New Armani Casa store in Milan
Ten years after its debut collection, Armani/Casa opens a new store at Via Sant’Andrea 9, Milan, in one of the world’s most famous and prestigious locations for luxury shopping. The store opens officially on April 14th, during the forthcoming Milan Furniture Exhibition, and will be the largest in the world to date.
Giorgio Armani says, ”Via Sant’Andrea holds a special place in my heart as it was the first street in which I opened a Giorgio Armani store, back in the Eighties. It is therefore appropriate that it should become the home of the largest Armani/Casa store in the world. Armani/Casa has grown into a very important part of the Armani family of design and has expanded its range of products considerably over recent years. It therefore needs a larger, new home for itself. I am very pleased with Via Sant’Andrea No.9 and am sure my customers will enjoy the experience of visiting it.”
The space covers an overall area of 1,600 square metres inside a building dating back to the mid-1900s, featuring an elegant Saint Maximin stone-clad façade.
The clean, understated lines typical of Giorgio Armani’s aesthetic philosophy are immediately apparent on entering Via Sant’Andrea 9, where at the end of a long corridor the Armani/Casa logo is emblazoned on the wall. Another major architectural device is the use of two staircases in brown Eramosa stone that contribute to a sensation of great depth.
The concept of the store is to create an exclusive atmosphere with a collection of articles ranging from furniture to lighting and accessories to upholstery fabrics, all carefully selected, taking into account how shape, material and colour combine to make a harmonious impression; everything is illuminated by soft lighting.
Bronze polycarbonate panels edged in polished black metal trim have been installed around and inside the space to subdivide display areas. The panels are fitted with lights that beam upwards with graduated intensity, creating warm nuances of illumination. Other display area features include silver tatami flooring and polished black lacquered tubular supports with Plexiglas shelving for accessories.
The ground floor and basement are dedicated to the Armani/Casa collection, which is displayed in a seamless sequence of spaces that express the unmistakable luxury of the Giorgio Armani design aesthetic.
Occupying the boutique’s first floor is the Armani/Casa Interior Design Studio, created in 2003 and offering private clientele and property developers a complete interior design service, from concept to project execution.
The studio’s specialist skills lie in finding and developing creative solutions to be implemented by architects, engineers and contractors under the artistic direction of Giorgio Armani. The service is exclusive, from approach to design: a team of professionals undertakes in-depth research into the cultural environment, local geography and the architectural context, to create an interior with perfectly integrated design characteristics and values. The research programme then proceeds to explore materials, colours and finishes, with the intention of hallmarking each bespoke project as personal and unique.
Armani/Casa opened as a division in 2000 and was seamlessly integrated into the Giorgio Armani Group’s corporate vision. The Group has become more than the brand of an international fashion leader: Armani is now a byword for an approach to lifestyle that embraces several product areas and is based on a philosophy of elegance, comfort and sophistication. Armani/Casa is the result of Giorgio Armani’s desire to develop the ideal living space: intimate, unique and sophisticated, where comfort and harmony are the rule. The Armani/Casa collection features exclusive furniture, accessories, ornaments, lamps and fabrics. Giorgio Armani S.p.A. has signed two production and marketing licenses: with the Molteni & C Group’s company Dada S.p.A. for kitchens and with the company Rubelli S.p.A. for the creation of exclusive furnishings fabrics.
Armani/Casa is present in the world’s major cities with 67 points of sale; 29 are freestanding stores and 38 are within multibrand stores.