When FESPA approached its member Association, FESPA Italia, to work on a project for its printed interior design showcase, Printeriors, the Association jumped at the chance to participate. This opportunity has enabled its members to collaborate in creating a unique space which highlights the potential of using digital print to create striking interiors. 

Coordinated by FESPA Italia, with the design expertise of Italian design studio, Loop Design, Hotel Italy will open at Printeriors, which takes place at the RAI Amsterdam, 8-11 March 2016.

The Hotel

‘Albergo Italia’ is a real-life hotel experience which includes a reception area, bedroom, bathroom, lounge and café, mostly showing direct print applications on a variety of substrates such as textile, vinyl, wood, metal and ceramics. The result showcases finished products such as ceramic tiles, slippers, bed linen, curtains, a coffee machine, wallpaper, lamps, windows and mirrors, among others. 

Project leader, Mauro Tironi, explains: “We believe that our hotel will demonstrate the tremendous capability of digital printing technology through a variety of applications, and provide the vision to see how interior applications can be created using modern printing methods.”

Collaborative working

In order to bring Hotel Italy to life, 10 FESPA Italia members are involved (Ecoepoque, FPE, DB Ingegneria dell’Immagine, Gruppo Masserdotti, Silap, Guandong, Ricoh, Epson, Fortex and Loop Design), each bringing their own specialism to the mix. This partnership has facilitated a collective showcase of the complete scope of printed applications, whilst highlighting that co-operation between parties can achieve a final design that wows the audience. 

To coordinate the actual rooms and layout of the hotel, FESPA Italia member, Loop Design, which specialises in corporate design in the architectural sector and has a decade’s worth of experience in using print for creating interior decor applications, was brought on board.

Alessandro Dal Monte, Founder of Loop Design comments: “Having worked with digital print and interior décor before, starting out 10 years ago mainly printing stickers, we have experienced first-hand how development in this technology has meant that more and more applications have now become possible, in many cases at great speeds but with the required exceptional quality.

“The aim behind Hotel Albergo is to illustrate digital print’s incredible capability to create vivid end-products through a variety of applications, while creatively portraying our own ‘Italian style’. There is so much that can be printed today that is still yet to be recognised by the design community. This hotel experience provides a life-like environment, as if you are in a real hotel, which stimulates the imagination. The only difference is that absolutely everything you can see and touch is printed.”

Mauro adds: “With its design heritage, Loop Design is responsible for the creative direction of the entire area, from architecture and graphics to supplier coordination. They are working closely with other FESPA Italia members on the different applications for the hotel, while FESPA Italia takes care of the logistics.”

Alessandro elaborates: “This collaboration has allowed us to access all types of technology and applications, which we can bring into our end design. Not only is it a great way to showcase the true capability of digital print, but also what can be achieved by joining forces with others. I believe that by working together with a variety of printers, the project has benefitted from multiple skills and experience, each building on the other.” 

The Design Process

With 10 FESPA Italia members involved, each responsible for a number of applications, there are bound to be challenges to overcome. Alessandro explains: “From a design perspective, it’s been extremely interesting to shape each environment from scratch and then bring that idea to life. This is where the benefits of digital printing are obvious, as it makes the designer’s job so much easier and increases the quality of the output. The final outcome is that the job can be created much faster, is much more convenient than traditional methods, and opens up the possibility to print very few, bespoke pieces.”

He adds: “One of the highlights is that each room will feature applications from more than one printer; it’s a mixture of each printer’s own speciality and skills. This is a true showcase of how such a collaboration can help each party succeed and offer the best end result for the design community.” 

Albergo Italia will come to life at Printeriors, with its own personal ‘Albergo Italia’ publication, which will explain in detail the different elements involved in how each hotel room was brought to life.