Palazzo Reale, Milan

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Palazzo Reale in Milan Bathed in Pink

Italy

Palazzo Reale in Milan Bathed in Pink to celebrate Italian Creativity and Craftsmanship

Some places lend themselves to extraordinary transformations, where history meets the present and architecture becomes part of a contemporary narrative. This was the case at Palazzo Reale, which was illuminated in a delicate shade of antique pink on Monday 12 October, marking the opening evening of the tenth edition of ApritiModa. The soft hue, a distinctive feature of the event’s visual identity, provided the inspiration for a lighting concept celebrating Italian creativity and craftsmanship.

For Griven, one of the event’s official sponsors for the fourth consecutive year, the occasion offered an opportunity to bring ApritiModa’s signature colour to life through light, creating a visual experience that embraced both Palazzo Reale’s extraordinary architecture and the surrounding urban space. Viewed from Piazza del Duomo, the historic building revealed a new facet of its monumental presence, brought to life through subtle variations in colour and light.

Year

2026

Lighting design

Alexander Bellman, Gruppo C14

Pictures

Luca Cioci

To reproduce ApritiModa’s brand colour with the utmost fidelity, Griven luminaires in RGBW configuration were carefully selected and programmed not only to achieve the desired shade, but also to create dynamic, moving light effects. Patterns, volumes, and brushstrokes of pink light unfolded across the façade, guiding the eye and transforming the architectural surface into a constantly evolving visual narrative.

The project emerged from the collaboration between the lighting design vision of Alexander Bellman – Gruppo C14 and Griven’s technological expertise in colour-changing lighting. Following the Milan-based studio’s concept, light sequences unfolded along the building’s horizontal and vertical axes, creating variations in colour, depth and subtle visual effects. Light thus became more than a means of enhancing the architecture: it revealed its volumes, accentuated its character and temporarily reinvented its presence within the urban landscape.

The technical features of GEA recessed luminaire, selected for this project in RGBW configuration, proved ideally suited to the design requirements of Alexander Bellman of Gruppo C14. His concept called for soft, diffuse light that could envelop a broad surface from close range, bringing the architecture to life through unexpected, dynamic lighting sequences. Parade L MC 3 and 4, Jasper and Capital 100 units complete the lighting scheme.

Conceived by Francesca Storaro, GEA stands out for its distinctive optical configuration, featuring three independent rows of LEDs that can be controlled separately. This arrangement enables uniform, precisely calibrated wall-washing effects, both at close range and across more extensive surfaces, with well-defined beams reaching heights of over 20 metres.

For one evening, Palazzo Reale became a luminous backdrop in the heart of Milan: a meeting point between historic heritage and contemporary creativity, celebrating one of the most distinctive expressions of Italian beauty through the transformative power of light.