ENGLISH TEXTS.

Domestic jungle

METAL PALMS AS LAMPS, PAINTINGS WITH PARROTS AND TIGERS, WALLS AND THE FURNITURE WITH PLANTS, LEAVES. IN FLORENCE, A MICRO-HOTEL THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO TRAVEL THERE. What are David Livingstone, Scottish missionary and explorer, Charles Darwin, naturalist, Gerald Durrell, British zoologist, and Dian Fossey, American zoologist, doing in a building from the 1950s in Florence? They are the tutelary deities of Velona’s Jungle, a micro-hotel with just four rooms (more like suites), decorated with an unexpected mixture of leaves, palms, parrots, antique and vintage furniture. A family apartment, reinvented, on the edge of the historical center. The owner, Serena Velona Grechi, comes from a family of antique dealers. «The first time I entered the building I realized something was missing», says Francesca Bocchini Sgroi, who has worked with the owner on the interior design. «The architecture didn’t convey the emotions you expect to find in Florence. There were some nice details, but the place needed character. So I worked with fabrics, materials, wallpapers». The details included the casements and the marble floors of the entrance and living room. «We kept the good parts», Bocchini Sgroi continues. «The floors were a surprise, we only noticed them after cleaning». The key is eclecticism: each room has a color, an exotic plant, an animal to set it apart. The furnishings are a blend of family heirlooms and vintage pieces, often reinvented with a bit of humor. In the dining room the walls seem like an imaginary vertical garden. One of the bathrooms is a winter garden with a glass ceiling. But there are also contemporary custom furnishings. «The place is a mixture of different eras and styles, in a setting created by color». The fabrics add a touch of exuberance. «The first one I chose was by Christian Lacroix, and then the research spread to fashion houses (Hermès, Ralph Lauren) or collections of great decorative impact (Dedar, Lelievre, Dominique Kieffer)». The other leitmotif is that of the lamps produced by a small English company, Gong.