Locatelli turns bar into mosaic
Architect Massimiliano Locatelli is transforming SiMa Townhouse into a three-story mosaic-heavy cocktail bar display that will include ceramic mural work along with theatrical touches like pecking chickens and tropical cocktails. (wallpaper.com) The preview frames the installation as part of Milan Design Week’s move toward immersive, off-fair programming. (livingetc.com)
Massimiliano Locatelli has turned Milan’s SiMa Townhouse into a three-floor ceramic bar installation ahead of Milan Design Week 2026. (wallpaper.com) The project, called SiMa Glazed Bar, takes over the full townhouse at Corso di Porta Vigentina 12 and reworks the cocktail bar as a sequence of three distinct rooms. SiMa Townhouse is already a three-level venue, with bar and dining on the ground floor, a communal table on the first floor, and a lounge on the second. (robbreport.it) (simatownhouse.com) Locatelli Partners says the surfaces are made from hand-finished tiles that were cut, numbered, painted and kiln-fired before assembly into square modules. Robb Report Italia said the ceramic production was carried out in Vietnam. (robbreport.it) (zero.eu) Wallpaper said the installation includes ceramic mural work and theatrical details including pecking chickens and tropical cocktails. The magazine framed it as a revival of mosaic tile murals, a craft once common in early 20th-century Milan entryways. (wallpaper.com) The opening lands as Milan Design Week shifts further into citywide programming beyond the trade fair grounds. Fuorisalone’s official guide says the 2026 city program runs from April 20 to April 26, while Salone del Mobile opens at Rho Fiera Milano from April 21 to April 26. (fuorisalone.it) (galeriemagazine.com) Other 2026 previews have described that broader format in similar terms, with Domus calling out “temporary hospitality” and immersive environments as a defining part of this year’s Fuorisalone. Dezeen’s guide said the week will spread across districts including Brera, Isola, Porta Venezia, 5Vie and Tortona. (domusweb.it) (dezeen.com) Locatelli is not an outside guest in the space. His studio’s project page says SiMa Townhouse opened in 2020 as a site-specific interior by Massimiliano Locatelli in what it calls “the most narrow townhouse in the center of Milan.” (locatellipartners.com) That makes the new installation less a one-week pop-up than a temporary rewrite of an existing Locatelli interior, using glaze, murals and staged service to turn a working bar into an exhibition setting. Event listings say SiMa Glazed Bar opened on April 11 and runs through April 26. (milanoeventitaac.com)
