Palazzo Molteni | Vincent Van Duysen Architects

In the centre of Milan, just a stone's throw from Piazza della Scala, at number 9 Via Manzoni, Molteni&C inaugurates its new Milanese address in a historic palazzo that is a fusion of Liberty influences and neoclassical elements.

A welcoming location, a new home that marks the end of an important year for a brand that has just celebrated 90 years of history. Another step forward for the Group’s growth and internationalisation strategy and the beginning of a new path exploring design, its culture and dialogue with the city.

AN URBAN PAVILION FOR MOLTENI&C

Palazzo Molteni is an eclectic space. An experimental formula that is neither a true Flagship Store nor just a showroom or shop, but an open flexible location that brings alive and expands the Molteni&C identity and values. Thanks to its versatility, it aims to be both a place of encounter and also a destination dedicated to design in its most vibrant mutant forms. The ambition is to initiate intense dialogue with the countless realities linked to design and, by doing so, broaden the horizons of a discipline driven by cross-pollination and innovative ideas.

In the guise of an Urban Pavilion, the Flagship Store dialogues remotely with the Compound in Giussano, the historical Molteni&C headquarters. It represents a natural extension that completes the Group’s geography.

The endpoint of a journey that began with the opening of the Molteni Museum in 2015, the Urban Pavilion has its sights set on new visions in the future. It is open to the intensification of cultural exchanges and a search for unprecedented forms of collaboration such as the installation of a series of works by Peter Schuyff, thanks to support from the MASSIMODECARLO gallery, a leading international institution in the art world. As a whole, it embodies an ecosystem of reciprocal enhancement between art and design to create a grand, open showcase of Italian lifestyle.

Humming with energy, it dialogues with the major events that mark the pace of life in this city, and is in close contact with cultural institutions, especially the Poldi Pezzoli Museum on the opposite side of the road, already an imagined partner in possible collaborations.

INTERIOR DESIGN BY VINCENT VAN DUYSEN

Interior design was entrusted to Creative Director Vincent Van Duysen, who imagined a voyage of discovery into the Molteni&C culture of living. “A minimalist Belgian architect in love with Italy and capable of recreating Italian flair inside magnificent volumes. A chance to give a contemporary makeover to the interior layout and relationship between domestic and open spaces, between indoors and out,” says Carlo Molteni, Chairman of Molteni&C and Molteni Group.

THE HISTORY

Built in a neoclassical style contaminated with eclectic influences, the building stands opposite the Poldi Pezzoli Museum and reflects the neo-Renaissance style. It was built as the private residence for a family who played an important role in society and had big impact on the life of the city. It was in fact home to Prospero Moisè Loria, an enterprising businessman, philanthropist, and benefactor. A commemorative plaque on the wall beside the front door reads: “In this area/ stood the house of / Prospero Moisè Loria / who used his studies and riches / to found the / Humanitarian Society.” Moisè Loria named the Società Umanitaria (Humanitarian Society) as the heir to his estate: a private institution expressing the value and social commitment of a Milan that was aware of a global vision.

THE ORIGINS OF THE PALAZZO

Once known as ‘Corsia del Giardino’, Via Manzoni is one of the main historical routes and extension of the ancient cardo romano, one of the most important areas in Neoclassical Milan, a city of palazzi and gardens, an example of uniform, dignified, civilised architecture. The street was named after Alessandro Manzoni on the very day of his death on 22 May 1873, a decision made because the poet lived nearby in Via Morone. In the nineteenth century, it was considered the most luxurious street in Milan, and today, with Via Monte Napoleone, Via della Spiga and Corso Venezia, it is part of the fashion district known as the ‘Quadrilatero della moda’.

Although construction of the building at Palazzo Molteni dates back to the second half of the nineteenth century, it was renovated in 1922 by Giuseppe Mentasti and Stefano Lissoni. Exponents of Milanese Liberty, these two architects helped to consecrate it as the artistic style of the industrial bourgeoisie. Mentasti and Lissoni took part in the 1906 Milan International Exhibition, better known as the Sempione International Exhibition, which marked the affirmation of Liberty, the Italian variant of Art Nouveau. The building still retains the pleasure of decoration and the beauty of materials, while at the same time expressing the restraint and sobriety that is so typical of Milanese architecture. Inscribed in Roman numerals, 1922 marks the year that renovation work on the façade was completed.

