HAUTE HAUNTS

Designers and design aficionados make their annual pilgrimage to Milan Design Week for the latest and most spectacular design happenings, but where in the city do they actually hang out? Here are some of the stylish locals’ favourite addresses

- Maria Chiara Antonini

Widely celebrated as the Italian capital of design and fashion, Milan also ranks among the world's premier cities for shopping and exploring art exhibitions.

On any given day in Milan, the very air is infused with the essence of design, and this feeling only intensifies during the alwayspacked Milan Design Week.

Beyond the iconic Bar Basso -a popular late-night haunt that stays open when other bars close the city's designers, creatives, architects and their stylish local entourages flock to their favourite spots to fill their bellies, sate their craving for caffeine, and fully engage with the city's dynamic and creative atmosphere.

We present the most charming places to drop by on your next visit.

BEEFBAR MILANO QUADRILATERO

Following its resounding success in major cosmopolitan centres such as Hong Kong, New York and Dubai, design enthusiasts now have a new destination at which to savour the Beefbar menu. For its Italian outpost, Beefbar selected the vibrant, iconic city of Milan, specifically sited between Corso Venezia and Via Sant'Andrea, in the heart of the fashion and design showrooms. The restaurant is situated within the five-star Hotel Portrait Milano, which is owned by the esteemed Ferragamo family and located in one of Europe's oldest seminaries. The interior design, orchestrated by renowned architectural firm Humbert & Poyet from Monte Carlo, honours the historical essence and architectural styles of the site. A dynamic colour palette sets a scene of sophisticated elegance with Verde Alpi marble tables and Vico Magistretti chairs, complemented by Asterios lamps in bronze and frosted glass, also designed by Humbert & Poyet. The menu offers Italian-inspired comfort food alongside Beefbar classics.

BARNICO