Philippe Starck's intervention in a centuries-old Venetian palazzo on the Grand Canal is, by its very nature, a provocation — and at Palazzina Grassi, that tension between the building's patrician bones and its designer's instinct for theatrical reinvention is exactly the point. The fifteenth-century structure, its white Istrian stone arcade stepping directly from the water between the Rialto and the Accademia, received Starck's treatment when the property was relaunched in 2012 under the Benetton family's ownership. Just 26 rooms and suites were carved from the palazzo's upper floors, keeping the guest count intimate enough that the building never feels overwhelmed by the hospitality program layered inside it. The interior scheme moves between Venetian tradition and Starck's characteristic futurism without apology. Bedrooms deploy floor-to-ceiling Murano-glass mirrors etched with botanical motifs — a direct nod to the city's craft heritage — alongside polished chrome Louis Ghost chairs and draped grey linen, the palette running to oyster, silver, and soft taupe. Grand Canal suites frame those famous arched windows with floor-length curtains in heavy silk, the waterway visible below in every direction. The bar, by contrast, leans darker and more hedonistic: warm walnut panelling, copper-shaded industrial pendants over a green marble counter, and Carrara columns left from the original structure standing alongside monochrome encaustic floor tiles. A rear garden terrace shaded by Japanese maples offers one of the few genuinely quiet outdoor dining spaces left in San Marco.

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