A “hub-lab” where dreams and the tangible world meet

“That motto is a wink to the Baroque, which inspired us for the interior design, in the sense of being excessive, opulent, eclectic. But everything is studied in its color down to the detail, no room is made for minimalism.” This goes for the rooms too (which can be accessed from the lower floors) and are given a specific identity by their color. The rooms have Gothic ceilings, arches and rooms of different heights, another challenge for Noa*, given the building’s unusual configuration. “It was a tailoring job, in which we explored, room by room, the possibilities for redesigning and redistributing spaces without harming the structure.” Some rooms overlook the street, others onto the internal courtyard (with patios or balconies); in the central part of the building without windows, the rooms are lit by a shaft of light between the first and sixth floors that lets natural light filter into the rooms and have a small private terrace with plant life. These are the green rooms, like the “Superpatio” furnished in jungle style. There are red ones (including the “Mozart Suite” on the second floor, in honor of the composer who stayed here), which are a little more spacious than the light blue ones; and dark

blue rooms with balconies, and gray ones, which are furnished as double rooms. The third floor holds the smallest room of all, christened “the broom closet,” left deliberately unfinished, the only corner of the hotel “without style.” The fourth floor with another ten rooms extends to an adjacent building, known as “Frank House,” which includes the “Golden Roof” with opulent golden furnishings: a tribute to Innsbruck’s famed Golden Roof, clearly visible from the bay window. Everything in the decor and furnishings, from the carpet to the tiles, the painting to the curtains, and the furniture, are in the same hues. Baroque style lives in the details here: a leg of the sink or a chest of drawers, accessories, photographs on the walls. “Right from the start, we asked ourselves how we could revive a past that no longer exists. Barry Kosky’s art gave us the inspiration we needed on how to recreate a distant world. Kosky uses projections to stage a living musical theater; likewise, we as architects and interior designers have used the means in our possession, through colors, lights, mirrors, paths, to create surreal spaces.”

Halfway between a workshop and a showroom, the MilanoDuomo Stoneroom, designed by Alessandro La Spada, tells of the uniqueness of natural stone and the expertise of the Verona-based company, through an all-encompassing sensory experience

The intent is to immediately activate the emotional aspect, triggering sensory perceptions, first visual, then tactile, that dissolve the sense of time. This was the vision of the interior designer Alessandro La Spada’s idea for the first Stoneroom Antolini. It starts from eight display windows right in the historic center of Milan, from which we can glimpse views whose powerful material impact and back-lit scenic sets that attract our eyes, inviting us to delve into an all-encompassing experience. The Antolini family specifically wanted a cultural and commercial “hub-lab” for industry professionals and the public alike. They wanted it to recount the exclusive appeal of natural stone in all its expressions down to little-known applications. Throughout the space’s 600 square meters, the layout, the exhibition and the retail concept tell the story of these arts that the company has honed since 1956 to work with such a fine material. All in a ceaseless pursuit of

beauty are the use of innovative, sustainable industrial processes, research and development of cutting-edge technologies — many of which have been patented — great craftsmanship and tradition in selecting and working natural stones. Visitors are guided through the fascinating story of the brand’s complete knowhow, recounted to powerful effect. As La Spada explains, “At the entrance, the Stoneroom is like a gallery with focal points: the immediate perspective point of view towards the counter, then the exploration of the wall with the stones exhibited, and then leading to the bathrooms. Then we return to the starting point from which to admire the Perception Wall, the Working Desk, and then the LED Wall. Next we come to the connecting staircase made of slabs part of a single block. The same slabs cover the walls which lead by suggestion to the sense of entering a quarry.” La Spada used materials that have an “empathic” relationship with natural stone, such as wood, glass and metal, and chose the custom-made furnishings from companies that share Antolini’s great skill in treating materials. The extraordinary

exclusive selection is comprehensive in number and type of stone material, showing over 5,000 samples in exclusive formats with 1,300 available in stock, a statement of its distinctive quality and the vastness of its stone selection. The space is conceived like a high fashion fabric shop, where you cannot but feel the material samples with your hands and can bring home a “swatch” to make a careful selection. Available as coverings for walls, surfaces and floors, islands, furnishing accessories and furnishings (such as shelves, desks and tables), the variety of natural stones meet the demands of the residential sector as well as for office, hospitality and retail sectors. They are paired with a personalized service including consulting about the stone’s technical characteristics, its aesthetic qualities, and possible applications in interior design projects. The Stoneroom presents stones from the most sought-after collections, including Exclusive Collection, Textures+, Natura Collection, Precioustone, Gemstone and Shellstone, Perception and Couture.