arcHITects in Italy for International Clients

01 — how we work

We don’t do the obvious. We do what works.

The obvious project is the one every studio draws: the layout you have already seen, the material everyone specifies, the finish that photographs well for a season. It is safe, and it is forgettable.

We start from what you actually want and we make it stand up — structurally, economically, and in the years after you move in. Material and colour do the talking. The difference between good and unforgettable lives in the millimetres.

arcHITects is a Milan studio founded in 2009, working with clients across four continents. We are tailors of space: no templates, every project cut to the client, the site and the story. You have the last word.

Our mission is not to create a space. It is to create your space.

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Tell us about your project

We reply within 24 hours. English, Italian.

230

projects completed

Residential, hospitality, retail and cultural spaces, for Italian and international clients.

2009

founded in Milano

continents

10+

awards

24h

reply time

02 — who we work with

Four ways people come to us

Different starting points, the same problem: the building is in Italy and you need a reliable professional and a trusted network of connection and suppliers.

You bought a house

A villa, an apartment in a historic centre, a farmhouse that needs everything. We survey it, tell you what the regulation allows, and turn it into a project you can build.

You are investing

The property has to produce a return. We design for occupancy and durability: materials that survive turnover, layouts that host more guests, interiors that get booked.

You are opening in Italy

A hotel, a restaurant, a retail unit, an office. Design, permits, fire and accessibility, and the schedule that gets you to opening day.

You are an architect abroad

You have the concept and need a local partner who can sign, file and follow the works. We work in support of foreign studios on a defined scope.

Attic Renovation, Milan — Attic renovation, Milan

03 — what we do

Turn-key, from the first drawing

Feasibility and site search. Before you commit, we check what the building and the local plan allow, and give you an honest range for cost and time.

Design and interiors. Architecture and interiors in the same studio, so drawings and finished look are decided together.

Permits and Italian regulation. We prepare and file the authorisations with the council and, for protected buildings, with the Supeintendence.

Contractors and on-siste supervision. Tender, comparison of quotes, and site supervision, with reports and photographs so you follow the works from abroad.

04 — a step ahead

Different on purpose, and built to work

Every project starts from your desire, not from a catalogue. We ask what you want the space to do for you, and we take it seriously enough to refuse the first easy answer — including our own.

Material and colour are the protagonists. We experiment with new materials, technologies and colour continuously, and we test them before we specify them, so an idea reaches your project only once we know how it behaves after two years of use.

Then we look at the big picture through small things. Joints, thresholds, the way light meets a surface: this is where a good space becomes an unforgettable one, and it is the part most people discover only when it is missing.

And it has to work. Every project is backed by rigorous verification, technical and economic, so the ambitious choice is also the safe one. Ambition without verification is a gamble. Verification without ambition is the obvious project we refuse to draw.

Colorful Interior With Hanging Circular Art And Neon Sign At Museum Of Senses. — Museum of Senses, Milano · Il Sole 24 Ore, RAI News, Vanity Fair

05 — how it works

Four steps

First call

We listen and say whether it is feasible. We love to receive your call. No fees until the offer is signed.

Feasibility

Survey, constraints, budget range and timeline, in a written document.

Design & permits

Architecture, interiors and the authorisations filed with the authority.

Site & delivery

Tender, on-site supervision and handover, with updates so you have the control of the situation remotely with a trusted specialist.

06 — beyond residential

Houses are only part of what we do.

We used to international work style. Our projects includes many locations outside Italy like the Salvatore Cuomo Café in Manila, the artphilein foundation in Lugano, Ametria for the DESTE Foundation and the Benaki Museum in Athens, and Šuillakku Corral at the New Museum in New York where we also design some interior design of residential units.

Tomaso Piantini began his career at Atelier Jean Nouvel and has worked on site in Libya, New York and New Zealand.

Salvatore Cuomo Caf, Manila Bigsee Design Award 2022 — Salvatore Cuomo Café, Manila · BigSee Design Award 2022

Multisala Electric Cinema — Multisala Electric — cinema

07 — questions we get

Before you write to us

Do I need to be in Italy?

No. Most of our international clients visit once or twice in the whole process. Meetings are online, site supervision is ours.

Do you have suppliers to perform the job?

We have a vast network of suppliers who can complete any type of work professionally and on time, from construction to detailed carpentry.

How long does a renovation take?

The works are rarely the long part. The variable is the authorisation. You get a realistic calendar at the feasibility stage.

How do I know the result will be mine, and not your style?

Because we design against your brief, not our portfolio. No templates: every project is cut to the client, the site and the story. We bring options and real samples, we explain how each one behaves after a few years of use, and you have the last word.

Can you work with my contractor?

Yes. We supervise a company you chose, or run a tender and compare quotes. Supervision stays independent from the works.

The building is listed. Is it a problem?

A constraint, not an obstacle. A workers’ village from 1896 on Lake Garda became six apartments and won the ICONIC AWARD 2024.

ready?

Tell us about your project in Italy

What you want to build or renovate, where it is, and when you would like to start. You get an answer within 24 hours. The first call costs nothing and usually saves a great deal later.

Living Room With Grey Sectional Sofa, Deep-Blue Dining Wall And Walnut Screen Divider, Warm House Milan. — Warm Private House, Milano · 2024

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ITALIAN ARCHITECTURE STUDIO FOR INTERNATIONAL CLIENTS

ARCHITECT IN ITALY