Once again the ninth edition of the Hospitality Day, held at the Palacongressi in Rimini on 11 October, was also an opportunity for architects and designers to present their most interesting projects to an audience of insiders from the world of hotel business.
The Rimini event, conceived and masterfully organized by Teamwork, has become an essential annual appointment for those who wish to listen, draw inspiration and help those who work in this sector, which is central to the economy of our country.
We followed with particular interest this year one of the five thematic arenas dedicated to as many topics of general interest to the world of hospitality: catering, housekeeping, design, human resources and well-being.
The design arena, or rather the design café, is the format created in collaboration with We:ll Hospitality Trend.
At the microphone of the architect Laura Verdi – moderator of the interventions – internationally renowned architects and young designers, starred chefs, commentators and contractors, influencers and suppliers gave their interesting contribution to the proposed themes
The title of the first speech dedicated to democratic luxury is captivating, almost an artfully created oxymoron to stimulate discussion and break the ice.
For Alessia Garibaldi of Garibaldiarchitechts luxury is “sprezzatura”, borrowing a term used in the 15th century by Baldassar Castiglione, that is, the interpretation of natural beauty.
In this sense, luxury is light years away from showing off and ostentation, of which it represents the exact opposite.
Precisely for this reason, the management of a luxury project requires a constant search for balance and harmony, wise management and great awareness.
Ovre.design*, the architecture firm of Giulia Delpiano and Corrado Conti, sees the concept of luxury in constant evolution. If today luxury is the search for tailor made, it is within everyone’s reach.
It is therefore the search for uniqueness and distinctiveness extended to the masses that defines democratic luxury for ovre.design.
Daniela Colli of COLLIDANIELAARCHITETTO has worked on this concept with a constant search for beauty “even for those who only consume a coffee” in the redevelopment of historic spaces open to the general public, such as in the design of some cafes in large railway stations.
A Luxury experience, therefore that becomes inclusive and, as such, democratic.
Another interesting theme is that of the common areas of the hotels; spaces that become fluid, hybrid and permeable to the cities that surround them.
And so the historic bookshop/shop of the TCI in Milan also becomes a lobby for the customers of the Radisson Collection Hotel Touring Milano, in the project by Studio Marco Piva, which oversaw the impressive renovation and change of intended use of the ‘eclectic building in the center of Milan, or the bar/delicatessen shop/neighborhood business of the 25 hours S. Paolino in Florence, the innovative pop hotel born from the architectural recovery project by Andrea Grassi of GLA Architettura and with fun and easy-going in Paola Navone’s interior design for Otto Studio.
25hours Hotel S. Paolino is the epitome of the hybrid in design in Italy.
A hotel that is not just a hotel, but also a cocktail bar, a shop, a bistro, a game room, a cinema and of course a location for events, congresses and meetings.
But what happens when the client of an interior design project for a restaurant is a starred chef? How do the weights change in the mix between the client’s requests and the designer’s planning? How much of the spirit of the kitchen passes into the interior choices? Andrea Berton, owner and chef of the Berton restaurant in the new Porta Nuova Food District in Milan told us about it.
Open since 2014, the restaurant with its minimal, elegant style overlooking the Milanese skyline, has immediately met the taste and needs of customers, earning the prestigious Michelin star since the year of its opening.
My restaurant was born 70% from my ideas of functionality in a constant comparison with the professionalism, solutions and taste of the interior designer
confirms Chef Berton
We are talking about a restaurant in which the kitchen is open and designed 100% on the specific requests and needs of the chef, in a mix between aesthetics and efficiency.
Height of the work benches, water cooling system of the refrigerators with continuous recycling, extractor ceiling to maintain a good recycling of the air and a good temperature, all responding to precise needs of efficiency of the work processes inside the kitchen and well-being of the brigade, as well as environmental sustainability.
Inside the restaurant everything reflects the spirit of the kitchen, even the table accessories, from the place cards that prolong the dish in a wave of ceramic to comfortable, elegant, thin and light cutlery, everything is an extension of the experience, taste and presentation of the dishes.
Once again, a day at Hospitality day opened up an interesting window on unique hospitality experiences in Italy.
Once again the recipe for success seems to be summed up in a skilful mix in which taste, beauty, attention to detail, maximum respect for the needs of the customer and the environment become fundamental ingredients for transforming a stay into a truly memorable experience.
