Radisson Collection Hotel, Santa Sofia Milan - ENG

The Radisson Collection Hotel, Santa Sofia Milan, a new hotel of the Radisson Collection brand, has opened in Milan, strategically located at the intersection of Via Santa Sofia and Corso Italia, in a lively and well-served neighborhood of the city, positioned halfway between Piazza Duomo and Navigli.

The renovation and transformation of the former Allianz Italia offices into a 5-star hotel was designed by Studio Marco Piva, which was responsible for both the architectural and interior layout of the entire building, as well as the interior design of the rooms, gym, and corridors, in collaboration with the interior contractor Concreta, which has been realizing customized and unique furniture for over thirty years, based on the designs of architecture studios, enhancing their design content.

Studio Marco Piva is particularly attentive to the morphology of buildings and their context, which becomes a source of inspiration for choosing the most suitable and evocative design approach. The hotel building makes it particularly suitable to be interpreted and narrated in an architectural and interior design language of "urban style".

The interior design of the Radisson Collection Hotel, Santa Sofia Milan is characterized by a contemporary urban style with a domestic feel. The design approach was to create a style that combined the concepts of "business", "urban", and "loft". The rooms, like small urban lofts, have large windows and black frames to provide greater brightness and permeability to the bathroom and sleeping area, and soft dark curtains that can be used to create privacy between the two spaces when needed.

The task entrusted to Concreta for the Hotel consisted in the production of custom-made fixed furnishings and custom free-standing elements for the 159 rooms designed by Studio Marco Piva, including 130 standard rooms, 28 junior suites, and 1 suite.

The junior suites are numerous and distinguished from each other by their different sizes and choices of furnishings, including walk-in closets, lounge sofas that mark the day-night area, custom-made sofas that enhance comfort, the addition of an extra bed group, or the presence of bathrooms with double sinks inside the junior suite.

The bed frames, bedside tables, wardrobes, sink furniture, mirrors, and desks were custom designed by Studio Marco Piva and made by Concreta, with finely researched details and textures to create pleasantly welcoming environments.

The materials used interpret the lifestyle of a five-star luxury hotel, in line with the new demand towards which the hospitality industry is oriented. The choice of Studio Marco Piva has privileged warm materials such as wood and leather in dialogue with contemporary elements such as glass and metal, which could at the same time meet the standards required by certifications and the requirements demanded in the contract sector. The wood essences are effect wood with particularly resistant and high-quality laminated panels. The leathers are eco-leathers that respond to a need for greater durability and ease of cleaning. The language of colors tells a palette in shades of blue with accents of red and a base of shades of gray. For the headboards and technical fabric curtains that create the privacy area, midnight blue was chosen. A touch of red characterizes the upholstery, such as sofas or armchairs. In general, grays dominate in various shades, up to blacks that define the spaces.

Curtains are a decorative and functional element that characterizes rooms. In many rooms, decorative curtains are paired with sheer curtains to create a theatrical effect that communicates a cozy and soft atmosphere and sensation.

Light is an element that deserves special mention for the surprising use of natural light, which integrates perfectly with the internal lighting systems. At the entrance of the room, there is a discreet welcome spotlight, intentionally designed to allow a gradual transition from the hotel corridor, which is rather dark by choice, to the welcoming brightness of the room. The room is illuminated with warm, yellow, and indirect light through an LED strip positioned in the grooves of the curtains and an LED strip placed behind the headboard of the bed, which also enhances the covering material. Other suspended lights, reading lights, decorative wall lamps, and optimal lighting points in the bathroom complete the lighting project, which adds a touch of exclusive comfort to the environments of Radisson Collection Hotel, Santa Sofia Milan.

Light also plays an essential role in the bathroom area thanks to the presence of glass bathrooms that allow natural light to penetrate and make the environment bright, while privacy is guaranteed through the use of blackout curtains.

For the hotel corridors, which are particularly long, a wall scan with decorative frames applied has been chosen, replicating the facade scan, with alternating artwork to create accents on the light walls. The floors have a dark carpet with irregular patterns and the ceilings are dark, with indirect lighting.

Concreta's intervention also involved the realization of furnishings in the gym area. The gym of the Radisson Collection Hotel, Santa Sofia Milan, designed by Studio Marco Piva, is a comfortable workout room located on the first basement level. The use of light and reflective materials, such as light oak wood and light strip oak with fresh and light gray tones, contributes to creating brightness. Mirrored surfaces increase the perception of space, which is well-equipped with gym machines, a wardrobe area, a water dispenser, a bathroom, and a sauna. The gym is reserved for guests and offers a welcoming environment consistent with the concept of the rooms.

For the facade, Concreta intervened in the supply and installation of signs, which are made of metal and backlit, according to the Client's instructions for brand consistency.

For this hotel of the Radisson Collection brand, the goal is a LEED Gold certification. In order to achieve this, great attention has been paid to the choice of materials, as well as to the installation of systems and fixtures. The selection of furniture is also evaluated, as well as all the supports for fixed furnishings, which must be fireproof, as is obviously required for all textile elements. The project started in 2019 and now the Radisson Collection Hotel, Santa Sofia Milan is open to offer its guests all the traditional comfort present in Radisson Collection hotels.

CONCRETA is an interior contractor that provides excellence in the realisation of customised hotel furniture for hotels and accommodation structures, and more generally, in contract solutions on a national and international level. A single project manager maintains the relationship with the client, choosing all areas of intervention in collaboration with the best architects and designers. Specialised in the hotel, retail and residential sectors, Concreta has a portfolio of projects that are the best testimony to its wide and diversified expertise, flexibility and innovation in telling the story of different interior design solutions without losing their contextualisation.