Rooms with a view

A long-standing family-run establishment, Hotel Cavour is a jewel of historical architecture and Emilian hospitality located close to Piazza Maggiore in the bustling heart of the city of Bologna. Housed in a splendid 16th century building overlooking Via Goito that was formerly owned by the Opera Pia dei Poveri Vergognosi («Charity home for the Shameful Poor»), it was recently reopened following extensive renovation work on some of the guest rooms and all the common areas.
With its sophisticated furnishings, exposed beam ceilings, Vietri ceramics and marble mosaics, this luxury hotel stands out for its aesthetic qualities coupled with a homely, vintage atmosphere. It was the historic and prestigious location that prompted the designer, architect Claudia Biondi, to choose a contemporary yet sober style that would harmonise perfectly with the building’s structure. With this in mind, she decided to «combine understated, tasteful modern design with a more classical choice of furnishings that would blend in with the historical context of the building and create a sense of warmth and well-being for guests». She focused in particular on the finishes in the guest rooms, where she opted for a universal colour scheme that would serve as the underlying theme of the hotel. While sharing the same soft sand and taupe colours, the rooms are all different in terms of their decorations, designs and surface textures. With their unlimited expressive and aesthetic potential, ceramic tiles from ABK proved the ideal solution for the architect’s concept and helped to make each room truly unique. Softer tones were used to enhance the beauty of the bedrooms, where the Crossroad Wood, Crossroad Chalk, Alpes Wide and Unika collections serve as a backdrop and enclose the rooms with their elegant sand and taupe shades.

In the bathrooms, bolder colours and more distinctive surfaces were chosen for the shower areas, where Do Up, Crossroad Brick and Wide&Style slabs were used to make each project unique. In some bathrooms, the Interno 9 collection was used in Rust, Mud and Dark shades reminiscent of oxidised metals, creating a more industrial and dramatic style along with the eye-catching Corten-effect ceramic wall tiles. The decision to lay porcelain stoneware tiles on top of the existing flooring made the renovation work much quicker and simpler. The ceramic surfaces were also chosen for their strength, durability and low long-term maintenance requirements.
The choice of furniture was based on the same design philosophy, combining classical elements such as armchairs, consoles and bedside tables with contemporary upholstered leather headboards as part of a sober and elegant overall design.