Room Mate Giulia

How were you commissioned?:
The project was born from the friendship with Kike Sarasola, we were speaking to work together from a lot of time but the decision came when he decided to open a new hotel in Milan, near Duomo, a new idea of hotel for the city and also for me.

What was the brief from the client and how much were they involved?:
Working with Room Mate is wonderful, they have given me complete freedom as they are not afraid to make a difference.

How did the brief affect the materials and design choices?:
Room Mate Giulia combines the essence of Milan; it’s new, fresh, fun and welcoming. The hotel reflects the city through its colors, materials, images, irony, the mix of different languages and also its rigor, all with the most intimate accuracy.

How did your previous experience help you with this project?:
Room Mate Giulia is completely different from the other hotels I did. It is an interesting experience, a new way to conceive the urban hotels of new generation.

Can you explain the layout of the project:
The hotel born in the reutilization of an ancient building used as bank offices, rather strict. The idea was to make less austere the architecture using the theme of the Milanesità in an ironic way. We mixed the vintage boiserie with checked wallpaper, like the arithmetic exercise book and the unconventional use of the color.

What problems or challenges did you face?:
The challenge was to create a model of affordable hospitality but of quality. Cassina Contract help us to reach a high level of quality and design.

What do you feel were the most unusual design elements of the project?:
The research of materials and the references of the city of Milan. For example the hotel lobby floor is made of pink marble, the same used in the caffè of Milan. Terracotta bricks, another typical feature in the Milanese architecture, are used on a curved wall in the lobby to create a tridimensional effect. The recurrent geometric patterns reflect the rigor of the city and also refer to the graphic arts, an important element of the cultural history of Milan.

How do you think this project is pushing design forward? What makes it special?:
I think the hospitality should be zero kilometer, be a location such as homes correspond to people, evoke a geographical place but almost without notice means make the guest feel at home.

Please provide details of product names and suppliers where possible.:
85 rooms Interior design project: Patricia Urquiola In collaboration with Alberto Artesani and Frederik De Wachter
Styling: Martina Lucatelli and Leandro Favaloro Contractor custom-made furniture: CASSINA CONTRACT ROOMS: – bed, bedside table, wardrobe, ottoman, bathroom furniture, block-out curtain. Custom-made: Cassina Contract – side-table: Kettal (mesh) – chair: Kartell (Clap) – armchair: Kartell (foliage), Moroso (Mafalda) – dormeuse: Moroso (Love Me Tender) – lamps: Flos, Marset, Oluce, Servomuto – sheer blinds: Kvadrat – accessories: Kartell – custom-made sink: Agape – artwork; photography: Antonio Rovaldi – artwork; illustration: Andrea Q HALLWAY: – artwork; photography: Antonio Rovaldi LOBBY: – custom-made reception, desk e millwork: Cassina Contract – upholstery: Moroso (LMT, Mafalda, Klara), Verywood – table: Kettal (mesh) – side-tables: Glas Italia (Shimmer), Moroso – stool: Mabeo, Moroso – Lamps: Oluce – Watercolor artwork: Sandro Fabbri – rugs: Gan BREAKFAST HALL: – custom-made bar counter, shelves, tables: Cassina Contract – chairs: Andreu World – stools: Moroso MEETING ROOM & SPA: – furniture: DePadova, Moroso, Kartell, Viccarbe