Coffee pleasure – freshly ground, not capsuled.

At first blush, many view Milan as the plain, industriouslooking cousin of such homes of historic grandeur as Rome and Florence. However, as the fashion and design hub of Italy, the city exhibits a quiet confidence in its role as trendsetter and tastemaker for the country.

This quiet confidence comes to the fore during Milan Design Week, when hubs like Brera, Monte Napoleone and Zona Tortona house installations galore, and vast showrooms at the Salone del Mobile furniture and design show are filled with the latest collections. The week is always an exciting time for Tatler Homes editors across the region, providing the opportunity to meet designers in person and discover the stories and inspirations behind the collections that we now feature in the Milan Design Week edition of Treasure Trove (p.12).

Milan is known for subtlety—a city whose picturesque courtyards and beautiful frescoes are often hidden behind unassuming facades. This subtle approach to luxury can also be seen in our cover story on Christy and Ben Liang’s home (p.62), whose decor of neutral colours and classic design details was inspired by Christy’s time living on the East Coast of the US.

And while subtle will not be the word that immediately springs to mind when you turn to our feature on the eclectic home of Aquazzura’s founder, Edgardo Osorio (p.54), his approach was anything but ostentatious; Osorio wanted to create a space that feels fun and relaxed, so much so that guests would feel free to sit on the living room floor should they wish.

When design doesn’t vie for attention, the extra thought spent on discovering and knowing more about it is what makes it more memorable and intriguing.

Roger Federer Greatest tennis champion of all time The E8 from JURA wows even discerning coffee lovers like Roger Federer with its choice of coffees. The One-Touch automatic coffee machine prepares twelve different specialities consistently to professional barista standard. To create the perfect ristretto and espresso, it features the Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P.®). A TFT display makes operation intuitive and convenient. All elements are easily accessible from the front. In addition, the filter is automatically detected by the Intelligent Water System (I.W.S.®). JURA – If you love coffee. www.jura.com

The new BV Tre sofa at the Bottega Veneta Home store, housed within the 18th-century Palazzo Gallarati Scotti that features arched doorways and jawdropping frescoes SUMPTUOUS INTERIORS