Another significant renovation, which was recently completed, was managed and overseen by Merope Asset Management, the investment and real estate development company, founded and led by Pietro Croce, that owns the property. This renovation has restored the building to the city, bringing to light historic marbles and decorations and adding the top two floors, perfectly blending the old and the new.

VINCENT VAN DUYSEN'S HOMAGE TO MILAN

The historical relevance of Milanese architecture offered Vincent Van Duysen a chance to dialogue with this tradition. The sophistication of the details, choice of materials and combinations of colours and textures are his personal interpretation of the anti-rhetorical atmosphere of Milan’s palazzi, brimming with accurate and surprising inventions, always restrained, never ostentatious. This sensorial, calm, carefully considered dimension is Van Duysen’s trademark style in his creative direction at Molteni&C and in this special installation it takes on the contours of a new challenge in choosing to tackle the tradition of Lombard neoclassicism, albeit tempered by Liberty and Art Deco influences. “This palazzo is the best expression of what Milan means,” says the Creative Director of Molteni&C.

The Belgian architect has, therefore, chosen to recreate a home universe inside an example of historical architecture with strong monumental character and eclectic style influences, seeing it as a journey packed with surprises: a fluid space, open to change and designed to work as a ‘multifunctional stage’, easy to reorganise and rearrange. With this in mind, he wanted to preserve that intimate, subtly introverted character so typical of buildings in Milan. He therefore imagined this journey winding up through the building's seven floors and over more than 3,000 square metres of surface area, in a sequence of very different spaces that echo the original layout of the historic residence. The project stems from the idea of creating a continuous dialogue between domestic and open spaces.

Rooms on the piano nobile, halls, antechambers, more private and secret passages, others intended for entertaining, alternating with unpredictable open spaces, terraces and hanging gardens establish a fluid relationship between indoors and out. Moving ever deeper into its rooms, the building offers glimpses of the city's architecture and, especially from the top floors, breathtaking, totally unexpected views of a Milan seen from above. A journey that ultimately pivots around the internal courtyard, transformed into an indoor room thanks to its large glass roof with strong graphic design, and incorporating the pilasters and friezes, the decorative elements used on the internal façade. In this large central space, a ‘monumental’ configuration of the Augustus sofa designed by Vincent Van Duysen emphasises the domestic matrix of the journey that winds its way through the rooms away from this focal point.

Around this central courtyard, in fact, the interiors are organised in a series of austere, minimal atmospheres, while a large monumental staircase acts as a connecting element and reference point for those moving between the various floors. The balanced mix of modernity and memory expresses the ‘sensorial, surprise-packed, very narrative’ world of the Molteni universe and the quality of its art of living. “The interior design stems from the idea of creating a continuous dialogue between domestic and open spaces,” explains the creative director, “so as to create different sensations on each floor.”

In this overall vision, the design of the coffered ceiling has been given a contemporary makeover, reworking a classic design already recalled during the Renaissance. Its design functions as a decorative matrix that recurs throughout the interior design, acting as a highly recognisable unifying element. The same geometric design is reflected in the glass roof, the coffee-coloured oak panelling and the patterns on the floors.

More generally, the aim is to pay homage to the decorative tradition so typical in Milanese architectural culture. This decorative style also carries through into the materials used: large avocado-coloured marble tops paired with coffee-coloured wood panelling or the ‘contrasting’ use of ivory-coloured plaster with a rough texture for the walls. Also ‘contrasting’ is the use of light travertine with coffee-coloured dark oak wood for the floors. “It is a palazzo,” says Van Duysen, “but also a domestic universe, a private place that we wanted to recreate inside a monumental building of great allure that will be our home. A sensorial world: a journey full of surprises, all just waiting to be discovered.”

A PALAZZO CONCEIVED AS THE HOME OF AN ART AND DESIGN COLLECTOR

A modern design that dialogues with history. A period palazzo conceived as the home of an art and design collector. Exploring the world of Molteni&C, a sequence of ‘architectural rooms’ dedicated to bespoke design guides visitors along a path that winds its way up and through the building's seven floors. Named after the iconic Molteni&C elements, Milano, Piroscafo, Papyro, Gio Ponti Archives, and Monk, it pays homage to collaboration with the architects and designers who, over the years, have helped to define the idea of the Molteni&C home, interpreting the trademark themes of the company’s identity.

