In 2012 Nick Maltese founded N+M DesignStudio in collaboration with Studio Tresoldi, born from the need of a diverse group of young architects and interior designers, from different parts of Italy and with different professional backgrounds, to combine their experience and skills to deliver complete, comprehensive projects, taking care of every detail from concept to completion.
Thanks to the creativity and experimental drive of Nick Maltese and Emanuele Tresoldi, their attention to the research of materials and light, and the union of the different experiences gained in various fields of architecture, the key ingredients of a team aiming to create new architectural trends were defined, mixing the different languages of the history of architecture and art.
N+M DesignStudio's core business ranges from design to the interior design of commercial spaces, such as cocktail bars, restaurants and boutiques, through to hotels and resorts, without ever neglecting product design, as shown by its participation in the Salone del Mobile in Milan. The projects speak not only of materials, spaces and forms, but tell stories capable of bringing architecture to life.
N+M DesignStudio's Mission is to narrate the visions that inspire it every day. Telling «the» story is fundamental. Hence the need to specialise in interior architecture and interior design, to turn clients and users into the true protagonists of the spaces designed.
Every concept stems from an artistic and historical analysis of the area or the building about to be designed. We often create tributes to various «legends» of art and architecture: the link with art is essential to defining the mood of the project. So it was for our latest project OTIVM, inspired by metaphysics and surreal neoclassicism.
OTIVM
Located in the centre of the Lombard metropolis, known for its frenetic pace, OTIVM was born: a space of about 400 square metres, the brainchild of N+M DesignStudio.
Inside a building designed by Giò Ponti, the studio's architects and designers found the ideal inspiration to create a venue that revolutionises and transforms classic architectural canons, giving life to new forms that recall the metaphysical painting of Giorgio De Chirico. The result is a venue with a theatrical, surrealist atmosphere.
The staircase leading to the mezzanine is supported by an imposing neoclassical column, painted half burgundy and half midnight blue, shades that recall De Chirico's colour palette. Next to this column, designed to punctuate the space, is an area dedicated to dinner shows and performances.
The bar area features a book-matched marble top, whose veining reveals the shape of a gigantic mantis; the back bar echoes the volume of the restrooms through a frosted, ribbed glass wall.
Further elements fit into this seductive, metaphysical atmosphere: the elegant Lisa armchairs by SCAB Design, the champagne steel details, the soft lines of the ceiling interrupted by the great column, and the lighting design created with Viabizzuno, with 7 large chandeliers reinterpreting the clean lines of the arches.
OTIVM is therefore a place created to break the mould: a space defined by surrealist references, by physical forms that open passages to metaphysical dimensions, by lines, colours and elements that live and move thanks to the artistic vision and care of Nick Maltese and the architects of N+M DesignStudio.
Published in OnlyONE Magazine #1