A grandiose black mineral, a powerful force of nature emanating from the earth and harmoniously conquering the surrounding environment: this is how the new 45,000 square metre headquarters that Chromavis, a world leader in the production of cosmetics, has built in the town of Offanengo (Cr) looks like.
An unprecedented architectural project in the sector, both in terms of the creative design concept and the highly eco-sustainable criteria that guarantee and consistently represent the character of a company that is resolutely driven by the future.
The headquarters is a project by Eba Engineering; the interiors were designed by Milan-based architects Alessia Garibaldi and Marco Vigo.
Estel Group was selected as a partner for the supply of desks and chairs for the operative and laboratory areas, desks for the informal meeting areas and for the creation of imposing custom-made meeting tables for the meeting rooms and boardrooms. The finishes have been carefully chosen and calibrated. The search for materials led to a unique result.
The architect Alessia Garibaldi told us some of the background to the project:
What are the principles that guided you in the design and space planning of the interiors?
The interiors and exteriors follow the same lines of force and the structure follows oblique lines. Basically, the interiors are in perfect synchrony with the exteriors thanks to the harmony of the architectural inclination: what is inclined externally is also inclined internally. Nothing is taken for granted, and everything starts with a desire to amaze: the reception area draws a triangle from which a path starts, guiding the visitor along a new experience to discover the new headquarters. The corridors are black and white visual telescopes; they are places, both in terms of size and extension, marked by oblique lines and LED lights that help create a very long perspective.
They are real fingers connecting the different production parts with the mineral. The stops along the way accommodate different functions: from the meeting rooms to the auditorium, from the cafeteria to the VIP restaurant to the atelier. Each place has its own identity and functionality, and the modern, minimalist interior design is characterised by the choice of elegant, precious materials such as the smoked ebony proposed by estel. Walnut and back-lacquered glass, alternating with iconic design pieces whose hints of colour stand out against the black background, a colour which remains the dominant choice for the interiors, give the project a warm but rigorous tone.
A visit to the new headquarters is a real experience.
What added value did the choice of Estel operational and executive solutions bring?
Estel provided flexible and elegant solutions, which with the more line was able to interpret the elegant minimalism of the project. Even the upholstered furniture and some custom parts, such as the sculptural table in glossy light lacquer with a plastic shape reminiscent of the ribbing of a boat’s keel, in the infinite meeting room in which it is featured, were designed together with Estel, which engineered the project.
Despite the fact that the interior was designed in the pre-covid era, the workspaces, both individual and group, appear large and well differentiated, and are perfectly in line with the latest health and safety guidelines: can we say that attention to the well-being of workers was one of the cornerstones of your design approach?
In the part dedicated to executive offices, the internal windows are also oblique and reflect the cuts in the windows, and black and dove grey wrap the rooms in a warm way. The office space is very large, as is the amount of individual offices interspersed with meeting rooms. Despite the fact that the project was designed in a pre-Covid situation, this allows appropriate compliance with the health and safety requirements of the health emergency. The open spaces dedicated to more creative functions, such as the marketing area, are also very large. For these areas, freer furnishing solutions have been adopted, where colour and creativity borrow from the cosmetics palette.
For more information visit www.estel.com.
