A dialogue between domestic and open spaces.
Last year, the major expansion of about 1,400 square metres has reconfigured the geography of Molteni&C headquarters, an emblem of the DNA and values of the Giussano based company and a further milestone in the Group’s growth and internationalisation strategy.
Cloister-like courtyards accompany the visitor on an imaginative journey into the heart of the company. The corporate guest entrance has been redesigned, with a new reception building that incorporates natural clay columned paths that punctuate and filter the view of the garden and guide the visitor into the company’s interior, where the elements of the new Molteni&C | Outdoor proposal are arranged like sculptures, integrating with the greenery.
The use of MatteoBrioni srl natural clays is no coincidence, as the earthy, naturally pigmented (no external or chemical pigment is added, only raw earth) clays form the perfect dialogue between the nature surrounding the Pavillion and the rooms within. Since natural clay breathes, it makes visitors feel at ease, in a natural setting both indoors and outdoors.
The natural design was entrusted to landscape architect Marco Bay, who created veritable open-air rooms with a soft and natural presence of greenery.
“An environment in which the natural element is free to express itself through shapes, heights, textures and dynamism. Here are two “rooms” in which the course of time will create haphazard vegetation, which will act as a backdrop and soft embrace for furnishing elements and new decor ideas”
The Molteni Compound expansion project by creative director Vincent Van Duysen a few years after the interventions that reconfigured the layout of the premises, including the showroom and the main entrance, between the mid-1980s and the 1990s, and marks the first Van Duysen-designed architectural project within the company’s boundaries.
“The expansion of the Compound represents the Molteni Group’s determination to provide an all-round holistic experience for visitors. The new annex areas bring a breath of innovation and modernity to the headquarters.” The project “stems from the idea of creating a continuous dialogue between domestic and open spaces. This is why, in addition to the new Pavilion and the transformation of the existing ground floor, I wanted to place great value on the exterior”
Vincent Van Duysen.
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The original layout dates back to early 1950s architectural designs, of which the grand staircase, fa?ade cladding and typical window frames are still preserved. The round pillar positioned at the entrance is a clear Rossi architectural trademark, which is also found in the Aurora house in Turin or in the Villalba unit, while the showroom, designed in-house by Luca Meda, is minimal in its linearity and conceived to emphasise the individual design pieces. Over time it will undergo further interventions, creating continuously new settings, capable of restoring the warmth of the Molteni&C house.
For the presentation of the Outdoor proposal, the room is hosting a special installation by Stefano Baccari, landscape and garden designer. Tubs with sinuous lines showcase the most iconic products of the new line dedicated to the outdoors. Aquatic plants are emphatically dotted around the water mirror, creating a suspended atmosphere, also accompanied by a special soundtrack with a natural evocation, created especially for the occasion by the Soundmark studio.
Stefano Baccari’s proposal “represents a mediating space between the outdoor courtyard and the indoor space. It is a play of display volumes that complements without overpowering, echoing the colours of the collection in warm earth tones in great harmony thanks to the natural element”.
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