Description
For the restyling of the Italian Ariostea headquarters’ interiors, Area-17 drew inspiration from the brand’s core values: technological innovation and maniacal attention to detail. The 2'000 sqm office building occupies 2 floors, connected at both ends by double-height volumes providing wide perspectives as well as a visual and physical tie among spaces.
The design’s keywords are: transparency, connection, and flexibility, to provide a totally renovated experience for both visitors and employees according to the latest needs of the work environment. The new layout modifies the main relations among the office’s areas. The whole system of meeting rooms have been designed to guarantee flexibility and to accommodate a variety of activities, from business meetings with clients, to workshops or conferences.
The entry hall and the reception have been completely reconfigured, creating a new visual correspondence with the exterior through the addition of a significant transparent surface. The circular room has walls cladded in bended ceramic slabs, which transform it in a pure volume that extends vertically to the second floor, with a powerful monumental effect.
Esthetically, the project commits to a limited material palette and explores the use of oversize ceramic slabs produced by Ariostea, moving beyond their traditional two-dimensional application. The interior design pushes their use to its limits, creating neat volumes with sharp corners and soft, curved surfaces made by top-notch Italian craftsmen, in an attempt to prove the ultimate potential of the material.
