NEW LANGUAGES OF LUXURY
From Puglia to South Africa, all the way to research on matter: three stories illustrate how hospitality, art, and design are shaping new ways of experiencing places.
MLE RADAR highlights projects, trends, and new ideas that are reshaping the language of hospitality, design, and architecture.
In this first issue, three very different stories: a new destination on the Apulian coast, a safari where photography and art change the way we view the landscape, and a design project that transforms matter into language.
DELANO PUGLIA — AN ICON ARRIVES ON THE ADRIATIC
Delano, a brand of the Ennismoregroup, has chosen Puglia for its first Italian location. The new resort will open in 2028 in Monopoli, along the Adriatic coast, featuring 76 rooms—including 13 suites—as well as spaces dedicated to wellness, dining, and socializing.
The project brings the Miami-born brand’s aesthetic to the Mediterranean, but reinterprets it through the Apulian landscape: bright spaces, a seamless transition between indoors and outdoors, and a natural color palette. The planned spaces also include a Paris Society restaurant, two pool bars, a reimagined Rose Bar, and The Source by Delano, dedicated to wellness.
Rather than simply replicating a model, the challenge will be to understand how an international identity can relate to a highly recognizable territory without erasing its character.
CHEETAH PLAINS — A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON SAFARIS
In the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve, in South Africa, Cheetah Plains offers a different way to experience a safari, where architecture, art, landscape, and photography are constantly intertwined.
A photography experience led by wildlife photographer Francois Fourie invites you to slow down and observe the light, movement, and details of the bush. Guests can be accompanied directly by Fourie during the safari or entrust him with capturing their stay through photography.
The landscape is therefore not merely something to be traversed: it becomes part of a visual experience in which the way one observes is just as important as what one observes.
TORPEDO — WHEN MATERIAL BECOMES DESIGN
A long, flowing tabletop—almost as if hand-drawn—and two bases upholstered in ribbed leather. “Torpedo,” the table designed by architect Maurizio Molini for Laurameroni, transforms the artisanal craftsmanship of the leather into a key element of the design.
Unveiled in 2026 at Lineapelle Interiors, Torpedo is the result of the fusion of design and the culture of materials: the top can be crafted from wood or lacquered finishes, while the vertical pattern of the leather on the bases creates rhythm, depth, and light.
Leather thus ceases to be merely a covering. It becomes a language capable of defining the object’s volume and identity.
