The store in via Durini is reborn after a major interior design intervention by vandersandestudio

Major projects entail major investments: if they are well targeted, the return in terms of image is guaranteed, along with the natural commercial feedback. If you then add research, experimentation and collaborations with internationally renowned designers, success is almost certain. Barovier&Toso has moved in this direction, following a strategy oriented towards the creation of a network of high-level single-brand showrooms. Five hundred square metres, seven windows on the first floor and two shop windows overlooking Via Durini: with the acquisition of a new space, the Milanese showroom adds the third piece to its expansion and reopens its doors with a greater expressive capacity, interpreted by vandersandestudio.

Recognisability, elegance, tradition

Already on the façade, the layout begins to tell the story of the brand. Black iron planters with a contrasting white logo echo the identity colours, punctuating the illuminated windows on the street. In correspondence with the protruding keystones that surmount the shop windows, the company coat of arms, made of laser-coated iron painted red, dominates.

Room flexibility

The different configuration of partitions and curtains made it possible to redistribute the volumes on the ground floor, leaving the structure unchanged. The transformability of the spaces, a priority of the previous restyling, had led vandersandestudio to design a wooden structure anchored to the perimeter walls and ceiling, a support for removable walls, curtains and panels. The new layout features a reception area, a living area and a consulting room. The shades are the blue of the carpet and velvet curtains, the cream of the panels finished in satin enamel, and the brass and wood of the ceiling. Bespoke concrete and metal furnishings complement Cassina furniture.

Light and crystals

On the first floor, a cascade of luminous canes rains down from the ceiling, at different heights, drawing a plant-inspired motif. These are the so-called 'shoots', taken from some drawings in the historical Barovier&Toso archive, dating back to the 1920s. The darkness amplifies the luminous effect and light scenarios by interacting with the movement of people. Two smoked mirrored counter walls generate a refraction that multiplies the individual elements in a dense weave of light and crystal.

Exhibition and operating environments

The project designs the space as a flat, with two long corridors opening onto rooms dotted with iconic creations: catalogue pieces, classic and contemporary, custom-made products and three large installations. The executive offices, the meeting rooms and the marketing and communication offices, all with windows, turn out to be both display and operational. Curtains, ceilings and walls have neutral and bright colours, such as beige. Only a few rooms (the burgundy resin in the bathrooms and the same shade of carpet in the meeting room) are marked by stronger colours.

Immersive experience

Another room in the showroom offers an immersive experience: here carpets and velvet curtains provide the setting for the majestic 4607, a Venetian 'Rezzonico' style chandelier with 36 lights. Suspended from the ceiling, it presents itself in a theatrical and pathos-laden guise, observable from unusual angles and from a close distance.