burnished gold leaf. Not all of them face the Grand Canal, so make sure you specify what you want when booking.
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