MAISON MOSCHINO - Milan 5.1.2011

Maison Moschino, the latest project from Stefano Ugolini of Hotelphilosophy, is a world where fashion is king, fairytales come true and dreams are realised.

Together with the Moschino creative team and designer Rossella Jardini, Ugolini has created a totally unique 65-room hotel which opened its doors this March. Converted from an 1840's railway station in the heart of Milan the hotel features 63 guestrooms and two junior suites over four floors.

The rooms, with names like 'Little Red Riding Hood', 'Clouds' and 'Sleeping in a Ballgown', feature bespoke and surreal designs which invite guests to immerse themselves in a world of imagination and fantasy.

Ugolini, founder and president of Hotelphilosophy expressed:

"This project shares little with the other 'fashion hotels'. Our venture is the first where the interiors are entirely conceived by the label's creative staff. I wanted to give birth to a hotel that takes the synergy between fashion and hotel design a step further. I had in mind an elegant and absolutely exclusive ambience that my guests could experience thoroughly, the kind of hotel you just die to tell your friends about."

Outside, the hotel retains its neoclassical 19th century features but the design changes dramatically once inside. Guests first encounter the famous Moschino staple lampshade dress which now acts as a lamp to illuminate the main entrance hall where origami clouds hang from the ceiling. The individually-designed rooms feature imaginative designs, including one where silk rose petals dangle from the chandelier as if falling from the sky.

In another, guests will feel as though they really are sleeping in the enormous ballgown that flowingly transitions from the headboard to the baseboard. 'The Forest' room, 'Luxurious Attic' and junior suites on the second floor are inspired by Alice in Wonderland and offer wide spaces and unusual spacious mezzanines with a desk and chaise lounge.

Lovers of the famous Italian fashion house can admire their most iconic designs in the hotel's Clandestino Milano restaurant. Both the restaurant and bar feature decorative elements depicting the beautiful and curvaceous silhouettes of the Moschino dresses, small lights on the ceilings which look like clouds and a bar light created from a stiletto boot.

The restaurant, headed by famous Italian chef Moreno Cedroni, serves a wide range of pasta, meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes, including 'Colourful Sushi' creations. There is also an unusual palate cleansing concoction to round off the meal which includes a sake and mint based 'mouthwash'.

For breakfast the Clandestino Milano proposes the delicious 'Mos kit' that represents a true culinary itinerary. It is offered in a choice of four, six or eight combinations and is served in a precious box that humorously reminds of an elegant shoe box. 'Mos kit' changes every day according to the seasons and to the chef's different inspirations.

Situated on Milan's Viale Monte Grappa 12 in the Corso Como district, guests staying at Maison Moschino are close to the city's most famous landmarks including the Santa Maria Delle Grazie, the Pinacoteca di Brera and Pinacoteca Ambrosiana art galleries and the Royal Palace.

To help guests make the most out of their stay the hotel is happy to organise everything from a personal shopper to a tailored 'city discover package'. There is also a secured covered carpark with 40 spaces (available at an extra cost), gym and 'Culti' spa with massage rooms, jacuzzi and a Turkish bath.