The photographs, all shot on film, depict a human presence co-existing with the fake—real things metamorphosed, or real things and human beings being given equivalent weight, such as when a young Asian woman has become a sadly chic ashtray. They are all done with no Photoshop, rejecting the techie toolkit available in an ever more digitized world in favor of a rather painstakingly do-it-yourself approach.
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CHARLIE LE MINDU wears ROBE by ÉGLISE ST SULPICE, TITAN BRIDGE by LISA MICHALIK, DR GELLÉE, DR BOUJENAH, EARRINGS by ABRAXAS PARIS
CHARLIE LE MINDU wears HAT by CHARLIE LE MINDU AW11, TROUSER by CHARLIE LE MINDU SS12, BOOTS by ROMBAUT
CHARLIE LE MINDU wears ROBE by ÉGLISE ST SULPICE, JOCKSTRAP by SNIFFIES, SHOES by DR. MARTENS, EARRINGS by ABRAXAS PARIS
MUCHAS PROBLEMAS wears T-SHIRT by THE CHURCH OF EUTHANASIA X KRIS KODA, JOCKSTRAP by SNIFFIES, SHOES STYLIST’S OWN
CHARLIE LE MINDU wears WIG CAP by FOX BEAUTY
CHARLIE LE MINDU wears FACE MASK by CHARLIE LE MINDU AW11, SHOES by CHARLIE LE MINDU X ABRA SS26
MUCHAS PROBLEMAS wears BREAST SHIRT and PENIS by BEAU GLAZIER, SHOES by CHARLIE LE MINDU CHARLIEWOOD
CHARLIE LE MINDU wears SHIRT by PRADA, PENIS CHAIR by BEAU GLAZIER, VINTAGE GARTERS
MUCHAS PROBLEMAS wears SHOES by ROMBAUT, PLEASERS, PANTS STYLIST’S ARCHIVE, SHOES by ROMBAUT, EARRINGS by ABRAXAS PARIS
Florence
W Florence occupies the former Grand Hotel Majestic, a rationalist-modernist building designed by Florentine architect Lando Bartoli in 1968. It is an unexpected place to begin in a city where the Renaissance tends to dominate nearly every conversation about architecture. I liked that the hotel does not try to out-Florence Florence. Instead, it turns towards a more recent chapter of Italian design.
Genius Loci Architettura restored the building, while AvroKO created interiors influenced by the 1960s and ’70s. Curved forms, polished surfaces, warm wood and graphic details appear throughout, but the references never become a full period exercise. The hotel feels contemporary, with just enough of the past left visible beneath it.
What stayed with me most was the movement between the city outside and the calmer spaces within. W Florence sits near Santa Maria Novella and only a short walk from the Duomo, yet its central courtyard creates a surprising pause from the streets around it. The hotel has 119 rooms, alongside Akira Back’s restaurant, the W Lounge and Zefiro, its rooftop overlooking the city. Its character comes less from one dramatic feature than from the way materials, shapes and spaces have been put together.
Rome
W Rome, the brand’s first Italian property, occupies two connected 19th-century palazzi close to the Spanish Steps. Where Florence feels controlled, Rome works through collision. Meyer Davis placed saturated colour, patterned surfaces and contemporary furniture against the formality of the original architecture, allowing the two periods to sit beside one another without trying to resolve the difference.
That approach feels right for Rome. It is a city where architecture, daily life and different centuries seem to overlap without much concern for consistency. The hotel reflects some of that looseness. Historic details remain visible, but the rooms surrounding them feel lighter and less formal than the palazzi might suggest.
I liked how much the atmosphere changed throughout the day. The courtyards felt quiet and almost private in the morning, while the rooftop opened the building towards the city later on. At Giano, Michelin-starred chef Ciccio Sultano brings Sicilian ingredients and methods into a Roman setting, without turning the experience into something overly ceremonial. The same ease carries through the hotel. It feels polished, but the atmosphere remains easy.
Sardinia
At W Sardinia, Poltu Quatu, the landscape arrives before the hotel does. Poltu Quatu means “hidden port,” and the village is built around a marina inside a natural fjord between Porto Cervo and Baia Sardinia. Whitewashed buildings descend towards the water, while granite cliffs rise behind them. From certain angles, the property seems to fold into the coastline.
Designed by Meyer Davis, with architecture by DE.TALES, the hotel includes 157 rooms and suites. Its interiors draw from Sardinian stone, craft and woven textures, but the references remain quiet. Natural tones and tactile surfaces connect the rooms to the island without reducing it to a predictable image of Mediterranean life.
The hotel is strongest when it allows the setting to do most of the work. TANIT faces the marina, while the W Lounge and WET Deck open towards the water and surrounding rock. The days settle into their own rhythm: slow mornings, long lunches, time at sea and evenings near the harbour. There are local food experiences, collaborations with artisans and boat trips around the coast, but the property does not seem anxious to fill every hour. Sardinia already provides enough.
W is also developing 29 private residences beside the hotel, planned to open in 2027, with terraces, gardens and plunge pools alongside access to the property’s services. The project suggests that the brand sees Poltu Quatu as more than a seasonal stop, although the hotel is at its most convincing when it simply responds to what is already there.
