Globetrotting with Vibia

For anyone with an abiding love of travel, the next big adventure is always top of mind. But when the world is your oyster, which destination will best satisfy your wanderlust?

Because we believe beautiful accommodations are an important part of any getaway, we’ve selected a few of our favorite design-driven hotels around the world to spark some ideas. Each uniquely inspiring, these stylish spots provide the perfect launching pad for intrepid explorations.

 

Glance Hotel

Situated in Florence’s historic San Lorenzo neighborhood, the Glance Hotel combines a contemporary aesthetic with references to the city’s rich artistic legacy. Notably, walls on each floor feature oversized images of iconic Renaissance sculptures.

Across from one such image in the lobby is the Set sconce by Xuclà, a customised composition of rectangular pieces that both generates and reflects light. Its mesmerizing play of shadow and light presents a modern sculptural counterpoint to the ancient imagery that anchors the opposite wall.

 

Suspended above the lobby’s reception desk is Vibia’s Slim pendant from designer Jordi Vilardell. Its long, elegant tapers are tipped with pressed-glass diffusers, defining the space and bathing it in a soft pool of welcoming light.

 

Quirk Hotel

The Quirk is a historic boutique hotel in the arts and design district of Richmond, Virginia. Built in 1916, the former department store features limestone arches and soaring groin-vault ceilings, the latter on stunning display in the open reception area. Here, suspended above the welcome desk, is Vibia’s Wireflow pendant by Arik Levy. The minimalist, three-dimensional design is crafted of slender cables, complementing the airy aesthetic and allowing full view of the architecture overhead.

 

Parador de Cáceres

Located in western Spain, Parador de Cáceres is a renovated Renaissance palace in the city’s old quarter, a UNESCO world-heritage site known for its 12^th-century Moorish walls and cobbled medieval streets.

The hotel’s design seamlessly melds tradition and modernity, including in the tranquil outdoor dining area. Against the backdrop of the building’s ancient brick-walled façade, garden tables are crowned with the Halley light by Jordi Vilardell and Meritxell Vidal. Recalling a comet streaming across the night sky, its slender arc of illumination blends into the bucolic setting while subtly setting off each table.

 

Marktgasse Hotel Zurich

Amid the winding, narrow lanes of Zurich’s old town, Marktgasse Hotel occupies two 15^th-century buildings. Carefully renovated to retain its period details and historic character, Marktgasse offers an eclectic combination of modern and traditional design. In the sleek dining room, Arik Levy’s Wireflow pendant punctuates the space with its spare elegance. Suspended by slender black cables that nod to the room’s color scheme, its presence is at once striking and subtle.

 

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