Torre Velasca is without a doubt one of Milan's greatest architectural icons. But the BBPR-designed building and its distinctive top-heavy silhouette have always been a visual jewel to admire from afar. 'It's kind of an abandoned area and no one really visits,' remarks Carola Bestetti, creative director at Living Divani.
Or at least that was the case. The no man's land status of the Torre is set to change thanks to Living Divani and its most recent collaboration with Milan-based architect Piero Lissoni who has designed a temporary 900 sq m terrace around the building's perimeter. Inaugurated last week and open through to the end of the year, the space is welcome to the public and serviced by an adjoining independent bar and an exhibit space, creating a rare gift to a city that desperately lacks scenic outdoor space.
Lissoni's design is part café lounge, part urban zen forest. A wooden deck floor is surrounded by a lush curtain of bamboo, Carpini and Mulberry trees sitting in wooden wine barrels - a long-time Lissoni signature - while red metal scaffolding, set up in anticipation of the restoration works due to begin, act as a sort of plantless pergola. For the furniture, Lissoni custom-designed huge tables and benches in plywood, and populated the rest of the space with a variety of Living Divani's outdoor furniture, most of which the architect designed himself, including a Divano Extra Soft couch (2011), Ile stools (2003), low Family Lounge tables and his famous Frog Chair which, incidentally, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
'We thought this would be a nice way to show our outdoor furniture,' explains Bestetti, who also set up an adjoining, temporary showroom for Living Divani on the ground floor of the Torre. 'At the same time it's a nice thing to gift to Milan.'
Lissoni's work didn't stop there. The architect also built a wooden ramp that exhibits 13 different versions of his famed Frog chair in an outdoor glass box. Most dramatically, he put his architectural imprint on the top floor of Torre Velasca itself where he designed the interiors of a cushy penthouse apartment that has a wraparound terrace and some of the best views of the entire city. The apartment's furniture is Living Divani; the kitchen is Boffi and lighting by Flos. Whoever lands this stunning apartment is going to pay a pretty penny. For the rest of us, thankfully, there's always the beautifully designed ground floor outdoor space to enjoy for free.
Part café lounge, part urban zen forest, the temporary terrace has a wooden deck floor surrounded by a lush curtain of vegetation, while red metal scaffolding acts as a sort of plantless pergola
The space is welcome to the public and serviced by an adjoining independent bar and an exhibit space
The architect also built a wooden ramp that exhibits 13 different versions of his famed Frog chair in an outdoor glass box
Alongside the public terrace, a temporary showroom for Living Divani has been set up on the ground floor of the Torre
Most dramatically, Lissoni has put his architectural imprint on the top floor of Torre Velasca itself where he designed the interiors of a cushy penthouse apartment with furniture by Living Divani, a Boffi kitchen and Flos lighting
ADDRESS
Piazza Velasca, 5, Milano MI, Italy
-
Fashionable Christmas baubles to accessorise this year’s tree, from Bottega Veneta to LoeweSelected by the Wallpaper* style team, a gleaming array of Christmas baubles for fashion fans featuring fantastical designs from Bottega Veneta, Loewe, Prada and more
-
Discover South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island: food, fun and beachside blissWith natural splendour and a balmy, subtropical climate, Hilton Head Island beckons beach-goers, gourmets and golf fans alike
-
A look inside the home of George Homsey, one of the fathers of pioneering California modernist community Sea RanchGeorge Homsey's home opens for the first time since his death, in 2019; see where the architect behind some of the designs for Sea Ranch, the pioneering California modernist community, lived
-
Romanengo is Milan’s new sweet spotRomanengo, the oldest Italian confectionery, opens its doors in Milan with interiors by Madrid-based architects Cousi Interiorismo
-
Vipp Palazzo pop-up hotel opens inside Brescia’s historical Palazzo MontiScandi minimalism meets Baroque maximalism in Vipp Palazzo, a pop-up hotel by the Danish brand in the heart of Brescia
-
‘If I Were a Carpenter’: Ron Arad chairs revisited with AlpiRon Arad chairs are revisited with Italian wood-composite specialist Alpi, giving the ‘Big Easy’, ‘Oh Void’ and ‘Southern Hemisphere’ a new look
-
B&B Italia celebrates 15 years of outdoor furnitureFrom a woven design by Patricia Urquiola to an aeroplane-inspired collection by Piero Lissoni: we look back on exceptional B&B Italia outdoor furniture
-
Compact apartment by Ettore Sottsass reveals pioneering design approachTriennale Design Museum presents Casa Lana, a new acquisition that faithfully reconstructs an apartment interior originally conceived by Ettore Sottsass in 1965
-
Il Sereno and Patricia Urquiola launch penthouse that celebrates Italian designThe Lake Como Hotel, designed by Patricia Urquiola in 2016, opens its latest penthouse dedicated to modernist design and a new e-commerce to shop furniture, accessories and textiles from the hotel
-
Michele De Lucchi unveils latest furniture design for Stellar WorksItalian designer Michele De Lucchi and Stellar Works present a new furniture collaboration consisting of a modular sofa with a floating silhouette that merges Italian and Japanese design sensibilities
-
Piero Lissoni's sinuous furniture for Knoll turns film starKnoll and Piero Lissoni present a new film celebrating the Italian designer's KN collection: the short film puts a playful new spin on the furniture collaboration
