Bally Showroom in Milan by storagemilano.

There is definitely no shortage of smokin’ hot fashion retail action in Milan, and Bally‘s newest outpost by storagemilano is set to become another must-see destination. All in the name of research, of course!

Set within the Milanese landmark on Viale Piave, 42 (also the home to the famed Sheraton Diana Majestic), the interior preserves some of the history embedded within the original walls. In 1908, the site stood as the Kursaal theatre before it was transformed into a cinema in 1925 until it’s closure in 1989. Storagemilano placed emphasis on retaining key elements from the past while linking them to the contemporary attitudes of the Bally brand.

The enormous 2,400 square metre interior houses the showroom as well as office spaces across four levels, housing Bally’s design, merchandising, visual merchandising and communications teams. The showroom itself occupies just under 850 square metres, boasting an impressive 9-metre tall ceiling.

The design makes a statement with a magnificent entrance that celebrates the immense proportions of the space, which until now were not visible from the outside. The original blacked-out windows were replaced with transparent frameless glass, and large glass doors that welcomingly open the building to the street.

The whitewashed walls retain a raw character, framing the building’s original structure. Traces of previous fitouts remain visible as an imprint on the brickwork. The floor features handmade brass ‘bolts’ that mirror the octagonal shape of the domed ceiling above. There are three main elements in this space, which include the reception desk in Bally-red marble; the Bally crown expressed as a suspended circular neon-light chandelier, and three doorways framed in red marble and brass which highlight the entrance to the showroom. Seriously, how epic are those reveals? Officially dead.

The main showroom was conceived as an open-area amphitheatre made of moving parts. The space was built in two sections – the first being lower and the second one higher and reaching 9 metres, dominated by 6 arch windows that allow a cascade of natural light.

The lower section features cast concrete walls as an ode to Swiss architecture and the origins of the Bally brand. The moving amphitheatre components on wheels were built using fibre concrete panels edged in brass, allowing for ultimate flexibility in creating changing scenes for merchandising the product.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to check this one out in person come next April. So much “research” to do, so little time.

[Images courtesy of storagemilano. Photography by Alberto Strada.]