Cities, with their weave of materials, memories, and atmospheres, have always been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for design. So many have drawn from cities around the world and their distinct identities—such as the celebrated collection of trays designed by Fabio Novembre for Driade, paying homage to eight Italian squares, or Architexture, designed by Patricia Urquiola for Budri, which reinterprets Italian architectural tradition in a contemporary form.

Milan, with its balance between memory and innovation, now becomes the starting point for a new design project—first and foremost a material narrative: CottoMilano, the collection presented by Ceramiche Keope at Cersaie 2025. This project is born from the encounter between industry and craftsmanship, technology and human value, translating Milan’s urban identity into porcelain stoneware surfaces of strong expressive power.

The idea took shape through the collaboration between Paolo Cesana, Marketing Director of Ceramiche Keope, and Milanese designer Domenico Orefice, in dialogue with the historic Fornace Curti. “I first met Domenico Orefice while visiting Salone Satellite in 2018, when he presented some beautiful decorations made on terracotta developed with Fornace Curti,” Cesana recalls. “When I imagined a new porcelain stoneware collection that could evoke the emotions of terracotta, he was the first person who came to mind.”

CottoMilano stems from the desire to translate the sensations of traditional terracotta onto a technologically advanced surface. “It was Keope’s research and technological innovation that allowed us to transfer the most empathetic of these sensations—the tactile one—onto porcelain stoneware,” Cesana explains. The result is a surface capable of evoking the natural warmth of the original material, yet scaled to the dimensions of contemporary design, with slabs up to 120x120 cm conceived for new and international architectural projects.

For Orefice, the collection is a declaration of love for his city. “Growing up around the Navigli area, I was fascinated by the charm of terracotta architecture—warm, welcoming, full of history. It felt natural to approach Fornace Curti and begin a dialogue with this Milanese institution.” The collaboration with Keope arose from the desire to reinterpret Milan’s architectural identity through a symbolic material, translated “into a contemporary language, to tell the story of a city in constant evolution.”

The main challenge was to recreate the irregularity and tactile richness of handcrafted terracotta on an industrial scale. “This was made possible through continuous dialogue between Keope, Fornace Curti, and our studio. Samples, textures, and colors were reworked by Keope’s research center to be reproduced using the most advanced ceramic technologies,” explains the designer. The result demonstrates the Made in Italy ability to merge artisanal care with industrial precision.

But there is another reason why CottoMilano manages to convey both Keope’s technological innovation and the memory of a city so deeply transformed yet still steeped in history. “Human emotion remains today the most important element—a conditio sine qua non—even though it is increasingly trampled and overwhelmed by events,” Cesana observes, emphasizing how the collection’s tactile feel, softness, and warm hues were designed “for urban contexts rich in expressive and design value, where space and architecture must become vehicles of warmth and hospitality.”

CottoMilano is, therefore, a reflection on the emotional and cultural value of place. It embodies both the memory of historic Milan and its drive toward the future—a sign that matter, when interpreted with sensitivity and technology, can truly convey the soul of an entire city.