Header: Marco Bertolini
Casa Brivio, located in the heart of Milan, near the Duomo, offers its guests a genuine experience of Milanese design, fashion, and culture. Owned by Filippo and Alberico Brivio Sforza, whose family has been tied to Milan for nearly 600 years, the hotel embodies the Milanese lifestyle, thanks to the work of Matteo Thun & Partners.
The homage to Milanese design begins at the reception, where wall panelling and a decorative ceiling pattern pay tribute to Gio Ponti. The courtyard, which faces the stone-paved Via Cornaggia, leads guests to two rationalist buildings from the 1960s and 1970s. These buildings, inspired by the design language of Luigi Caccia Dominioni, feature an original limestone spiral staircase illuminated by Murano glass lamps from Dominioni. Cassina furniture, including Marco Zanuso’s “Lady Armchair” and Thun and Benedetto Fasciana’s “Baixa Chair,” furnishes each suite. The moody palette includes dark green velvets, Viennese straw, and brass-toned aluminium, characteristic of Milanese style.
Each of the sixteen rooms and apartments at Casa Brivio is uniquely furnished, with designs by Matteo Thun & Partners and Cassina Custom Interiors. The layout is crafted to make guests feel at home, making them feel like they can independently enjoy everything Milan has to offer while staying in their very own refined European apartment. Each suite features closets that serve as both architectural elements and room dividers, which help conceal kitchenettes and further enhance the “private apartment in the centre of Milan” energy of Casa Brivio. What’s more, details like doors with original Melania handles by Caccia Dominioni and ribbed glass also help emphasise the mid-century Milanese aesthetic.
The interior design, focused on the genius loci, is inspired by mid-century Milanese modernism, which reflects the city’s modern history with a blend of progressive and conservative elements. The colour palette is a key element of the design, including delicate pinks, terracotta, ivory, teal blue, and emerald green, complemented by wooden herringbone pattern flooring, to convey the Milanese elegance we’ve all grown to admire. Natural materials merge with brass and fabrics, supported by an intricate lighting concept, and the bathrooms, inspired by Portaluppi’s work, feature terrazzo floors and neutral tones such as ivory and taupe grey.
