MORI LIVING has redesigned part of the serviced apartment at Roppongi Hills - Residence D with a new design by Nicola Gallizia. In this article, Gallizia talks about his evolving concepts of home and design.

Photo by Satoshi Nagare
Text by Seishi Isozaki
Edit by RCKT/Rocket Company*
Translation by Yuki Itai

Light coming into the living-dining room through the large window. The multi purpose round table can be used for both working and dining.

MORI LIVING Serviced Apartments are furnished and equipped with all the necessities of daily life, offering residents a comfortable stay from the day they move in. In addition to complete security, these residences also offer around-the-clock bilingual front desk services, housekeeping, breakfast service, and access to a gym and spa. Utilities are included in the monthly rent, and these apartments offer a sense of home while, at the same time offering all the convenience and services of a hotel. Residents use the apartments as a comfortable place to stay during business trips to Tokyo or as second homes.

Among the MORI LIVING residences, Roppongi Hills Residences, Atago Green Hills Forest Tower, ARK Towers and The Prudential Tower Residences contain serviced apartments. In 2018, Nicola Gallizia from Milan renovated part of Roppongi Hills Residence D. “The concept was for people to feel the warmth of home” said Gallizia. “Since people from different backgrounds stay in the apartments, I sought a kind of neutrality in the design. Something that can speak to anyone and allow anyone to feel at home. This is apparent in the unified color tones and the subtle and simple designs that resulted.”

The bedroom can be separated from the living room and the bed is setup high to enjoy the view.

Bathroom is fully equipped with an array of amenities when you move in.

Of particular concern for Gallizia was the lighting. He took inspiration not only from Italian architecture and paintings but also from Japanese notions of light and space. In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki was such an inspiration for me. Japanese people have an exquisite ability to perceive intangible light and space. When you go into an Italian medieval church, it’s dark and difficult to see in the beginning, but as your eyes become used to the darkness, you start seeing the rich detail. In Da Vinci’s painting for instance, the whole image is composed of subtle graduations. By paying extra care to lighting, I hoped to create a space where the light was in harmony with the other elements.”

Unique amenities at MORI LIVING serviced apartments ❶　Access to Roppongi HILLS SPA including gym, swimming pool and aesthetic salons.

Unique amenities at MORI LIVING serviced apartments ❷　At Roppongi HILLS SPA Lounge, a variety of food is offered throughout the day, including breakfast service.

Furniture from Molteni&C, are all designed or selected by Gallizia himself. “I wanted the dining table to be a good size and height for guests to be able to work as well. The bed is a little higher to have a better view of the room and from the window. You can also use the space below for storage.”

He also selected artwork for the wall that speaks to the feeling of the room. Gallizia always selects the art for the spaces he designs. For Roppongi Hills apartments, he selected works with gray and beige shades to correspond to the design.

Unique amenities at MORI LIVING serviced apartments ❸　Housekeeping service twice a week.

Gallizia says if he were to stay here as a tenant, he would want to invite his Japanese friends and cook for them. “The beauty of a serviced apartment is that while it has the amenities of a hotel, you can feel comfortably at home. This apartment is equipped with cooking appliances and there are good super markets and grocery stores nearby. It would be nice if I could cook Italian food for my friends. That is also why I wanted the design to be neutral. I think real luxury is when the residents can be themselves, doing things they like to do, instead of the design making a strong statement.”

Nicola Gallizia｜Architect
Born in Milan, Italy, Gallizia went to the faculty of architecture at Milan Polytechnic. In 2003 he took over artistic direction at Molteni&C, specifically dealing with their new artwork project. He was also part of the ME Milan Duca Hotel project, Milan’s five star hotel. In 2005, Gallizia founded his interior design studio CZ36.

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