The main entrance is from Via Ande­gari, a semiprivate street in the center of Milan (like a ‘wrinkle’ of Via Man­zoni, very close to Teatro alla Scala): the gate on the street, the elegant courtyard hidden behind the wall, then the conciergerie and the ground floor rooms, which in the range of ma­terials and colors, with marble and wood paneling, feature diamond-shaped inserts, tones of yellow, brick red, pastel green, evoking the charm of the bourgeois homes of the 1930s and 1940s. Villa Necchi Campiglio by Piero Portaluppi sets an example.

For guests arriving from all over the world to visit the city of Expo 2015, the ad­dress is that of the Mandarin Oriental Milan. A new entry (owned by Gruppo Statuto). There are two other entranc­es, from the parallel Via Monte di Pi­età: one (in red) is for the bar, the other (in green) for the restaurant, facilities that also function inde­pendently, of great visual appeal. Not very Scala-like, for a city that favors understatement, also in the secret vitality of courtyards and gardens, which are three in number here, two of them for these exu­berant spaces, set up as outdoor zones for socializing.

Welcome to the complexity of the project by Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel Interiors (project team: Ella Dinoi – project director, Francesca Carlino, Roger Colombo, Carmine D’Amore, Giuseppe Molteni, Macarena Paullier, Stefano Zeigner; lighting design Isometrix), which recovering and converting four historical buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries for new functions (including Palazzo Confal­onieri), approaches spaces subjected in the past to very different ren­ovation projects, creating an easily recognizable space-time sequence (especially in the elevations on Via Monte di Pietà), with specific ma­teric-chromatic parameters, while new metal profiles mark the virtual row of courtyards to which the public spaces are anchored in a fluid succession.

“When you work for an international hospitality chair with an exotic character, like Mandarin Oriental of Hong Kong,” Patri­cia Viel explains, “the critical factor is to guarantee guests an authen­tic experience in an environment that has to conserve a precise con­notation with respect to the identity of the brand, while also respecting the local spirit.”

This is the reasoning behind the dual soul of the place, expressing the cultural encounter between Milanese rigor – the lin­guistic roots of the architects – and the verve of a brand that in every location pays particular attention to the spa, a sector of excellence (in this case 900 m2, with a swimming pool, fitness treatment rooms and beauty facilities, in the basement, offering a holistic approach to well­ness); and also to the common spaces, where are always very spec­tacular.

The interior design packs meanings, above all, into the space of the Mandarin Bar with its large central custom-made counter, a profusion of white and black marble, arranged like a mosaic on walls and floors for an Op Art effect, and the reflecting ceiling that makes the space perceptible from the outside.

Another strong point is the Seta Restaurant, for Italian cuisine, run by the award-winning chef An­tonio Guida. Here the tone of reference is the Guatemala green of the marble that frames the windows on the courtyard, and the teal tone of the velvet on the armchairs designed by Antonio Citterio.

By contrast, in the 104 rooms (of which 32 are suites), on 5 levels, the project shifts register: welcome, intimacy, image combine in a soft neutrality to en­courage total relaxation and a ‘Milanese’ atmosphere.

“We have reap­plied the syntax of yesterday to the work of today, in a line of continu­ity with the tradition of the bourgeois homes of the 1940s and 1950s,” Viel continues. So while in the hall the leading role of the central fire­place suggests exclusive residential charm, while the floor in gray stone points to continuity with the outside world, in the private spac­es the reconstruction of a certain way of designing interiors ventures into experimentation.

Other woods and marbles, crafted by hand, from Italy (with the exception of the blue-gray marble from Brazil in the bathroom of the presidential suite), encounter tailor-made fur­nishings, new types of tables on wheels, upholstered headboards, beige fabrics… and the added value of two theme suites on the first and second floors. A surprise.

“A new experience, for the studio,” says the architect, “intended to reinforce, inside the same compositional layout, an interpretation that references two great masters of our tra­dition: Piero Fornasetti and Gio Ponti. They were like two opposite poles: the first full of citations of imagery based on a very personal range of affects, from literature and lore; the second a theorist of ge­ometry and primary colors, pure transcriptive rigor of architecture in decoration.” The interior becomes a narrative. Ad maiora!

text by Antonella Boisi
photos by Santi Caleca, George Apostolidis/courtesy Mandarin Oriental

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Detail view of the Mandarin Bar. The central counter is custom-made.
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Overall view of the Mandarin Bar, a space with an optical effect thanks to the use of black and white Italian marble arranged as a mosaic on walls and floors, with a reflecting ceiling. Tables by Flexform, seats and stools by Antonio Citterio for Maxalto.
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The lobby zone with the large central fireplace, boiseries in walnut and oak and, in the background, the reception with the wooden counter decorated with contrasting diamonds, B&B Italia armchairs, ottoman by Azucena. The Paolo Castelli company has produced the custom furnishings.
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View of the Seta Restaurant.
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The two-story space of the lounge, an enclosure clad in fabric with vertical stripes by Dedar. Seats and lamps by Antonio Citterio for Maxalto. Suspension lamps by Michael McEwen.
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The entrance of the Seta Restaurant, with chandelier by Jacopo Foggini.
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The space of the Seta Restaurant, which operates independently, extends outdoors with a garden-courtyard organized as a place for socializing.
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Tableware from the Fornasetti collection at the Seta Restaurant.
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View of the Presidential Suite with the Alcova canopy bed by Maxalto, like the Leukon lamp (on the bedside unit), the Febo armchair, the Simpliciter sofa and the Sibilla desk.
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View of the bathroom of the Presidential Suite faced in blue-gray marble from Brazil. Bathtub by Boffi and faucets by Axor. Suspension lamp by Moooi.
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On the second floor, the suite dedicated to the master Piero Fornasetti and his very personal world of imagery. The armchair in the foreground is by Flexform.
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The compositional layout of the suite dedicated to the master Piero Fornasetti duplicates that of the Ponti suite on the first floor, changing the furnishings, materials and colors.
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From the surprising collections of Fornasetti, the wallpapers (covering the column and part of the ceiling), drapes, mirrors, paintings, cabinet, table and chairs, as well as the carpet that forms a decor inlay in the wood floor.
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The suite dedicated to the master Piero Fornasetti.
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View of the bedroom of suite dedicated to Gio Ponti, on the first floor. Floor lamps by Santa & Cole.
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The bathroom of the suite dedicated to Gio Ponti.
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The long corridor of the suite dedicated to Gio Ponti leading to the bed, behind the wardrobes, with the bathroom in the background. Fixed furnishings, boiseries and custom pieces by Poliform. Interior doors by Garofoli. Monachella floor lamps by Azucena.
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The living-dining zone, near the entrance area, with a corner bar. Chairs by Cassina, table by AgapeCasa, applique by Flos. The interpretation of the geometric rigor of the Milanese master relies on a palette of blue tones and different types of wood.