You don’t have to know me very well to find out that I LOVE to travel!!! It’s what makes me come alive. Experiencing other cultures, studying the architecture, seeing the colors, patterns and textures, all provide incredible inspiration for my interior projects. If you appreciate beautiful things the way I do, then you care about all of the details. For instance, if I go to a restaurant, I don’t just hope the food is excellent. I hope the space is beautiful. I want ambience. I want the glasses and tableware to be thoughtfully selected. Some may call me an aficionado. Some may call me high-maintenance. Whatever your preference, I assure you, when I find a place that checks all of my boxes, it’s worth checking out. I’d like to start sharing with you my favorites of places. Let’s start in Florence, shall we? Arguably one of the greatest cities in the world! The husband and I recently celebrated 10 years of marriage with a trip to Italy, and Florence was one of the stops. I revisited some old favorites and made some new ones as well. Enjoy!
First up, La Menagere…
La Menagere, Firenze, grant duckworth photography
La Menagere is a combination of so many incredible things… this is a bistro, restaurant, coffee shop, flower shop, boutique, bar, music venue, and feast for ALL of the senses!! It cannot be missed! Just see for yourself…
La Menagere, Firenze, grant duckworth photography
Can we just pause for a moment and admire my husband’s beautiful photography work??? I’m always amazed by him. He’ll frequently be walking, pause for a second, click a button, and keep walking. And then later, I see the image he captured is something like this!!! Stunner.
La Menagere, Firenze, grant duckworth photography
The floral area…
La Menagere, Firenze, grant duckworth photography
La Menagere, Firenze, grant duckworth photography
All of the items on the shelf behind my cute husband are for sale…
La Menagere, Firenze, grant duckworth photography
Each course in the restaurant is a modest but delightful portion…
La Menagere, Firenze, grant duckworth photography
Of course I had to pick up a coffee mug for my collection here!
La Menagere, Via de' Ginori, 8, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy, www.lamenagere.it
Next, UB Firenze…
UB, Firenze, grant duckworth photography
What an unexpected gem to stumble upon! This is truly one of the greatest antique shops I’ve ever been to. Not only do they have some really unique finds, but it’s displayed so lovingly.
UB, Firenze, grant duckworth photography
Oh and not to mention, hands down, the largest offering of antique wallpapers I’ve ever seen!
UB, Firenze, grant duckworth photography
UB, Firenze, Kate’s iPhone
Keep walking around because you’ll continue to notice new items with every passing.
UB, Firenze, Kate’s iPhone
UB, Firenze, Kate’s iPhone
I took home these adorable San Pellegrino glasses!
ub Firenze, 50123, Via dei Conti, 4, Firenze FI, Italy, www.ubfirenze.it
Now let’s hit up, Blood Brotherhood…
Blood Brotherhood, Firenze, Kate’s iPhone
Pretty much my husband is always in the market for a tattoo, and he wanted to get one to commemorate our 10 year anniversary. So, he found this place in Florence, and we had one of the best tattoo experiences ever.
Blood Brotherhood, Firenze, Kate’s iPhone
This was the most amazing tattoo and piercing studio I’ve ever been to! Everything was so beautifully displayed, and their collection of books in which to pull art inspiration could keep you inthralled for hours.
Blood Brotherhood, Firenze, Kate’s iPhone
If you get bored with the books, you can always pet these really weird cats that sleep on a light box.
Blood Brotherhood, Firenze, Kate’s iPhone
I’ll prepare you, though, the cats would rather be left alone! HA!
Blood Brotherhood, Firenze, Kate’s iPhone
He decided on a tiny Vestba with a roman numeral “X” under it. Cosma was the artist, and she’s amazingly talented!
Blood Brotherhood, Via della Pergola, 37, 50121 Firenze FI, Italy, www.bloodbh.it
And finally, this Mineral Shop in Florence…So I got so distracted by the huge selection of minerals, geodes, fossils and jewelry that I forgot to get any other photos than the one below! They had an amazing selection, excellent customer service, and the minerals were displayed in beautiful cases and organized into apothecary style drawers. I was like a kid in a candy store. I didn’t leave empty handed!
Mineral Shop, Florence, Kate letting out her inner nerd!
Mineral Shop Florence, Via dei Servi, 120r, 50122 Firenze, Italy, I haven’t found a website for them.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these recommendations, and I hope your travels bring you to Florence!