While Milan is universally known for Leonardo’s Last Supper, Florence is the true city of the Cenacoli (refectories)—with Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, Sant'Apollonia, and Ognissanti being just the most prominent examples. Rediscovering the Sant'Apollonia refectory during an initial site visit to the Schneider Electric Florence office, along with the reading room of the nearby Marucelliana Library, provided the core inspiration for this boutique project.

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The intervention transforms a formerly windowless, underutilized space at the heart of the offices into a new break area—a hub for informal meetings and social exchange that redefines the entire workplace environment.

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Echoing the layout of ancient monastic refectories, tables are arranged along the central axis and the two perimeter walls, which were opened up by converting the original solid partitions into glass storefronts. The kitchen occupies the remaining solid wall, clad in bright green ceramic tiles that reference the company’s corporate identity. In the four corners of the room, bespoke white cabinetry integrates all appliances alongside the office’s physical, non-digitized archives.

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The lighting design combines direct and indirect sources, discreetly following the furniture layout. By avoiding the uniform, flat distribution typical of large corporate layouts, the lighting creates a tailored island of calm within the workplace.