Italian design in the south of France

Macon, a small city that rises on the Saona River, can be seen from afar from those who arrive from the south of France. Within the town’s maze of small streets and bends is the St. Pierre Church, whose direct neighbor is the Atrium SPA & Beautè. The SPA, created within an ancient crypt, was designed by the Italian studio of Alberto Apostoli. The space opens itself to guests with a refined hall in meticulous New-baroque style and is the area where beauty treatments for face, hands and hair take place. The overall space spreads over two floors and from the main hall guests can access the lower level via a staircase made entirely of white ceramics with a marble effect. The second area represents the real heart of the project, and as soon as one enters it the visitors are transported to an ancient, mystical and medieval atmosphere. The first impression is that of being within a crypt, something plausible due to the proximity of the St. Pierre church, but the proposed concept put forth by Alberto Apostoli consists in highlighting the existing wonders with strategically placed lighting that would work to balance out the expressiveness of the space and the integration of new structural elements. A long curved corridor divides the humid area from the treatment rooms along which there is a tapestry that depicts the Macon vineyards, renowned for their Chardonnay, which also works to keep the ventilation apparatus out of view and to give furtherdepth to the space. “I immediately realized that there was a lot of potential for the space, but at the same time there were some serious technical and structural complications”, comments Alberto Apostoli. “We tried to create emotions through a project that would work on producing a layout that would be simple but not obvious, making a considerable effort in terms of lighting, and looking for materials that would work technically and would be ideal for our construction purposes. The SPA is a great opportunity to end a day spent visiting the many wineyards anc local cellars.