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
-
Step inside Koumkan, Athens’ new bar of moody glamour and whimsyDesigned by Manhattan Projects, Koumkan’s interiors blend austere yet glamorous flair, evoking the mood of an inter-war bar
-
Nada Ghazal's textured gold brings a modern pop to pearlsNada Ghazal unveils a new jewellery collection, 'Pop of Hope'
-
‘We created our own island’: a new exhibition sees discrete Belgian fashion label Jan-Jan Van Essche step into the spotlightDal Chodha travels to Belgium to meet Jan-Jan Van Essche, the subject of a new exhibition at Antwerp’s MoMu that sheds light on the under-the-radar designer, whose eponymous label marries subtle, discrete elegance with extraordinary fabrications
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
The design-led restaurants to know in 2025This year’s most read-about restaurant openings to inspire your 2025 cravings, from a playful diner in New York to an art-and-dining hub in Marrakech
-
The cosiest alpine retreats to book in EuropeBrowse the Wallpaper* edit of European alpine retreats where to fully embrace the ski season
-
Tour a new Sardinian hotel hidden among sand dunesHotel Le Dune Piscinas is a cosy five-star boutique resort surrounded by the untamed natural beauty of Sardinia’s Costa Verde
-
The world’s most enticing new hotel openingsExplore the best new hotels in the world, from beachfront living at Cheval Blanc Seychelles to otherworldly Zaha Hadid architecture at Me Malta
-
2,734 metres above the sea, a northern Italian hotel ensures peak happinessDesigned by Senoner Tammerle Architekten, hotel Santnerpass Hütte offers the perfect off-grid retreat amid a Unesco-protected landscape
-
Retreat to Lecce’s reborn Palazzo Zimara, a baroque gem from 1557Architect Raffaele Centonze transforms the 16th-century Palazzo Zimara into an 18-room boutique hotel in the historic city centre
-
Stella D'Italia is a Renaissance haven that tells a story of FlorenceStella D’Italia is the Florentine boutique escape by local hoteliers Matteo Perduca and Betty Soldi to know
