W
ith its extensive range of furniture and accessories, Spazio900 is the place for lovers of vintage and Mid-Century Modern design. This showroom has on display iconic pieces, which go from the fifties to the eighties, by top modernist Italian and international designers. We are in Milan, the of home design. Spazio900 gathers under the same roof work by extremely famous designers, as well as pieces by those who are only known to real connoisseurs.
Of late, the Spazio900 stock, which includes over 5000 pieces, is also accessible online and customers can make a purchase in the comfort of their own homes. However, real pleasure comes from paying a visit. Off the beaten track, a far cry from the glamour of central Milan, there’s a large warehouse tucked away in a courtyard and the only signposts are two banners.
On the back wall, the Per Max carpet by Ettore Sottsass, which was part of a nine-piece limited edition for Elio Palmisano. Left-hand side, the Freemont bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis (1985) and the Giunone lamp by Magistretti for Artemide (1970). And next to this, an armchair set from the forties and a rounded sofa for the fifties.
Opened over twenty years ago by Enza De Iuliis and Adriano Albini nowadays, Spazio900 is not that far away from where it was first set up in ’93 as a small store, trading in twentieth century pieces. After that, Adriano and Enza opened a second store in the historic Brera district, in central Milan. And it was their side business until ’98, year when they finally decided to change life and quit their careers, he was in communications and she was in teaching, to passionately throw themselves into sourcing and promoting vintage furniture.
Left-hand side, the Cone table by Verner Panton for Fritz Hansen (1989) and behind it, you can catch a glimpse of the Sess chaise-longue by Nani Prina for Sormani (1968).
The list of designers is endless, it includes: Ron Arad, Osvaldo Borsani, Achille Castiglioni, Joe Colombo, Tom Dixon, Charles Eames, Ignazio Gardella, Arne Jacobsen, Enzo Mari, Alessandro Mendini, Bruno Munari, George Nelson, Verner Panton, Eero Saarinen, Gino Sarfatti, Livio Seguso, Ettore Sottsass, Marco Zanuso.
Throughout the years, Enza and Adriano have been actively promoting a specific kind of interiors, which can be personalised by adding unique pieces with a story to tell, extremely different from soleless mass produced furniture. The couple also stresses the importance of upcycling old furniture, often thrown away without reflecting on how it can be adapted to a contemporary interior.
On a regular basis, Spazio900 hosts exhibitions, events and the venue can also be hired for photo shoots and used as a film set. And each year, in occasion of the Salone del Mobile, Spazio900 puts on display installations and exhibitions, in an attempt to focus public attention on upcycling. In 2015, the via Ventura loft apartment was taken over by three installations, which touched three different historic periods: the fifties were upside down on the ceiling, the sixties were hanging from the walls and the seventies were in the centre of the large room, especially set aside for this.
The installation in the via Ventura showroom, in occasion of the 2015 Salone del Mobile. Key decades in modern design history represented with loungers and armchairs, which are still in production: on the ceiling, the Shell Rocker Chairs; on the floor, the Eames Lounge Chair with footrest. And wall-mounted, the Up armchair, which was originally designed in ‘62 by Gaetano Pesce for B&B.
There’s no way you can get to Spazio900 by mistake, you need to want to get there. We are roughly halfway between Corso Monforte, heart of the interior design district, and Linate airport, near the east side of Milan. Furthermore, Spazio900 is the perfect place to dive into twentieth century Italian and international design, before catching all the latest trends at the Salone del Mobile.
Design project
Spazio900
Viale Campania 51, 20133 Milan
Tel. 0039 02 7012 5737
E-mail: info@Spazio900.com
Opening times
Mon-Fri: 15.00 – 19.30
(mornings by appointment only)
Sat: 9.30 – 13.00 / 15.00 – 19.30
Photos: Courtesy Spazio900
