Italian for Travelers
Fresh pasta from the show kitchen and espresso from the barista. Guests in the Lufthansa Lounge at Milan’s Malpensa Airport are treated to the kind of culinary delights that demonstrate to them just what it means to be in Italy. This touch of local color makes a pleasant change from those airport lounges that are the same the world over. It is part of the airline’s new concept for its “living rooms”. Malpensa is the first airport where the idea is being implemented. The lounge is the brainchild of Kitzig Interior Design, an international studio whose express ambition it is to allow users to fully experience the Lufthansa brand. The overall objective is to create a haven where passengers can escape the hustle and bustle of the airport, a total area of 550 m² reserved for relaxing, dining and working.
One central feature of the design for the lounge was its lighting concept. Here, Kitzig Interior Design collaborated closely with the lighting experts at Italian luminaire specialists Artemide, with the latter’s products setting the ideal lighting mood for the various sections, thus contributing to enhancing visitors’ sense of well-being in the best possible way. The entrance is marked by a frame highlighted in that unmistakable Lufthansa yellow and atmospherically backlit by lines of lights from Artemide’s “Dedalo” range. Inside the lounge area guests are guided through the room by floor and ceiling lights from the “Algoritmo” product family. With these strips of light, it is the interior decorators’ intention not only to evoke associations with the catwalks of the fashion mecca that is Milan but also with runways. Here the lights have become an integral part of the architecture. These are complemented, in this Lufthansa Lounge, by fitted “Algoritmo Sharping” pinpoint luminaires and the compact and highly flexible spotlight module “37 Cube”. In addition to this, spots from the “Parabola 80” range have also been used.
The pendant luminaires “Empatia” byCarlotta de Bevilacqua and Paola di Arianelloare really special in terms of design quality and a real eye-catcher; moreover, they have enabled the designers to foster a homelike atmosphere for the seating and quiet areas. These hand-blown luminaires were developed in collaboration with Venetian master glassblowers. At the same time, the luminaires boats state-of-the-art LED technology. This interplay of glass and technology produces a truly exceptional lighting effect. By contrast the pendant luminaire in the “Tagora” range features a pure, minimalist design which, for instance in the context of the show kitchen, presents the food on offer in a top-class light. In conditions like these, guests in Milan’s Malpensa Airport can experience not only the very best of delicious Italian hospitality but also premium Italian lighting design.
