A very young Italian fashion brand but already globally renowned in the fashion scene, Plan C, has opened its first international 100 sqm flagship store in Aoyama, an elegant district in Tokyo. Area-17 has developed and translated the original concept by Florentine-based artist Duccio Maria Gambi into architectural and exhibition elements.

During Coverings 2019, Area-17 received the “Best Inspirational Design” award at the largest international tile & stone show in North America for the Fiandre USA booth design that was a tribute to the ancient world of Italian artists’ vintage workshops, where intricate ceramic artistry took place for decades. The “Ceramic Atelier” exhibition space envisioned the concept of an inspirational workshop, like a gallery-atelier, where mixed sizes, collections, and ideas contributed to new trends and innovative projects.

This is the seventh opening by Area-17 Architecture & Interiors dedicated for Dispensa Emilia. The new prestigious venue is located within the wing side of the historic Central Station of Milan that overlooks Piazza Luigi Di Savoia. This area was recently renovated adding top-quality fast-casual restaurants exclusively accessible from the outside.

In the process of defining an innovative approach to local shopping, Alibaba Group asked Area-17 to design a new concept for convenience stores located in business districts and office areas. Named 盒马 F2 - Fast & Freshade, it sees the first tangible application in a 400 sqm store in Shanghai highly specialized to meet the needs of a clear-cut target of young business-people.

Bell is the snapshot of a movement. The truncated-cone volume synthetizes the shape of a real bell, whose oscillation is captured in a single instant. The incline of the lamp implies dynamism, an unstable temporary balance, which strikingly contrasts the obvious static nature that belong to an object of such great dimensions.

Area-17 designed Ariostea stand at LivingKitchen, the annual international kitchen show at IMM Cologne, the most important furnishing show in Northern Europe. Within an exhibition revolving around contemporary product and interior design, Ariostea introduces a new way of interpreting the kitchen environment through a non-conventional use of ceramic slabs. The Ariostea kitchen is meant to be an architecture rather than a set of furniture pieces, something that generates a new space instead of furnishing an existing one.

Area-17 designed the new concept for Chinese eyewear brand Zèle’s stores. The payoff “Stay young, stay Zèle” translates into a design focused on a strong product and brand awareness, with a refined yet trendy atmosphere. Central to the project is the inner space, both as break time and personal place, where customers discover the pleasure of devoting time and attention to themselves.

Centro Nuovo Flaminia is part of a wider urban renewal plan concerning the former “Magazzini Generali” area at the South-West of Brescia city center. It occupies 27'000 sqm, among which 7'000 are dedicated to a Coop supermarket. The shopping mall, designed by Area-17 and Inres, is the focal and vital point of a great park and recreation area.

Located in the city center, the new supermarket Coop Busto Arsizio is the core of a wider urban requalification area. The store occupies the volume of a former factory and has been redesigned by Area-17 and Inres as a connection between the neighborhood and the new project area. Roof-to-ceiling windows dematerialize large portions of walls and engage interiors and exteriors in a uninterrupted dialogue.

Area-17 interprets the innovative Hema Robot Restaurant by Alibaba Group with an interior design and layout that enhance the high-tech character of the original concept. The newest location occupies the second floor of a branded space that Hema opened inside NECC – the new National Convention and Exhibition Center in Shanghai. Visited by millions of people, this is the perfect location for an environment unifying the brand’s core values and an experimental approach to hospitality.

Area-17 designed a collection of limited-edition furniture for Ariostea, exploring the expressive potential of the ceramic material.

Area-17 designed the new showroom for SapienStone, the Italian brand that produces high-quality ceramic slabs for kitchen and bathroom applications. It is located inside an original country house at the foot of the Appennini.