Fashion, design, art and a high quality of life. The aim is to construct an international metropolis but on a human scale. This is why Milan is an ever more popular tourist destination. In 2016 The New York Times even gave it top ranking in the world, the European Best Destination list of 2017 puts it in second place on the entire continent, after Porto. In order to keep pace with expectations the city is trying to make itself increasingly hospitable. A number of new design-driven boutique hotels have opened over the last five years, alongside deluxe places set up by fashion designers, from Armani and Bulgari’s well-known hotels to Dolce&Gabbana’s brand hotel, that is expected to open soon in Piazza Cordusio. And an increasing number of Milanese are renting flats and small properties. This is why Regional Law no. 27 of 2015 has developed a new category, Foresteria lombarda. This is rented accommodation of medium size – six rooms at most, all en suite – that can also offer breakfast, ready meals and work stations. One of the first examples of this trend is the Conti Guesthouse in Via Tiepolo, owned by a family that already runs hotels in Milan, Rome, Naples, Viareggio and Prague. Here the architect Nicola Gisonda has succeeded in turning the 180 square metres of a detached house with a garden dating from the early 20th century into a refined micro-hotel that has the intimacy and warmth of a real home.
The attention paid to comfort and the quest for a stimulating atmosphere are evident in many of the designer’s other choices, from the floors (grey stone with an unusual geometric division into large flags in the common spaces, oak parquet laid in a classic herringbone pattern in the rooms), to the bed heads (a fabric with op-art motifs in shades of grey designed and made for the purpose), the custom-built containers that exploit every corner (instead of the traditional wardrobe) and the mirror with a blade of light that lends perspective to the corridor (a Lando piece designed by Gisonda). The same care has been lavished on the living space at the ground floor. Here a flight of steps leads down from the entrance to this well-lit room, which is on the same level as the garden, a space that is made up of about 70 square metres of greenery sunk below the street. Here a small reception area has been created: an alcove, two small armchairs upholstered in velvet and a low table, all in shades of blue.
But the hub of the space is a large square table of natural oak at the centre, right in front of the wall-kitchen. Guests gather around this convivial table for breakfast or dinner (they can cook, and there is also a freezer with ready meals that can be defrosted), and it is possible to work online, as the table is wired. Beyond the panes of glass the small triangular garden, with a veranda that can be utilized in any season, is an oasis of peace.