Panzeri

Panzeri lights up Casa Baglioni in Milan

Casa Baglioni is the new elegant flagship of Milanese hospitality. Located in a 1913 Art Nouveau building a few steps from the Brera district, it was designed by the Spagnulo & Partners architecture firm, which oversaw the creation of the interiors inspired by Milanese 1960s art and design. The works of the same artists, architects and designers who used to meet in the city centre in the past have now found a new home here: in its shared and private spaces, the hotel hosts works by great Italian and international artists such as Enrico Castellani, Christo, Carla Accardi, Agostino Bonalumi and Hans Hartung.

The presence of works of art suggests how Casa Baglioni aims to represent a new hospitality concept: the hotel is not just a place to sleep and eat but a destination where guests are always at the centre of attention. Every detail is designed to provide a memorable experience, from fine works of art to the luscious dishes prepared by Chef Claudio Sadler, tailored furnishings and a unique lighting system designed by Panzeri.
If light can shape an environment by changing the user’s perspective and mood, the lighting project aimed for global and harmonious visual comfort in every hotel area to emphasise the idea of ‘home’ and authentic hospitality.

To achieve this result, the Panzeri team worked hand in hand with Spagnulo & Partners from the earliest stages of the project. They shared the same vision that “every public and private space should always be tailored to people, their needs and aspirations,” as Federico Spagnulo, founder of Spagnulo & Partners, puts it. “People’s well-being becomes the cornerstone of every project, and this design philosophy takes perfect shape in the rooms of Casa Baglioni. In this sense, lighting is essential to creating a welcoming, comfortable and memorable experience for all hotel guests.”

They, therefore, decided to conduct in-depth research to find the most suitable products and sources to obtain the same light temperature for all areas of the hotel to mark the connection and continuity between collective and private spaces. The solution was to design a single lighting system consisting of technical elements built into the architecture and decorative details, tailored into functional and striking installations.

These include the two large structures in the lobbies, each consisting of four intertwined rings from the Zero Round series: they, too, are veritable light sculptures mirroring the artworks on the walls. The latter are illuminated by ceiling spotlights from the Lola series, cleverly angled so as not to interfere with the mirrored ceiling of one of the lobbies.

Another highlight of the common spaces is the restaurant area, illuminated by ceiling spotlights and spectacular bronze pendant lamps specifically designed by Spagnulo & Partners. The distinctive element here is the addition of mobile metal discs on a lightweight structure of vertical rods featuring lights from the Tubino series.

In the rooms and private spaces from the first to the sixth floor, lighting elements often become a furnishing accessory defining areas for relaxation, reading and self-care, transforming some Panzeri ‘classics’, such as Bella, Tubino or Hilow, into new solutions.

The night area features unique bronze pendant lamps fixed to the ceiling with three stems at a fixed height, connected to the same number of direct-light Bella lamps. Also designed by Spagnulo & Partners, the lamp’s body features horizontal elements passing through the three vertical rods, adjustable in height, whose function is to stabilise the structure while creating a three-part rhythm. The rooms are equipped with a particular version of Jay as a bedside lamp, an adjustable LED spotlight in the same colour temperature and finish as the pendant lamps.

Hilow elements recur in various compositions, whether as a floor lamp version, a pendant lamp illuminating the desks or a unique direct wall lamp creating direct and indirect lighting to meet functional needs and provide visual comfort. As for architectural lighting, light shapes the space by connecting all the hotel rooms as a single signature.

In addition to retractable spotlights with an adjustable beam used to attract the eye to the artworks in the common areas, Carl adjustable spotlights have been used at several points in the corridors.

To meet the need to illuminate private spaces harmoniously and, at the same time, add personality and elegance to the room, recessed Broadway profiles were combined with a compact LED source capable of providing optimal, diffused lighting.

In some cases, where the height of the ceilings did not allow for concealed recessing, it was decided to install a particular Kips profile, creating double strip lights around the bed.

Through meticulous research to ensure harmony between light sources, even temperature and colour, balanced architectural and decorative solutions, and their perfect integration into the building, lighting design characterises and enhances the experience at Casa Baglioni Milan, highlighting its uniqueness.

Project: Casa Baglioni, Via Dei Giardini 21, 20121 Milan – Italy
Architecture Firm: Spagnulo & Partners
Year: 2023
Products used: Zero Round, Hilow, Bella, Tubino, Carl, Jay, Broadway, Kips, Jarvis, Lola.
Photos by: Diego de Pol