CANALI

Showroom & Offices

Via Ludovico il Moro, Milan

2010 -  1195 sqm

The new Canali Showroom in Milan was designed by GRASSICORREA architects within an ex-warehouse of the Richard Ginori Industry.

The main highlight of the showroom is the large rock monolith at the entrance behind the reception. It is cladded in dark polychromatic granite with large prune-colour crystals, treated with high-pressure water creating a rough texture.

The staircase in front of the entrance runs alongside a vertical garden made of concrete casted basins positioned one on top of another accompanying the visitor in his path.

The ground floor (487 sqm) includes the reception and the main display/sale area in a large open-space. It was create a single polifunctional space that may open or close as a diaphragm creating any desired layout.

The open mezzanine (195 sqm) was itself dedicated entirely to display and sale area and enjoys natural light through the skylights of the existing curved ceiling of the building.

The lower level (426 sqm) houses the service areas as dining hall, kitchen, training/meeting room, offices, storage and technical rooms.

The materials used in the showroom have been carefully chosen to give the space not only a masculine and elegant atmosphere but to blend in a single style message. This array of materials and colours with their neutrality and strong message are intended to highlight the space and specially the merchandise.

The light gray ceramic tiles wall-cladding in most walls has an horizontal texture that resembles casted concrete. Instead, the main vertical volumes are covered of an European oak wood veneer composite of narrow vertical stripes.

Two types of flooring were chosen: light warm gray colour ceramic tiles for the work and service areas and whitened oak wood for the offices and the staircases’ threads.

All furniture and lighting were studied carefully following precise aesthetic and functional principles that blend harmonically to the rest of the structure.

The moveable freestanding display elements were designed to be completely versatile and may be composed and changed according to the visual merchandising needs.

At the front of the showroom there is a large garden with patio that may be used for exterior events.

This project was designed before 2012 by the studio formerly known as GRASSICORREA Architects

(Duccio Grassi and Fernando Correa - partners).

Some photos by Andrea Martiradonna

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