The renewal of the flagship store of Cristina Rubinetterie on Via Pontaccio in Milan offers a light, enveloping and emotional image. Inside the space – 200 sqm on two levels – the products do the talking, with the help of a neutral but materially forceful architectural setting.
Elisa Ossino, creator of the restyling, has chosen to prepare an alternating game of full and empty zones, simple, clear volumes, on a pathway that makes the products clearly visible, representing the vast range of offerings of the company while underscoring their functional quality.
Elisa Ossino – Photo © Daniele De Carolis
“In collaboration with the company we have set out to create an enclosure of material character, in which the vibration of light – which I consider a fundamental component for the success of a design, perhaps due to my past as a photographer – accompanies the dynamism of water,” says Elisa Ossino, who has thus opted for travertine to make the large vessels and some of the vertical surfaces. The lime coated walls produce natural chiaroscuro effects, while the cocciopesto of the floors has a very fine grain. The result is “a monochrome box where the vibration of light stems from the alternation of natural materials.”
In the orderly arrangement of the space on the first floor, four wall niches display the latest series of faucets, which are fully functional and ready to be experienced, while the large rectangular suspended washstands, like wash troughs, are also in travertine. “Faucets are often chosen mainly on the basis of looks, a choice that can lead to certain problems – the designer explains. – For this reason, we wanted this to be an experiential space in which to move with freedom, trying out the products and understanding them without any mediation.”
On the lower level, designed in aesthetic tune with the ground floor, visitors find accessories and the items that complete the collections, as well as kitchen mixer faucets, two round tubs – in front of the wall with the shower products – and four washbasins that illustrate the freestanding solutions. A specific area has been set aside for the range of thermostatic solutions.
Here an Antrax IT radiator – black, geometric, rigorous – presents the performance of Code®, the new smart system produced by Caleffi S.p.A. that permits remote adjustment of temperature in every space of the home, through a special smartphone app. The fluid character of the space and its welcoming atmosphere also make it possible to host events and art exhibitions, while providing an everyday facility for both professionals and private clients.
