Dispatch from Milan Design Week

By Dan Howarth

Ciao (HAP)ers!

I’m in Milan for the city’s annual design week, which is anchored by the Salone del Mobile furniture fair and colloquially referred to by international attendees as “Salone.” What was once a commercial trade exhibition has, over the years, ballooned into a much larger, city-wide celebration of design. These days it’s a full-blown cultural event, during which everyone from luxury fashion brands and auto companies, to hospitality groups are all hoping to grab the attention of the design crowd. Attending is an intense experience, dashing around the city to see as many exhibitions and installations as possible, attending openings, parties and dinners, and catching-up with friends until the early hours at Bar Basso.

As usual, the less flashy, more under-the-radar exhibitions were the most interesting (to me at least). Among my highlights this year were a presentation by Parisian gallerist Antoine Billore, who transported a selection of his antiques and custom designs to a Milanese villa—if money was no object, I would’ve taken several pieces away with me. The award for the most striking setting belonged to design brand Haydn’s exhibition of metal furniture and colorful blown-glass objects inside the devastatingly beautiful Museo Bagatti Valsecchi (the runner up was Gucci’s display of tapestries in the cloisters of the Chiostro di San Simpliciano—always my no.1 venue in the city).

The gorgeous Casa Milana apartment, featuring pieces by Beni Rugs and glassware brand Laguna B, had every visitor from New York questioning why we pay so much in rent when we could live like this in Europe. Bocci stunned once again with an installation of experimental lighting curated by The Future Perfect. Meanwhile, Dimorestudio founders Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran opened a hot new gallery, and also launched their new furniture concept Interni Venosta inside an untouched Borsani residence that had everyone swooning over the perfectly preserved millwork details and coat hooks.

I also spotted a couple of fun trends, though I’ll ruminate on those a little while longer as I continue my Italian adventure. Back to Tuscany today! D x

- Dan Howarth, HAP Weekly Newsletter Editor

By Dan Howarth

During this crazy week, the charging station for my social batteries has been Casa Laveni: a brand-new boutique hotel from the team behind the Apollo Palm in Athens. Tucked along a barely-one-car-wide street in the historic neighborhood of Brera, the 30-key hotel occupies a 1911 building that was once the home of architect Giuseppe Laveni, behind Milanese landmarks such as the Excelsior Hotel Gallia and the Odeon Cinema.

The building’s refreshed interiors, designed by Rome-based Delogu Architecture, flip between the bright skylit lobby, and dark moody guest rooms. Mine (no. 304) is drenched in a soothing deep blue-gray hue, and features fresco-like fluffy clouds on the ceiling, a pale blue marble bathroom, and pops of red on the fringed bedside sconces and a velvet stool. On the ground floor, there’s a DIY coffee bar in the lobby and an intimate library that doubles as a breakfast room, while the basement houses a gym. While the design is chic, the real draw here is the location—a 10-minute walk from the Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II in one direction, and Castello Sforzesco in the other; steps from the Cordusio Metro station; and the luxury shopping and lively nightlife of Brera, including my personal favourite restaurant in the city: Trattoria del Ciumbia. 

Since Casa Laveni is still sparkly new, there are a few kinks still to iron out—one literally: when I requested a clothing steamer, someone went out and purchased one for me. But as someone who’s typically forced to stay in tiny Airbnbs on the edge of the city center during Salone, because hotel rates skyrocket and availability is so scarce, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have stayed in what became the “design dorm” for fellow editors and industry figures for five nights. Once the design week madness subsides, Casa Laveni will be perfectly poised to fill Milan’s gap of luxury boutique properties.

By Ruby Gregg

I’m Ruby, HAP’s News Editor. Each week, I highlight the travel, hotel, and lifestyle stories catching our Editor-in-Chief Brandon Berkson’s eye—and what should catch yours too. Have an above-par piece of news? Pitch me at [email protected]

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