The restoration of the Hotel Universo, formerly Palazzo Paoli, presented an important opportunity to enhance and reinterpret one of the most controversial places of the city of Lucca. The residence dates back to the nineteenth century and preserves the rooms, the elegant halls and the atmosphere of the past. Today the Hotel boasts more than 150 years of history and its rooms have seen guests such as John Ruskin, Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Ungaretti. Under this premise, the restoration project, entrusted to the Archea Associati studio in Florence, is a challenge that aims to unify both tradition and innovation. The building, located in the historic center of the city, will represent not only a reference point for international tourism, but also act as an encyclopedia, a wealth of knowledge and insight into the luxury and history of Lucca.
Guests will be captivated immediately upon arrival: the spaces on the ground floor, lobby, reception, restaurant and wine bar, are the beginning of a journey through the history of the city. The interior design is characterized first by a profound iconographic and historical research: floral motifs, precious silks, bright colors and precious plasters, which make the space elegant, and above all, unique. The design is intended to balance innovative elements of contemporary design with simple lines and elements derived from the tradition of Lucca.
The functional layout of the spaces on the ground floor has been maintained, with a total reinterpretation of the furnishings and finishes: the terrazzo floor and the walls of decorated plaster, hold important burnished brass bookcases, marble tables, seats embellished with traditional tapestries, as well as many typical elements of Tuscan culture, including  mirrors and lamps that offer a glimpse into the refined atmosphere expressed in the rooms above. On the upper floors there are 57 rooms, all large and bright, with refined and contemporary designs. Further above lies a gym and a bar with access to the panoramic roof terrace from which you can admire the roofs of the city and the nearby Piazza del Giglio and Piazza Napoleone. The intervention called for the creation of a new external staircase in the Corte Paoli: the obligations given by the fire regulations were the pretext for the design of what became an evocative contemporary metal architecture. The external staircase twists around a single large central pillar, thanks to their alternation of shapes, offer a play of perspective with a variation of light and shadow that transform this object, which was born out of sheer necessity, into a noteworthy architectural intervention.