FROM BAKERY TO ARCHITECTURE STUDIO
Sustainable Design in Milan
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: BEATRIX TORMA
On the eve of Milan Design Week, we visited the new studio of architect and designer Roberto Paoli. The Ancona-born designer has several projects in Budapest as well, including office spaces and a private residence.
ROBERTO PAOLI STUDIO
OLD TERRAZZO FLOORING
The area around “Milano Centrale” train station was once a densely populated downtown district inhabited by workers and craftsmen. The neighbourhood's design-conscious rehabilitation is reflected in the fact that the train station served as a prominent art venue during last year’s Art Week and Fuorisalone. The events were realized in collaboration with Moncler and French street art heavyweight JR. It was here that a small former bakery with blue and white tiled walls caught Roberto's attention. The award-winning designer has created pieces for prestigious brands in the furniture and lighting industry such as LigneRoset, Fiamitalia, Artemide, Serralunga, Leucos and Nemo Cassina. His design work is characterized by relentless research, experimentation and innovation. Roberto’s approach to design is defined by material knowledge, functionality and the integration of technology. This always goes hand in hand with value preservation and recycling. The transformation of the former little bakery faithfully reflects this approach.
" I always like to preserve something from the old — ideally, as much as possible..."
The result is a wall-to-wall glass-portal open foyer with inviting pink walls. From here, you enter a blue-and-white tiled interior with workstations, followed by an intriguing bathroom and a mini kitchen — all created from the bakery’s former preparation rooms — and Roberto’s office. “I always like to preserve something from the old, ideally as much as possible, if it works in the given space,” says Roberto. “Not only for economic reasons but out of professional duty — this, to me, is an architect's responsibility. Our job is not to erase a place’s history or throw out functioning elements just because trends or opportunities have changed.” Thanks to this approach, the bakery’s original terrazzo (grit tile) flooring was preserved. The furniture originally designed for a previous office space was repurposed — yellow-painted cabinets and a metal console in the lobby continue to serve their function in this renewed context. Some walls were intentionally left unfinished or preserved in their original state, and elements like metal mesh sliding doors and exposed air vents connect the space back to the district’s industrial character. The space also features seating, mirrors and lighting designed by the architect himself. Roberto Paoli is no stranger to Budapest either — back in 2012, he was awarded the Office of the Year Design Prize for a law firm project in the city.
Architectural designers: Roberto Paoli, Danilo Mangini, Camilla Saccani