On the walls is the picture collection from the company’s historic archives. Rounding out the 90th anniversary celebrations, these works trace the evolution of the brand's photographic communication over the last 30 years, from shots of the Teatro chair by Mario Carrieri in the 1980s, to Luigi Ghirri's take on collections by Luca Meda, Tobia Scarpa and Aldo Rossi, plus newer shots of the Outdoor collection and the recent photographic project at Villa Planchart by Frederik Vercruysse. The material library rooms explore the inspiration behind the brand’s long-standing designer collaborators, with sketches and rough drawings by names such as Gio Ponti, Tobia Scarpa, Aldo Rossi, and Luca Meda. On the journey through the rooms in the building, with their continually changing viewpoints and string of discoveries, the unchanging points of reference are the most prestigious architects and designers with whom the company has collaborated and continues to collaborate: Gio Ponti, Luca Meda, Aldo Rossi, Tobia Scarpa, Jean Nouvel, Herzog & de Meuron, Ron Gilad, Foster + Partners, and Vincent Van Duysen, to name just a few.

MOLTENI GALLERIA

The last two floors house the Molteni Galleria corporate headquarters, a venue for meetings with the public: conferences, video calls, lectures with architects and designers, and, more in general, events starring authors and famous experts from the world of culture. Together with the lounges and meeting rooms, these spaces are designed for receiving and sharing. A room featuring a large Mateo table by Vincent Van Duysen, in black Marquina marble with mirrored pedestals, embodies the social and entertaining side of Molteni Galleria. Large doors that can be opened during video conferences hint at an interactive hi-tech alter ego.

Celebrating the art of living en plein air, hanging gardens and terraces are made welcoming by the Molteni&C Outdoor Collection. The plants and greenery were designed by landscape architect Stefano Baccari. “For the opening of the new showroom, I wanted to bring a feel of Milan’s old buildings to the terraces, and so chose to use mainly soft light evergreen leaf textures. The resulting spaces are understated and clean-cut and go perfectly with the formal, strongly Milanese- inspired interiors,” says Stefano Baccari, landscape designer.

ENTRANCE GALLERIA AND SHOP WINDOWS

The architecture follows the typical layout of Milan’s palazzi with a large internal courtyard, access to which is through a public galleria: a way of staying in contact with city life but also an entryway to a more private, reserved dimension. The entrance is, in fact, preceded by a covered passage on Via Manzoni, an architectural space in which typical interior details mix with recurring exterior elements. In its own way, it harks back to the tradition of the fine Milanese entrances that greet visitors to private palazzi.

The ceiling of the entrance gallery features the same geometric motif chosen as the decorative matrix for the entire project, designed as a contemporary translation of the classic coffered ceiling. A geometry also recognisable in the iron gate leading into the building, and then just inside, in the design of the grid structure that supports the large onyx wall in the reception area.

The two shop windows on Via Manzoni, on either side of the entrance, are designed as a tribute to Gio Ponti and Vincent Van Duysen respectively: a way of emphasising Molteni&C's attention to the protagonists of Italian and international architecture. The first reproduces a room from the plans for the Planchart collectors' villa in Caracas (1953-57), perhaps Gio Ponti’s best-loved villa interiors, of which Molteni&C has reissued a selection of furnishing pieces, including the original colour version of the D.154.2 armchair. This window is also an opportunity to celebrate the company’s recent Compasso d'Oro award.

The second hosts a room built around the Ratio kitchen, featuring a travertine worktop and base units with Stripe doors in Eucalyptus finish. A project designed to showcase the company's craftsmanship, recognisable in the meticulous details and care taken with defining the character of its components.

COLLABORATIONS: ARTWORK AND HI-TECH

On the collaborations front, Elisa Ossino curates the project concept defining the artworks featured, enriching the sensorial experience thanks to a selection of works that bring alive highly evocative situations. “Research shows us that the sensorial and tactile aspect of materials is the key to determining a room’s character,” she says. “The journey through the project highlights unprecedented points of contact between artists working with different languages. This is thanks to meticulous scouting, which emphasises the powerful connections between the emotional points along a path of unprecedented chromatic and formal moods.” Scouting that also sees the inclusion of some pieces by Dimore Studio, selected directly from their archive to bring the rooms alive.

In terms of technology, the partnership with Samsung makes it possible to provide sophisticated immersive experiences thanks to the rich ecosystem of interconnected devices, designed to intensify dialogue between physical and digital reality.

