Benci House came into existence within the walls of an apartment of medieval origins in Florence’s historic center. The architectural design of the new green boutique hotel creates a unique sensory experience by immersion in a realm of nature that is simple and genuine, expressed through the material feel of wood.  Each of the four rooms has its own wood type  walnut, oak, chestnut, and cypress  used for the floors, the wainscoting, and furnishing. Covering horizontal and vertical surfaces, the wood evokes the tactile, scent, and visual experiences of the natural world: trees, nests, log piles, moss, bushes, and creeping plants.  The vertical dimension dominates the space (through doors, wardrobes, windows, and so forth), giving the perception of living in a forest.  The tree metaphor goes beyond being just a rhetorical device, informing the organization of the common space  a trunk connecting branches and leaves  the bedrooms and roots to the ground  the building, a space that is inviting and home-like yet rock-like in its solidity.  The living room and the connecting hallway are clad in reclaimed wooden boards. The space expands and contracts and includes art pieces: paintings, photographs and small sculptures placed with a curator’s care.The terrace on the living room affords a magnificent view of Ponte alle Grazie and the Villa Bardini garden. The rooms’ clean-lined expression shows the care taken in the design of construction of every aspect and every detail the furnishing accessories, the lighting, the bathrooms. Here, design and material join functionality and eco-sustainability.