tadao ando defines duvetica showroom in milan with inclined cement wall

tadao ando defines duvetica showroom in milan with inclined cement wall
photo by orsenigo chemollo

in 2011, tadao ando designed the milan flagship store for duvetica. now, three years later in celebration of its tenth anniversary the venetian company, specializing in featherlight down jackets, has once again asked the japanese architect to realize a new milan showroom for them, as well as an extension to the previous retail space he conceived for them in via santo spirito, 22.

view of the curved and inclined wall that vertically divides duvetica’s milan showroom
photo by orsenigo chemollo

located in via senato 41A, tadao ando has defined the pre-existing space of the retail program by an inclined and curved cement wall – measuring 12 meters long, over 7 meters high and 20 centimeters deep – that vertically divides the two floors of the 240 square meter interior, revealed by a wide window positioned at the main entrance.

profile of the 20 centimeter deep concrete partition
photo by orsenigo chemollo

the ground floor houses offices along with the women’s wear and children’s collections, with the full duvetica color range displayed in the main room; while the menswear is found on the lower level. in wanting to restore and preserve most of the original structure, the surviving wooden coffered ceilings and fixtures have been reused where possible.

meeting rooms on the ground floor
photo by orsenigo chemollo

throughout duvetica’s spaces, the colors grey and white play a dominant role. this is seen in the milan showroom through the industrial cement floors with quartz dredging, wall finishes in venetian pressed marmorino, furnishings in pearl grey Corian® and grey coated natural wood; with lighting conceived to highlight the linear geometrical shapes which characterize the showroom and the products on display. outside of the architecture, tadao ando has also created a concrete table which is positioned within the meeting room opposite the offices.

view of the women’s collection and full duvetica color range on display
photo by orsenigo chemollo

tadao ando’s scheme of duvetica’s new milan showroom keeps in-line with the via santo spirito flagship store in its visual and physical presence, and officially opens on june 23rd, 2014.

the concrete grey and white palette of the showroom acts as a neutral canvas in which to display duvetica’s vibrant products
photo by orsenigo chemollo