Tailor-made office furniture for a fashion house

Cortile della Seta is one of Milan's hidden gems, one of the many structures that house the city's main activities, economic hubs, scientific and cultural centres. Characteristic of the building is its layering of architectural histories and styles, which is able to tell the city's innovative soul. First the barracks of the Napoleonic Cavalry and then the military bakery of the Austrian government, in the mid 19th century the building, located between the Brera and Porta Garibaldi quarters, was transformed into the 'Cortile della Seta' (Silk Courtyard), becoming a hub of trade negotiations and a meeting place for merchants and craftsmen. Following the bombing during the Second World War, the complex was rebuilt and extended by Luigi Caccia Dominioni. In 2021 it is the subject of a new redevelopment project by the Asti Associati studio, which redesigns the street front, the large covered courtyard and the new glass roof, finding the perfect balance between contemporary language, environmental pre-existences and the building's historical soul. It is starting from the contemporary reinterpretation of this rich context that Vincent Van Duysen Architects has designed the interiors of the new Loro Piana headquarters. The fashion brand chose the Cortile della Seta to represent its idea of sober and elegant luxury.

“The design of all the custom elements - the paravents, the desks, the chairs - starts from the interaction with the building, a white box to which we added different layers. The paravents that define the paths and create private areas for the various departments are floating elements covered with the most representative colours of the fabrics by Loro Piana Interiors. The desks and chairs are designed to highlight the space, thin and light elements in materials and colours that are part of the DNA of the brand - natural oak, bone coloured metal, kummel fabrics,” says Vincent Van Duysen. The partner of excellence for the realisation of almost all the furnishings is the Italian company UniFor, which has been able to translate and decline the client's wishes and the atmospheres imagined by Vincent Van Duysen into products conceived ad hoc for the Loro Piana spaces. Each of the pieces created enriches the overall mood of the interior and responds to the Maison's identity. An example of this are the RP partition walls, which are here re-proposed with hammered glass with a warm, elegant and nostalgic flavour typical of Milan's historical buildings. The offices, simple and elegant, are designed to encourage interaction between people, encouraging and enhancing a return to the use of physical space, dialogue and interpersonal exchange. The operative and executive workstations, designed by Vincent Van Duysen, translate the values of the maison through the choice of materials, colours and a clean, elegant, essential and sustainable design. With its vocation for design, UniFor reconfirms its ability to respond to every design requirement, with flexible, tailor-made solutions capable of evoking specific atmospheres and imagery.