Boscolo Exedra Milan Hotel

The Boscolo Exedra Milano, located in a building dating back to 1920, formerly occupied by a bank, became a case study for its extravagance and irreverence. With 154 rooms, including 3 presidential, it also includes 3 restaurants, the unique "champagnerie" and "lambruscheria", the Suisse SPA and 4 convention centres with stunning views over the the Duomo Cathedral.

The hotel was designed as the essential meeting place and communication centre for Milan inhabitants. With top quality services, the best wines and restaurants open 24 hours a day, from the SPA "sanctuary" to an area for displays and art exhibitions. 

Entrance hall with white Carrara marble floors, from Tuscany, dominated by two tubular steel sculptures engraved in bronze. These "nests" as they are called by Rota, lie in the centre of the double helix staircase that leads to the gallery, the reception and the restaurants downstairs. This public space is illuminated by a system of "intelligent lighting" Swarovski, composed of more than 4,000 multi-coloured LEDs that automatically change colour and intensity depending on the time of day, even reacting to the changing of seasons.

This is a top class hotel due to its exquisite design, services, facilities, but above all because of its hospitality concept underlying its design. The result is a perfect combination of innovation and tradition that is distinguished by strong Italian identity and connotations: from the architects firm to the building components, the furniture and the finishes, all symbols of excellence in the country.

The designer, the talented visionary architect Italo Rota, completely remodeled the building on Corso Mattedi, the old facilities of the IMI bank.

(Left) The author, architect Italo Rota. (Right) The bar features a black glass top and a black lacquered base, and is decorated with petals shaped perforated plates in stainless steel and lit by a set of lamps.

The modular sofas "La michetta" design by Gaetano Pesce and produced by Meritalia lend originality to the space. Small recesses in the ceiling, with LED lights arranged in a "molecular pattern", cross the reception area to the "museum room”, an area for exhibiting art. Here, the walls and support columns are lined with wooden shelves lacquered in glossy black.

The shapes, the colours, the solutions are clearly unique in the world of hotels. There are no two rooms alike, so staying in can become a unique experience. The idea retrieves a long and distinguished tradition in modern Italian Milanese architecture reminiscent of the works of Gio Ponti. It is an authentic showcase of the best "Made in Italy", the exclusive furniture brand of Meritalia that displays in public areas, rooms and suites, highlighting the uniqueness of Italian design.

There are no two rooms alike at this hotel, thus demonstrating the concept of customization of services: staying becomes a unique experience. Highlight for Shodow armchair, design by Gaetano Pesche produced by Meritalia.

Unique bathrooms with furniture designed by Simone Micheli for Axia Bath.

The atrium setting is provided by two giant colourful columns / sculptures created by Italo Rota and inspired on a Carnival Lombardo character, the Harlequin, which are illuminated by more than 4000 LED. The perfect atmosphere is created at this hotel through a system of "smart" lighting that changes colour and intensity automatically, according to external factors, like the weather, season of the year and meteorological conditions.

The twin stairs lead to the first of three restaurants, whose white columns are decorated with colourful mirrored steel triangles and the resulting pattern evokes the multi-coloured costume of the Harlequin figure from the Italian commedia dell'arte.

The idea of ​​Italo Rota for the restaurant recovers Italian modern architecture from Milan reminiscent of the works of Gio Ponti.

The three restaurants are faithfully devoted to Italian food, while the stunning "lambruscheria", a bar where regional wines accompany local food, enhances the attractiveness of the "champagnerie". 

The largest of the three restaurants follows the setting in shades of black from the “museum room". In a long gently curving wall eight bay windows create intimate seating areas. The area around each window is lined with a coated mirror steel panel, in a shiny perforated black gradient. The windows are laminated with trees or plants graphics. The floor is in polished wood panels with a striped texture.

In the exuberant champagne room, guests are served in a curvy bar made ​​in white Corian, with a built-in champagne bowl. Behind that, the bottles are artfully arranged on the shelves, also in white Corian, with shiny leather cushions.

But that's not all! The technology is is vitally important even in the SPA! With 600 sq. meters, this is the largest spa in a hotel in Milan and packed with high-tech. The impressive screen with 15 m of the "sanctuary" reproduces moving images synchronized with lights, sounds and scents, according to the principles of aromatherapy and chromotherapy. 

The SPA by the architect Simone Micheli for Axia Bath.

It must be a truly amazing experience staying at this hotel, and even a stop of a day does not sound bad. An urban living with the most luxurious style, at the core of fashion, arts, and design capital which is no other than Milan.

Text and images by Nuno Ladeiro

Meritalia and Axia Bath are represented in Portugal by  DimensãoNova