Ravouna 1906

Beyoğlu’s not exactly short on weighty, historic fixtures. Sometimes it pays to dig deep into a particular slice of all that history, though, and should a hankering for full-bore Art Nouveau come upon you, you’ll want to make an appearance at Ravouna 1906. The building, designed by architects C.P. Kyriakides and Alexandre Yenidunia for the Italian Ravouna family in (you guessed it) 1906, wears a dashing assortment of hats: street level presents a bustling café and cocktail bar, while upper floors house eight hotel suites, a smart little restaurant, and a terrace that doubles as a thriving nightspot complete with live jazz and DJ nights.

Each suite — some with a kingly view of the Bosphorus, others overlooking the sprawling city — is its own self-enclosed universe of texture and harmonious color, though collectively they justify a practiced eye for design furniture, fine woods polished to a reflective gleam, and woven textiles. A palpable sense of antiquity emanates from the oaken floors and the bathrooms’ Carrera marble, offset by decidedly modern fabrics (marigold and cobalt, crimson and ebony) on the bedspreads, sofas, and plentiful pillows. Small touches convey quietly confident luxury — elaborate baseboards, fresh floral arrangements on mirrored silver trays, alcoved bedside sideboards — without obstructing elements of contemporary hospitality, including hotel-wide wi-fi, mini-fridges with local delicacies, Molton Brown bath products, and sizable flatscreens.

The most rewarding component might actually be the ground-floor café, whose antique-store background still persists in a series of quaint cabinets and displays on a charming wooden mezzanine. They take their coffee extremely seriously here, dispensing some of Istanbul’s finest espresso concoctions from a fleet of whirring and fizzing chrome mechanisms. The barista team — attired in crisp aprons and bow ties, you’ll note — trained with consultant Chris Owens to prepare Colombian and Kenyan beans to exacting professional standards. Upstairs, the bar and restaurant serve a constantly refreshed cocktail menu and haute, pan-global cuisine with a staggering variety of beautifully plated menu options — and if you time it right, there’s always the spectacular, continent-straddling sunset from the terrace. Well composed indeed.