SIX projects is set up around a courtyard, a combination of typical Milanese elements and exotic accents of a riad. The intimate ‘secret’ spot is located behind a large doorway on via Scaldasole, dotted with elements of tropical vegetation. Balconies overlook the patio and large open arches, from the sixteenth century building, bring to mind its monastery past-life. It was born by an idea of entrepreneur Mauro Orlandelli who worked together with art director Samuele Savio, architects David Lopez Quincoces and Fanny Bauer Grung, musician Sergio Carnevale and landscapist Irene Cuzzaniti.

The renovation project removed the plaster layers from the interior and revealed the original brickwork and floors. “We wanted everything, from the furniture to the plants, to look like they had been here forever”, Bauer Grung explains. The overall mood is the result of a play with contrasts: the smoky grey walls, furniture featuring classic design, and the attention to details. The space hosts the Six design Gallery, the Sixième bistro and the green design boutique ‘Irene’. The gallery mixes together Vietnamese vases and modern Scandinavian furniture, nomadic rugs from Altai and tables by Gabriella Crespi, chairs by Gió Ponti and armchairs that Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret created for Chandigarh in India.