Hotel of the Week: Casa Brera Revels in Milan’s Rich Design Heritage

The transformed property honors the stylish area’s illustrious heritage and Lingeri’s geometric proclivities while gracefully whisking them into the present. Credit the masterful hand of Milan-based design doyenne and newly minted Galerie Creative Mind Patricia Urquiola, who lent her signature spritz of sculptural shapes, lavish materials, and deeply saturated colors to nearly every corner of the five-star property. “Our approach was not simply to preserve the past,” she tells Galerie, “but to reinterpret it, allowing contemporary elements to flow alongside the building’s history.” That often translates to plush furnishings—many designed by Urquiola for Andreu World, Moroso, and Cassina, where she serves as creative director—that playfully juxtapose gridded references embedded in the architecture. 

Rationalist references are felt deeply throughout, from Urquiola’s liberal use of granite stone to trompe l’oeil rugs reflecting the facade’s linear rhythms. That alchemy is most palpable in the lounge, where extravagant semicircular sofas and enveloping armchairs preside underneath reflective gridded ceiling panels that set a tone of refined decadence—the perfect atmosphere for sipping spritzes and negronis until the early morning after exploring Brera’s art galleries and furniture showrooms. Anchoring the whole scene is a lustrous Verde Alpi marble bar, fittingly chiseled with circular shapes referencing Piero Portaluppi’s beloved Villa Necchi Campiglioni. Throughout the property, Urquiola selected materials like Italian marbles and granite “not only for their aesthetic qualities but also for their ability to evoke a sense of place,” she explains. “These materials are deeply connected to Milan’s architectural heritage.” 

To that end, the eighth-floor Etereo bar, restaurant, and rooftop pool enjoys particularly magnificent views of the city’s rooftops, from the Duomo to Porta Nuova, while serving up a refined menu of Italian seafood specialties. Casa Brera enlisted several acclaimed chefs to curate the culinary offerings. Chef Andrea Berton oversees Etereo and Scena, the fine-dining restaurant where timeless Milanese dishes are served up in a sophisticated earth-hued setting outfitted with mirrors by Paola Paronetto, a wall sculpture by Hans Schule, and a sumptuous sea of Italian marble. Near the lounge is the intimate Odachi, which offers rarefied omakase courtesy of Chef Haruo Ichikawa, the first Japanese chef to earn a Michelin star in Italy. Lamps reminiscent of Japanese lanterns hang from the glossy ceiling, shrouding the cozy dining room in a calming orange-hued glow.

Then come the 101 exquisitely furnished guest rooms, which Urquiola imbued with the spirit of Milan’s flourishing design culture. Refined materials like walnut wood, Flor di Pesco marble, and backlit brass reflect the city’s palette and character; eye-catching details like green ceramic mushroom lamps, geometric wool rugs, and terracotta vases lend textural panache. The hotel’s 15 luxurious suites offer ample opportunities to soak it all in, particularly the Brera Suite’s vibrant blue semicircular sofa that Urquiola strategically placed for picturesque views of the 1,300-square-foot rooftop terrace. As does the Presidential Milanese Suite, where two spectacular connecting terraces make Milan—and its rich design legacies—feel more tangible than ever. “Milan is the city of design and craftsmanship,” Urquiola continues. “My intention was to capture this essence.”

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