A WORLD OF REFINED QUALITY AND METICULOUS DETAILS, A NEW DECORATIVE

ALLURE FOR A MULTIFUNCTIONAL STAGE CONCEPT

The interior design of Palazzo Molteni is fully expressed in Creative Director Vincent Van Duysen's focus on a new phase of decorative sophistication in the Molteni&C art of living. “The combination of tradition and avantgarde intends to lead Molteni&C in a sophisticated direction by enhancing the heritage of Italian decorative arts,” explains the creative director. Every detail is a statement of style and an expression of the craftsmanship amassed in almost a century of history, a quest merged and balanced timelessly and in unison with a tendency for innovation. Through the creative lens of Vincent Van Duysen, the furnishings find a new harmony of expression for an idea of elegance measured in terms of materials, textures, colour palette, and lines.

The trademark style of this new allure is the rich selection of materials—wood, glass, leather, metal—combined with meticulous details, such as the same-colour stitching on the Augusto sofa or the partition profiles on the Logos open system by Vincent Van Duysen, or the brass details on the Card bookcase by Michael Anastassiades.

To achieve this style, the interiors are organised to function as a flexible, interchangeable multifunctional stage. Molteni&C wall systems are then the tool central to the transformation of space as dictated by different needs and desires for change. The interior design project in fact makes extensive use of the Arial system designed by Studio Klass. This versatile system of panelling, doors and walls is highly sophisticated from a technical and composition point of view, as it meets all the requirements of an industrial product, adopting a minimal elegant architectural language, while delivering all the quality of tailored construction.

As a synthesis of made-to-measure modular solutions, the famous Molteni&C systems integrate and dialogue with each other, as is the case with the 505 system, or Sincro, for sliding doors.

The same characteristics of modularity, functionality, and lightness characterise Logos, the fully modular Molteni&C wall system for the living area, used widely throughout the interior design. Systematising interior accessories for organisation in the home is the idea behind the Gliss Master wardrobe system, the flagship product of the Molteni&C night collection. The walk-in wardrobe and organised storage see a wide range of solutions thanks to the versatile modularity of the Gliss Master system.

An example of integrated vision between architecture and furnishings, Jean Nouvel's Graduate is one of the most sophisticated products from Molteni&C's historic collaboration with this Pritzker-winning architect, and in the rooms of Palazzo Molteni it creates a virtuoso series of suspended bookcases that appear to float in mid-air.

MASSIMODECARLO

At Palazzo Molteni, contemporary art blends with design to create a unique visual experience, featuring an exclusive selection of works by Peter Schuyff, represented by the MASSIMODECARLO gallery.

Founded in 1987, the gallery has always focused on artistic research, making bold, innovative choices that have established it as an international reference point. For over 30 years, MASSIMODECARLO has played a key role in the contemporary art scene, fostering a dynamic dialogue between artists, national and international institutions, galleries, critics, curators and collectors.

MASSIMODECARLO collaborates with artists working across various media, including painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, photography, performance and video, and operates galleries and offices in Milan, London, Hong Kong, Paris, Seoul and online (VSpace).

One of the most prominent contemporary artists, Schuyff stands out with his distinctive approach to abstract painting, characterised by the use of geometric shapes and thin layers of acrylic paint that create captivating effects of light and movement.

PETER SCHUYFF

Peter Schuyff (born 1958) is a leading figure in the Neo-Geo movement that emerged in New York in the 1980s.

Born in Baarn, Netherlands, Schuyff later moved to the United States, where he became known for his distinctive approach to painting. His work is characterised by the use of geometric shapes and the ability to create light and movement through the application of thin layers of acrylic paint. As one of the most innovative artists of his generation, Schuyff continues to push the boundaries of abstract art, exploring new techniques and concepts. He has always aimed to make his works as ‘empty of meaning’ as possible, encouraging the viewer to focus on what is essential: colour, texture and pattern. In 2017, Le Consortium in Dijon presented ‘Has Been’, a retrospective of Schuyff’s works from 1981 to 1989.

His most recent public exhibitions include the Whitney Biennial, New York (2014), the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York (2005) and the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, USA (1996).

Schuyff’s works are housed in the permanent collections of major institutions such as MOMA, New York, MOCA, Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and The Fisher Landau Foundation, New York. Schuyff lives and works in Amsterdam (NL) and Bari (IT).

The selection of works displayed across the top two floors of Palazzo Molteni spans from the 1980s to the present day, inviting deep reflection on repetition and geometry, the core themes of his artistic research.

Molteni&C Flagship Store
Via Manzoni 9
20121, Milano
Orari: 10-19
milano.moltenigroup.com