Fede Cocktail Lab opens in the heart of Florence’s historic centre, inside Hotel Balestri. A design by Studio Benaim that reimagines a space devoted to international excellence, fusing tradition and innovation in a uniquely creative mixology experience. Discover more.
Fede Cocktail Lab in the Historic Hotel Balestri in Florence
Fede Cocktail Lab is a unique place in the heart of Florence, a rare gem in the Italian hospitality scene: a cocktail bar that offers an innovative concept. Located in the heart of Florence within the historic Hotel Balestri, it is a place to enjoy a refined drink in good company, and a fully operational, open-view professional lab where experimentation and production take centre stage.
Guests are welcomed with a curated selection of advanced cocktails and internationally inspired, high-quality signature drinks, crafted under the creative direction of Simone Covan, Corporate Bar Manager of Fede Cocktail Lab and the Santa Cocktail Club Group, with expert management by Resident Bar Manager Francesco Ulivi and F&B Manager Simone Ulivi.
Here, mixology is never taken for granted. It aspires to become a refined tasting experience driven by a clear desire to experiment that pushes sensory boundaries and encourages exploration.
“Fede Cocktail Lab is one of the very few hotel cocktail bars in Italy with a professional laboratory in full view,” says Project Manager Albert Dallago. “In Florence, there are no others like it. We can proudly say it offers a unique experience in the city’s mixology landscape.”
Giulio Fratini commissioned Studio Benaim, a Florence-based architectural firm known for creating unique spaces that celebrate the history and identity of their locations, to design the interior of Fede Cocktail Lab.
The project was developed with dedication by Project Manager Albert Dallago, together with Simone Covan and F&B Manager Simone Ulivi – all seasoned professionals in the hospitality and mixology industry.
The result is a beautiful space designed according to the highest standards of hospitality, where the entire creative process is on display, promoting a philosophy of transparency and sharing.
Inspired by Fede Annunziata Wittum Balestri
A name with a story.
The name Fede Lab tells a story. About 20 years ago, entrepreneur Sandro Fratini acquired Hotel Balestri, a landmark building located in the centre of Florence that has welcomed travellers since the late 1800s. There, his son – Giulio Fratini – came across a portrait of an elderly woman, Fede Annunziata Wittum Balestri. Intrigued, he discovered she had been a pioneering figure of female emancipation in her time, boldly challenging roles and conventions. Today, Giulio Fratini – CEO of Belvedere Angelico Holding – dedicates this venue to her legacy – drawing inspiration from her courage and creative spirit, which defied the expectations placed on women in early 20th-century Italy.
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The Restyling of Fede Cocktail Lab: Studio Benaim at Work
Architect Oscar Benaim of Studio Benaim explains the project’s development and how he and Giulio Fratini envisioned this evocative space: “We asked ourselves which emotional notes we wanted to strike,” says Benaim. “How do we create an experience that speaks to both international travellers and locals?”
The aim was to create a place where the guest is not just a spectator, but an active participant: free to observe, interact, and engage. A space that can shift naturally throughout different moments of the day and needs: from breakfast guests crossing the space in the morning, to a relaxing midday pause in the afternoon, and finally transforming in the evening into a lively destination for aperitifs, dinner, and after-hours conversation.
Design choices respectfully embrace strong aesthetic references to the early decades of the 20th century, fused with unconventional material treatments and interpretations. The goal was not merely to furnish a space, but to create an experience filled with wonder. Each detail aims to surprise with unique forms, unusual combinations, and an unconventional spatial narrative.
Everything within Fede Cocktail Lab is designed to spark curiosity and to narrate – wordlessly– that something truly different is happening here.
Material-Driven Versatility
“This versatility,” continues Oscar Benaim, “led us to define the project’s identity and materials with great precision. We chose oak wood, Bardiglio Nuvolato marble, and burnished brass – classic materials, yes, but reimagined in radically unexpected ways.”
The main room is anchored by a nine-metre-long bar counter, conceived as the focal element of the space. The oakwood front is sculpted like fabric, with soft curves that evoke folds and drapes, lending the solid surface a surprisingly visual fluidity. The countertop, made of Bardiglio marble – a modest stone, commonly used for thresholds and windowsills – is here elevated to the central stage. A mottled grey vein, typical of the ‘cloudy’ type of Bardiglio, brings it to life, accompanying the irregular lines of the bench and accentuating its uniqueness.
The marble bar counter flows in a sequence of varying curves, as if instinctively drawn and left untouched – a paradigm of softness that we sought to create intimacy, contact, and informality among guests. The stools are arranged asymmetrically so that guests sometimes sit closer together and sometimes further apart, encouraging spontaneous interaction. Guests thus become active participants in a space that gently nudges visitors away from individualism in favour of a human-centric experience.
Behind the counter, a backdrop of mirrored bottle racks plays with reflections, while a large suspended ‘cloud’ of burnished brass serves both as a lamp and a sculptural centrepiece. By day, its plasticity makes it act as a decorative sculpture, filtering light and space. By night, it transforms into a luminous landmark and visual focal point for the venue.
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The Open-View Professional Lab
Dedicated to research, experimentation, and production, the lab combines production needs with performance. For this reason, Studio Benaim chose to make it visible but separated from the main lounge by a large glass wall inspired by 1940s workplaces. The frame alternates between clear and ribbed glass panels, allowing for constant visual exchange that is subtle and filtered.
The lab’s front reinterprets Bardiglio marble through artisan craftsmanship. As in an alchemical process, the stone represents the cocktail’s cycle: from the raw material full of potential to the counter, where the alchemy takes place and the drink takes shape. The stone slabs were milled according to a sculptural design, then manually split to create rough, textured, and highly expressive surfaces.
A People-Centred Project
Fede Cocktail Lab is the outcome of a design process that placed experience, materiality, and surprise at its core. But above all, people. A space conceived to be lived in, explored, and shared. The result of a participatory and immersive design approach, every element and material acts as part of a scenography, aimed at turning the interiors into a visual and sensory narrative for all who pass through.
“Some projects begin as true adventures,” concludes Oscar Benaim. “From the very start, you sense that you’re shaping something special – without clear references, without precedents. This was one of those projects.”
Photo Credits: Alessandro Moggi
Studio Benaim Press / Mediatike
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