Two Entrances, Two Milans

The Carlton's dual nature starts with its geography. The hotel maintains two distinct entrances that serve as portals to different aspects of Milanese life. Via Senato bustles with energy and city life thrums at full volume. Via della Spiga, the fashion street, by contrast, offers a quiet, pedestrian approach -

"That, for me, is the life of The Carlton," says Moschino. "One entrance is quiet, chic, beautiful - very Milanese. The other is busy, all business, exactly what The Carlton is. You get both worlds." It's a duality that Milan itself embodies: the old city of restrained grandeur, and the new Milan - the city everyone is moving to.

This tension between tradition and modernity runs through every design decision. Moschino likens The Carlton to "a Palazzo Milano that has evolved over generations. You can walk in wearing a tailored suit but with trainers, which is the real Milanese. They're impeccably elegant, but always with a twist."

Details That Tell Stories

In the atrium, a glass installation houses two ancient stone lions perched on stands. "I've wanted to buy those lions for ages. I’m glad they're in Milan, they look right there," Lady Olga admits. The story of these lions—discovered together, in the winding roads of rural Italy, and finally secured for the right project - exemplifies their collaborative process. Every object tells a story. Yet the initial inspiration for the entrance comes from somewhere even more surprising: an Art Deco palace in India, designed for a maharaja. "It doesn't look Indian at all," Vergeylen is quick to clarify. "We translate elements into a Milanese context. It's pared down, restrained, curated."

The bar design draws from an unexpected source: the Museo del Novecento, Vergeylen's favourite Milanese museum. "If you look at the bar, it's a reinterpretation of a plasterwork of art from the 1950s in the museum. In the courtyard, there's a huge frieze taken from the museum's exterior. There are glimpses which I hope people will find amusing - design used in a completely different context."

Moschino adds: “These details, they inspire you to stay there. I don't think it's a bar that you can just walk through, you want to sit there and look around. And the restaurant is the same, it feels like an embrace, welcoming you, inviting you.” The restaurant displays works by Milanese artist Pierantonio Verga, a pupil of Lucio Fontana, the celebrated Italian painter. "We needed art that said something about Northern Italy and found someone who had bought up all his works," Lady Olga explains. "I really like that it’s a collection from one painter." This approach - multiple works from a single artist - creates cohesion without monotony. Throughout the hotel, a subtle design thread runs literally underfoot: the same pattern, designed just for The Carlton, executed in marble in the entrance, wood in the bar, and carpet in the restaurant. "Same design, different proportions," Moschino notes. "We even used it on the plates!"

Luxury, Craft, and Milanese Integrity

“The hotel is incredibly luxurious, but it’s a new way of luxury for me,” says Moschino. “It’s not gold taps in the bathroom or a chandelier the size of a Fiat 500. Luxury is space—the grandeur you feel when you come in, the calm we create inside. The high ceilings, the bright rooms—that’s luxury.” That sense of refinement extends to craftsmanship and provenance. “All the lamps are handcrafted,” he continues. “They’re all slightly different, which makes it a luxury for me—you can see there’s true craftsmanship behind them.” Much of the furniture was produced locally, inspired by iconic Italian designers Gio Ponti and Piero Portaluppi —“It’s all made in Italy, all made around Milano”.

Perhaps most meaningful is the collaboration with San Patrignano, a rehabilitation community that helps people rebuild their lives through artisanal skill. “One of their workshops is for wallpaper,” says Vergeylen. “We worked closely with them to create several collections, including one designed especially for The Carlton—it will never be used anywhere else.” Together, these details express a distinctly Milanese spirit—refined yet human, with the confidence to embrace the imperfect beauty that comes alongside true hand-craftsmanship.

The Art of Working with Creative Minds

When asked if they ever disagree, Lady Olga laughs: "Always!" But Moschino sees this as essential. "Disagreeing for me is passion. It shows we all have passion. Disagreeing is achieving better most of the time, because we ping-pong ideas, and the ideas get better and better. It keeps the momentum going." For Vergeylen, that creative tension is essential to their success. “Architecture should be perfect and should look perfect,” he says. “Interior design shouldn’t be. Perfect interiors can feel soulless. I’d rather have a hint of bad taste—something with spice—than no taste at all.”

Adding: "The successful relationship between Rocco Forte Hotels and my team - you see it, I promise you. There is a symbiosis. Whether it's a private or hotel project, a good relationship, you see at the end." As our conversation winds down, Lady Olga's thoughts turn to the hotel's future. “It’s always important for a hotel to be embraced by locals,” she says. “If the bar and restaurant are buzzing, if people in Milan choose to come for a drink or lunch in the courtyard, that’s when you know.” The Carlton Milan opens not just as another luxury hotel, but as a new kind of urban palazzo: one that honours Milanese elegance, that chooses meaningful craft over obvious opulence, and that welcomes guests into spaces designed to embrace rather than impress.

In a city where fashion sets global trends, The Carlton’s reopening makes a quiet statement about what luxury means today - and what it might become tomorrow.