Hotel NH Collection Citylife: in Milan to impress

Text by

NH Collection Milano City Life, photo courtesy

Following the conversion of a deconsecrated church, a new design-led hospitality venue caters to business and leisure customer needs

Architecture intertwines with history to design the future at the new NH Collection Milano CityLife, a sacred place of worship that has been transformed into one of Milan’s most dramatic hotels. Created by restoring the former Cristo Re church, this 4-star hotel at 14 Via Colleoni in the renovated Citylife district boasts an imposing, majestic, bright white look, with an attached 13-story tower in this impressive artistic and architectural project.

nh, city life, salone milano, contract — NH Collection Milano City Life, photo courtesy

In 1934, the local diocese commissioned the Church of Cristo Re as a gathering place for Milan’s newly expanding neighbourhoods. The hallmark feature of this imposing concrete structure clad in ceppo lombardo stone and exposed brick, with a bell tower behind, was an immense arch surmounted by a tympanum. The church operated until the 1990s, when it closed down.

Deconsecrated in 2017 by bishop’s ordinance and acquired by Gruppo Igefi with CLH srl, a design by Quattroassociati and the NH Hotel Group joining the project team led to the church’s return to the city. The exterior of the three-nave Latin cross plan church was partially maintained, including its original wooden doors, round arches and nave bays. Inside, leading design brands have successfully created the kind of composed elegance that reflects Milan’s cultural traditions and Made in Italy’s sartorial spirit.

nh, city life, salone milano, contract, hall — NH Collection Milano City Life, photo courtesy

Veneto-based company Pianca, which offers solutions for every type of contract job, manufactured all of the custom furnishings for the 175 bedrooms, ten duplex suites above the central nave, the “Tailors” restaurant, the bar, and “The District” cocktail bar exclusively located on the rooftop by a swimming pool. The firm also made furniture for the common areas, reception, and six meeting rooms designed to accommodate up to 520 people. Known for its quality crafted wooden seating and accessories exported worldwide, Cantarutti manufactured desk chairs for the bedrooms and ottomans for the ten suites, which are lit by Artemide among others using highly linear, contemporary pieces such as David Chipperfield’s Vigolamp and the table version of Naoto Fukasawa’s Amami lamp (Danese Milano collection).

Other brands on show in the dining areas are Pedrali and its renowned versatile and functional pieces including Patrick Norguet’s Vic armchairs, Patrick Jouin’s Social sofas, Busetti Garuti Redaelli’s Buddy ottomans, Modus benches, and Inox and Arki-Table tables. Pedrali pieces such as Claudio Dondoli and Marco Pocci’s Intrigo armchair and CMP Design’s Panarea and Tribeca armchairs feature in the outdoor spaces, alongside Arki-Table and Togo tables. The top floor, one of the NH Collection Milano CityLife’s greatest attractions, is a rooftop with pool and “The District” cocktail bar, Milan’s latest place-to-be.

nh, city life, salone milano, contract, room — NH Collection Milano City Life, photo courtesy

“We set out to reinterpret hotel spaces by safeguarding the existing building’s spatiality, respecting its decorative layout and hallmark architectural elements, deploying a continuity- and permanence-led approach to the historical evolution of this piece of architecture,” says Michele Reginaldi, the Quattroassociati firm architect who led the project.

Ambra Lee Agnoletti, Director of Business Development at NH Hotel Group Italia, stressed: “With numerous meeting areas, terraces, rooftops and dedicated events spaces, the NH Group and, in particular, the NH Collection brand are increasingly tailoring their varied offering to each guest’s needs, confidently looking forward to a full recovery for the events & hospitality sector, which has long been a major driver of the Italian economy.”