Designing experiences before spaces: Nick Maltese Studio

Hospitality has become one of the most dynamic fields in contemporary design, where interiors extend beyond function to shape memorable experiences. In this new episode of Behind, Nick Maltese and Federico Pasetti, founder and co-founder of Nick Maltese Studio, explain why every project starts not from aesthetics but from the story it is meant to tell. From hospitality venues to urban regeneration, their work is guided by a consistent ambition: creating places where context and narrative define the design process.

Originally focused on interior architecture, the studio has specialised in hospitality and entertainment, sectors that require a deep understanding of collective behaviour. Unlike residential design, these environments are designed around shared experiences, welcoming people with different expectations while building a coherent identity.

The studio treats every commission as a new investigation. Each project develops its own vocabulary according to its context, audience and purpose. Although recurring sensibilities make the work recognisable, there is no intention to replicate formulas or stylistic solutions.

Experimentation and cross-contamination are central to this approach. References from different disciplines, historical periods and material cultures often coexist within the same project, with vintage culture and the history of Italian design serving as recurring sources of inspiration. 

This philosophy also explains the studio’s distance from projects driven primarily by market trends. For them, the value of a project lies in understanding why a place should exist and what kind of atmosphere it should create.

Context, however, extends beyond the physical site. It also includes the emotional and cultural conditions surrounding a project, as well as the expectations of those who will inhabit it. Every hospitality venue becomes an opportunity to immerse visitors in a story, where architecture contributes as much to the experience as food, music or service.

That narrative is established from the earliest conversations with clients. Before discussing layouts or materials, the studio presents the reason behind the project and the experience it aims to create. Establishing a shared purpose becomes the framework for every subsequent design decision, whether working with private clients, investors or public institutions.

Designing for collective experiences also changes the scale of the design process. Hospitality projects must accommodate dozens or thousands of visitors while remaining operational and emotionally engaging. Creating memorable environments therefore requires balancing efficiency with storytelling, avoiding superficial visual effects in favour of more meaningful spatial experiences.

This interest in collective experience has naturally expanded into urban regeneration, introducing a much larger design scale. While the studio is known for its meticulous attention to detail, working on landscape and architecture required applying the same precision to entire territories.

A significant step in this direction came through a New European Bauhaus initiative focused on the regeneration of forty villages across Calabria and Sicily. Collaborating with other design teams, the studio developed proposals ranging from pavilions for large public events to broader urban strategies introducing new civic spaces, landmarks and public nodes intended to strengthen local identity.

Whether designing a restaurant or reimagining a village, Nick Maltese Studio follows the same principle: architecture should support meaningful experiences before defining a visual language. By placing purpose, context and storytelling ahead of trends, the studio demonstrates how design can move across different scales while maintaining a coherent and recognisable approach. As hospitality continues to evolve and generate new perspectives, projects are increasingly expected to offer more than functional or visually striking spaces.

The original BEHIND series comes to life thanks to the invaluable support of our trusted partners:

• Desiree, part of Gruppo Euromobil
• DGRS Studio Legale