Untouched since 1967, Bar Basso in Milan welcomes some of the greatest designers, architects, and artists in the world each year come Fuorisalone. As the spot to sip cocktails and chat with fellow designers during the city’s busiest week, the historic bar has stayed true to its unwavering interiors and one of a kind libations for over 50 years. After all, it is the birthplace of the Negroni Sbagliato, the lighter version of the famed cocktail replacing gin with a sparkling Brut wine.

This year, however, visitors will notice something different about the iconic bar during Milan Design Week. That’s because Canadian studio Gabriel Scott has teamed up with owner Maurizio Stocchetto in an exclusive collaboration to display their latest in light design, inspired by the late-night locale.

Embracing Bar Basso’s identity, it would seem Gabriel Scott has a penchant for excavating the essence of an environment. We sat down with the design duo to talk about the monumental project, what Milan means to them, and what the future holds for the international studio.

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To start things off, if you could explain your project for Bar Basso and how the idea was born.

The idea came very naturally, last year we did Euroluce and it was amazing. Like most of the crowd, we found our way to Bar Basso one evening and we still talk about it today. It was such a nice experience to connect with people from near and far — in some cases, even right across the street in New York. You’re always so busy or you’re just not there — I mean, you’re running a business! So to be able to sit down and chat with your peers in the industry and all these people that you’ve heard a lot about is a memorable experience amidst the chaos of the Salone. Nobody’s guard is up and everyone just gets kind of personal. It was a nice memory and this year we wanted to go offsite from the Salone, so it was our first thought. We had made up our minds, it was just about finding a way to make it happen.

Connecting with Maurizio was actually really easy. He’s very accustomed to being around designers and doing collaborations with other people because he has this image that he takes around the world. But this was the first time someone came into his territory. His flexibility and openness allowed us to really explore all the available opportunities and he was also an endless source of extraordinary tales from the past 30 years with all these legends that are his personal friends.

In terms of the actual design for the window display, the tones were a natural choice. That desaturated pink or Milanese pink is everywhere, from the walls to decor, to the drinks themselves. So the custom satin copper and the handblown alabaster glass was really tailored to reflect the iconic Negroni Sbagliato.

We wanted it to be clever and simple — to be treated carefully and to be fitting and to be tasteful. We had to factor in the rowdiness as well. It was the right type of piece to fit the space.

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It’s a first for the establishment to collaborate on a project like this, despite its extraordinary presence during Milan Design Week. What did that mean for you to actually bring the installation to Bar Basso as opposed to the fairgrounds or another design district?

I think doing something like this offsite, in some random storefront in another district is missing that charm that you get from the venue. Besides the exposure, there’s something here that has a bit more texture to it, and so everything just kind of glued together. Deciding on the location came first and then we came to meet up with Maurizio. We thought since it’s never been done, there’s no way he’ll go along with the idea. But, surprisingly enough, he was completely up for it.

How many years have you been at the Milan Design Week?

Last year was actually our first year at the Salone del Mobile!

This must be an important event & showing for you with such a locally inspired piece. What do you get from this context that maybe you don’t find in North America or at New York Design Week?

There’s a lot you don’t get in New York. This is really the international platform for design — the Super Bowl of design, so to speak. When you’re in New York, Design Week turns into design month with little events both before and after. Here, there’s a very clean beginning and end, and it’s a solid week where everyone shows up.

Also in a broader sense, this region has a furniture culture that simply doesn’t exist in North America. Even though places like Brooklyn are starting to show signs of this tradition of craft, historically speaking, Europe and Italy have a tradition of manufacturing and craftsmanship. There’s something to be said about showing your work in the heart of furniture culture. You’re in the center of “making”.

I know you’ve sourced some materials from Europe. How does working with foreign materials affect your design process?

I think we seek the places that are strong in the resources that we need. It’s more about sourcing to fit our vision, whether it’s leather in France or glass from the Czech Republic — Czech’s are fantastic glass blowers — they provide more options because they’ve been doing this for hundreds of years.

Can you talk a bit about your design process in general, from concept to design to creation? Are both you and Scott active in all aspects, or do you divide responsibilities based on your strengths?

Everything starts with an idea and sits on a sketch and then starts to take on a form. When it becomes more technical, responsibilities are divided and everybody works to their strengths. There’s this unanimous momentum though, that starts to build when the project takes on an identity and from there everything starts to unravel. Part of manufacturing in Canada is that we have great industrial resources, so when we prototype, we’ll see something within a week and can keep refining it. But there’s always that moment, that spark, when all the components come together and everybody starts getting excited.

You started obviously with lighting and have made a foray into furniture over the last couple of years with beautiful chairs, stools, and tables. What does the future hold for Gabriel Scott?

There’s a certain point for any young business when you start to question in what direction you’re headed. We’re almost six years old now, and that process starts leaning us in new directions in terms of products and growth around the world. We’re working on a lot of different pieces right now to expand our collections, but always with a modular element that allows us to entertain custom requests. Obviously, with lighting that’s much simpler, but with furniture it can get a bit tricky — all while keeping it elegant and not too technical.

We also have a great flagship store in New York but we’re always on the lookout to expand in new territories.

Are there any other installations, spaces, or designers you’re looking forward to catching this year?

We’d like to see the installation with cc-tapis and their latest with Patricia Urquiola, Bethan Laura Wood, Ludovica + Roberto Palomba, Elena Salmistraro, Mae Engelgeer, Rooms Studio, Chiara Andreatti and Studiopepe.

Be sure to stop by Bar Basso in Via Plinio 39 from April 17-22, 2018