{"id":92773,"date":"2025-10-17T15:51:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T15:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ccmagazine.es\/?p=92773"},"modified":"2025-10-17T15:51:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T15:51:20","slug":"straf-hotel-bar-a-radical-vision-in-the-heart-of-milan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ccmagazine.es\/en\/straf-hotel-bar-a-radical-vision-in-the-heart-of-milan\/","title":{"rendered":"STRAF Hotel & Bar: a radical vision in the heart of Milan"},"content":{"rendered":"

The name STRAF<\/em>\u2014an acronym of San Raffaele<\/em> (from its address, Via San Raffaele<\/em>)\u2014encapsulates the unconventional spirit brought by Daniela Bertazzoni<\/em> and her brother Gerardo<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Already visionary operators through the Grand Hotel et<\/em> de Milan, they joined forces with Daniela<\/em>\u2019s daughters, Alissia <\/em>and Sarah Mancino<\/em>, to realise a dream: a hotel of radical character, capable of engaging Milan in a daring visual and cultural conversation.<\/p>\n

STRAFbar<\/em>\u2014the hotel\u2019s namesake bar, open to all, not just guests\u2014has long stood as a social landmark within Milan\u2019s vibrant cultural fabric.<\/p>\n

As Sarah Mancino<\/em> reflects: \u201cTwenty years ago, my mother and uncle\u2014eclectic souls with an innate sense of change\u2014dared to defy perfection. Their passions\u2014art, hospitality, creative vision\u2014are the same passions we carry forward today, projecting STRAF into the future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The architectural gesture: a living installation<\/h6>\n

The hotel\u2019s transformation was entrusted to Vincenzo De Cotiis<\/em>, a daring designer known for blurring the lines between architecture, art and design.<\/p>\n

He treated the existing structure as a canvas, turning it into an experiential installation rather than a conventional hotel remodel.<\/p>\n

\u201cVincenzo De Cotiis was in charge of the hotel\u2019s interior design.\u201d<\/h2>\n

STRAF<\/em> was never intended to be static. Every corridor, lounge, corner and communal area is modular, mutable. Even the furniture was designed to move and evolve. The hotel invites guests into an environment of discovery: nothing is predictable.<\/p>\n

According to De Cotiis<\/em>, he envisioned STRAF<\/em> as “almost an installation”, drawing influence from Arte Povera <\/em>and favouring a design ethic rooted in reuse\u2014repositioning salvaged objects and architectural fragments in entirely new contexts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Design in motion<\/h6>\n

STRAF<\/em> eschews the impersonal uniformity of standard hotels.<\/p>\n

Instead, it embraces character, craftsmanship and experimentation. Each detail is custom-made, born from intense spatial research, experimentation with materials and constant dialogue among architecture, interior design and art.<\/p>\n

Materials define the aesthetic language: raw concrete, oxidised brass, split-cut slate, distressed gauze, scratched mirrors, pigmented plaster and industrial iron. Despite this austere vocabulary, the spaces feel warm, tangible and human.<\/p>\n

The guestrooms adopt two material narratives: one anchored in slate, the other using concrete and burnished brass, offset by distressed mirrored walls that expand and reflect the room\u2019s personality. Each room is distinct and houses original artworks by De Cotiis<\/em> himself. No off-the-shelf furnishings were used\u2014every element was conceived to measure.<\/p>\n

Recent bathroom renovations carry forward the bespoke approach: resin floors, oxidised metal detailing, custom glass showers, striated marble sinks and cement walls marry form and function. Elsewhere, older bathrooms retain their original oxidised brass features\u2014a signature of STRAF<\/em>\u2019s aesthetic continuity.<\/p>\n

On the top floor, the Suites<\/em> act as crowning statements: one bold suite in white stone and red stucco, another in dark marble and fibreglass panels in mocha tones, and a Junior Suite<\/em> in burnished brass and aged glass, all with terraces offering sweeping views of the Duomo<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The beating heart: STRAFbar<\/h6>\n

STRAFbar<\/em> is more than a hotel bar\u2014it is the hotel\u2019s urban window, a place where design, everyday life and cultural energy converge. Levitating between bar, gallery and performance space, STRAFbar<\/em> reinvents itself nightly.<\/p>\n

Mirroring the hotel\u2019s material palette\u2014concrete, industrial iron\u2014De Cotiis<\/em> layered expressive interventions: a vintage 1970s apple-green plexiglass chandelier, fibreglass panels studded with optical lenses, vintage leather seating, oversized silk-screened metal prints and a bold bar counter, the only brand-new piece in the space.<\/p>\n

The outdoor area, reimagined by DUOSTUDIO<\/em>, intensifies the dialogue between the existing architectural shell and contemporary interventions. As evening descends, the bar floods with energy, drawing a mixed crowd united by design, music and spontaneous conversations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bar is the hotel\u2019s urban window, a place where design, everyday life and cultural energy converge.\u201d<\/h2>\n
H2O STRAF Wellness: a sanctuary behind the scenes<\/h6>\n

Nestled discreetly within STRAF<\/em>, H2O STRAF Wellness<\/em> is an oasis of calm.<\/p>\n

The minimalist spa boasts a sauna, steam room, sensory shower, relaxation zones, a counter-current pool and hydromassage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Here, De Cotiis<\/em> translates the language of the hotel into more intimate dimensions. Contrasting materials\u2014white quartz, dark granite, plaster, cast brass\u2014play with light and reflection, orchestrating a sensory experience rooted in water, touch and repose.<\/p>\n

STRAF\u2019s 20th Anniversary: the birth of STRAF HUB<\/h6>\n

To mark two decades of boldness, in 2024 STRAF<\/em> unveiled STRAF HUB<\/em>, a cultural platform that animates the hotel\u2019s spaces. Its first chapter, STRAFtellers<\/em>, in collaboration with LINO<\/em> (a literature festival), invited seven Italian writers to reside in the hotel for two days and craft original short stories inspired by the STRAF<\/em> environment. These tales became printed keepsakes for guests and digital editions open to the public.<\/p>\n

The second chapter, INTIMACY<\/em>, was a photography exhibition by Tarin<\/em>, rendering the hotel\u2019s architecture as a backdrop for quiet, intimate human presence\u2014black-and-white analog images that breathe life into hallways, rooms and rituals within STRAF<\/em>.<\/p>\n

STRAF HUB<\/em> demonstrates that STRAF<\/em> is more than accommodation\u2014it\u2019s a living, evolving cultural organism.<\/p>\n

\u201cSTRAF HUB is a cultural platform that animates the hotel\u2019s spaces.\u201d<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

STRAF as cultural manifesto<\/h6>\n

STRAF<\/em> transcends the hotel model. It is a design manifesto, an immersive experiment, a habitable gallery and a creative hub in Milan\u2019s beating heart. In a city defined by fashion, style and design, STRAF<\/em> stands out\u2014not by blending in, but by boldly defying norms.<\/p>\n

From its brutalist architecture to its cultural programming, STRAF<\/em> remains unexpected, irreverent and unforgettable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The name STRAF\u2014an acronym of San Raffaele (from its address, Via San Raffaele)\u2014encapsulates the unconventional spirit brought by Daniela Bertazzoni and her brother Gerardo. Already visionary operators through the Grand Hotel et de Milan, they joined forces with Daniela\u2019s daughters, Alissia and Sarah Mancino, to realise a dream: a hotel of radical character, capable of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":92739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5921,5919],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hotels","category-travel-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSTRAF Hotel & Bar: a radical vision in the heart of Milan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Located in the heart of Milan, STRAF hotel&bar marks 20 years as a visionary icon of contemporary hospitality.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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