Cristina Celestino takes over a tennis club for Milan Design Week
Clay Court Club is Cristina Celestino’s takeover of the historical Bonacossa Tennis Court, revisited with a contemporary design approach for Milan Design Week 2023
Architect and designer Cristina Celestino will take over one of Milan’s most fascinating locations and is inviting visitors to play along during Milan Design Week 2023. From 14 to 23 April 2023, Celestino will bring to life her Clay Court Club, a reimagining of the Giovanni Muzio-designed Tennis Club Milano Bonacossa.
'I started this personal project some years ago with the Tram Corallo,' Celestino tells Wallpaper*, referring to a 2018 project that saw her transform the interior of a vintage tram circling the city. She followed it up with Caffè Concerto Cucchi in 2019, a playful restyling of the historic Cinque Vie district café. 'I'm always looking for these hidden gems,' she says.
Cristina Celestino tennis takeover: come play at Bonacossa Tennis Club
Celestino's temporary intervention in the nearly century-old institution encompasses all new furniture, flooring and textiles, and can be divided into three separate zones, spanning interior and exterior spaces: a grand salon in the club’s common area; an outdoor installation inhabiting some of the courts; and a dining room, which will be handed over to French chef Marine Hervouet for a pop-up hosted by itinerate culinary experience We Are Ona.
Giovanni Muzio, who designed the Tennis Club Milano Bonacossa in the 1920s, is best known as the mastermind behind Milan’s Triennale Design Museum and the infamous residential complex Ca Brutta, which translates to ugly house, an architectural oddity that was reviled at the time of its completion but has since come to be appreciated for it eclectic mix of modernist and classical influences.
Unlike Ca Brutta, however, the tennis club has avoided such debate and has largely flown under the radar, familiar mostly to the Simonetta-neighbourhood residents who spar on its vintage courts or bask by its pool in warmer months. Celestino points to the architect’s fascination with Metaphysical painters in terms of what drew her to Muzio’s work, like the mismatched window pediments and asymmetrical columns decorating the tennis club’s façade, which play with perspective in the same way a painting by de Chirico would.
Working alongside furniture and materials brands like Besana carpets, Billiani, and Dedar, Celestino’s makeover will dialogue with Muzio’s ornate existing architecture. 'We started with the idea of a strong colour for the flooring,' she explains, 'so I chose a carpet with an inlay of different colours that reflects the terracotta colour of the court.'
The furniture on display was also custom-made for the event. It includes, for instance, a wood-frame armchair produced in collaboration with Billiani, which has been upholstered in a textured Dedar fabric that resembles the fluffy grain of terrycloth tennis whites, and features a woven armrest that recalls the 'the geometry and the grid of the net', says Celestino.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Clay Court Club is open from 14 to 23 April 2023, 10am to 8pm
Tennis Club Milano Bonacossa
Via G. Arimondi 15
Milano
Laura May Todd, Wallpaper's Milan Editor, based in the city, is a Canadian-born journalist covering design, architecture and style. She regularly contributes to a range of international publications, including T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Azure and Sight Unseen, and is about to publish a book on Italian interiors.
-
Focal launches Diva Utopia, wireless speakers for aesthetically minded audiophiles
Focal’s felt-clad Diva Utopia speakers bring high-fidelity wireless sound to a huge range of audio applications
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Watch: Jamie Dornan takes a bath in Le Courbusier’s villa for Loewe Perfumes
Jamie Dornan stars alongside Sophie Wilde in the new Loewe Perfumes 2024 campaign, shot by David Sims in Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
One to watch: Casey Zablocki’s Rocky Mountain surroundings feed into his vast sculptural work
Montana-based artist Casey Zablocki uses one of America’s largest kilns to create monumental ceramic, functional sculptures
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Design showcase Alcova announces its 2025 locations in Milan
Alcova, the roving design exhibition, will expand its footprint with two new locations in the northern Milan suburb of Varedo – a former factory and ancient greenhouses
By Laura May Todd Published
-
Elevate your interiors with Wallpaper* July 2024, the Design Directory
Wallpaper* July 2024 rounds up the best new furniture, lighting, kitchens, bathrooms and more – on sale now
By Bill Prince Published
-
Casa Mutina displays Ronan Bouroullec's creative universe
Ronan Bouroullec's designs for Mutina at Milan Design Week 2024 include outdoor tiles as well as ceramic editions
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Published
-
Jaipur Rugs unveils collaboration with Chanel's yarn maker Vimar1991
During Milan Design Week 2024, Jaipur Rugs demonstrated its expertise through a collaboration with Chanel-owned yarn experts Vimar1991
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Published
-
Wallpaper* and SNOW explore the alchemy of grown diamonds in a new film
Wallpaper* and grown-diamond specialist SNOW partnered on the Class of ’24 exhibition during Milan Design Week 2024 and a new film exploring the art and alchemy of the laboratory’s process
By Simon Mills Published
-
Adal brings Japan's disappearing natural materials to furniture design
Japanese brand Adal Look into Nature exhibited for the first time at Salone del Mobile 2024, showcasing its contemporary products made using igusa, a traditional material whose manufacturing is slowly disappearing
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Toiletpaper Apartment debuts in Milan with a 'sophisticated' Alex Prager collaboration
Toiletpaper present 'ToiletAlex PaperPrager' their new unsettling projects on the occasion of Milan Design Week 2024
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Published
-
Japan in Milan: the best of Japanese design at Milan Design Week 2024
Discover the best of Japanese design showcasing innovative designs from terrazzo tables to tree-inspired textiles at Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile 2024
By Danielle Demetriou Published