/ / / The Hotel Incontro’s wellness center propels the concept of spa design from New Age to Space Age. All of the essentials are in place: the references to nature, the eco-friendly furniture and finishes and the calming aesthetic. It’s just that they look like they’ve been shot through a wormhole and re-emerged in an alternate universe where trees are glossy white and casegoods grow out of the walls. A firm grip on the fundamentals brings it all back to Earth. Architect/interior designer Simone Micheli Laboratory (Milan and Florence) uses a limited palette of colors and materials to establish a natural order in this unnatural world. Repetition is key to making the unexpected look familiar. For example, one snowy tree crafted from expanded polystyrene (EPS) on its own would have been simply sculptural. But a forest of them lining the avenues from the reception area to the treatment rooms suggests a welcoming, wintry wonderland. Mioblu Special Wellness, a design-and-build spa specialist based in Bologna, custom-built nearly all of the furniture from medium-density fiberboard (MDF) or fiberglass and finished it in shiny bright olive varnish. As guests move through the space, they get used to the idea that desks and chaise lounges are vibrantly colored and kidney-shaped. The half-spherical, backlit “compasses” that jut out of the walls start to make sense as wayfinding icons. So do the mirrors that add JUERGEN EHEIM, BRIXEN, ITALY / 1 / A molded plaster ceiling in the reception area takes the design off the grid. Backlit green “compasses” add a re ective touch. SPRING 2012 / HOSPITALITYSTYLE.COM 33