Molise Boulevard, Calvairate district, Milan. The historical and crumbling Palazzina Liberty (ex Slaughterhouse Exchange) is subject to redevelopment in the sector of low-cost hospitality. The project brief asks to hypothesise a famous national or international brand as the works backer; each working group selected its brand on the base of the results of a research about current trends. 
Our choice was Instagram: we would have transformed the social network into a real location to visit and live. 

 

Design innovation, technology, high standards of quality and affordable prices: the Instagram hostel is the product of the modern social habits, of the new generation tastes. It is the perfect union between privacy and sharing; it is the real experience of filter, hashtag and followers. 

Equipped with free wi-fi, 24h reception, laundry, kitchen, bar, inside garden and lounge terrace, H#stel offers modern furnishings, vivid colours, light games, music, a dreamy atmosphere and a lot of fun. 

 

During the design phase, the focus went especially on the bar and the bedrooms. 

The bar is conceived as a photographic studio. Walls, floor and ceiling, are entirely white; but in the evening, thanks to combinations of light effects, the entire place dyes different colours depending on the party mood. Pictures with the "H#stel" hashtag flow on the surface of the long bar counter that surrounds the cocktail area on the ground floor; on the upper level there is the Limbo private space, a glass ceiling set entirely devoted to photography and relax. 

For what concerns the bedrooms, each member of the working team presented an individual project, developing a personal interpretation of the Instagram brand. My proposal - six beds room - was inspired by the beautiful works of Dan Flavin.