The global trend for affordable design accommodation continues apace, finally making a presence in Milan, thanks to the canny collaboration between Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola and budget friendly hotel group Room Mate.
Located smack in the city centre, a quick two-minute stride from the Piazza del Duomo, the 85-room Giulia is saturated in optimistic colour, with just a whiff of Milan’s famous mid-century mood. ‘It’s new, fresh, fun and welcoming,’ Urquiola states of the cheerful interiors.
The prices might be economic, but the finishings are top-rate, with most of the furnishings designed by Urquiola and custom-made by Cassina, where she has recently been appointed creative director. In the guest rooms, bold armchairs by design brands Kartell and Moroso sit alongside lamps by lighting companies Flos and Oluce, while grid patterned Kvadrat curtains add visual texture. Downstairs, an eclectic mishmash of furnishings and colour combinations make up the lobby space, which is also lined with artwork commissioned by local creatives.
The third property in Italy, following two openings in Florence, this is a busy time for Room Mate Hotels, who along with a Malaga launch, also this month, continues its international expansion at a dizzying rate.
ADDRESS
Via Silvio Pellico 4
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Romeo Roma: a new hotel that’s one of Zaha Hadid’s last projectsLocated within Rome’s Tridente, Romeo Roma is a palimpsest of periods in which the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid left her avant-garde mark
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitalityAs women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
The best Milan bars for a fashionable aperitivoMilan’s after-dark renaissance is evident in a new wave of design-led cocktail bars, setting the right mood for enticing aperitivos and nightcaps; Milan editor Laura May Todd recommends the best
-
How Four Seasons Hotels became The White Lotus’ unofficial starAs The White Lotus season three whisks us to Thailand, Marc Speichert, chief commercial officer of Four Seasons Hotels, discusses the luxury group’s perfect synergy with the hit HBO series – and where you can live the experience
-
Night at the museum: the best art hotels to book nowSleep amid surrealists at London’s Broadwick Soho, or wake up to contemporary favourites at New Hotel in Athens – indulge in an immersive art hotel experience
-
A next-generation Milanese members’ club wins Wallpaper* Design Award 2025The Wilde wins our Best Social Hub award for its embodiment of the cosmopolitan Milanese spirit
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: meet the travel winners transcending destinationsDiscover the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025 travel winners – the year’s places to stay, dine, drink and join – and watch our video to find out why they won
