Lynk & Co’s Milan Club is a Sustainable Hub for Creative Car Lovers
Anyone curious about car sharing company Lynk & Co can now walk into a boldly designed space in Milan, check out the Lynk & Co 01 vehicle, and maybe even visit a fortune teller. The company opened its latest club on Milan’s Corso Venezia 6 in November, welcoming brand enthusiasts, car lovers, sustainability trendsetters, and anyone else interested in discussing creative new ideas. The experience is a far cry from a visit to your local car dealership, and that’s exactly how Lynk & Co wants it.
Set within the city’s High Fashion District, the industrial club has plenty of interesting things to look at, not the least of which is the 01, a compact crossover plug-in hybrid featuring a 177-horsepower, 1.5-liter gas engine and an 80-horsepower electric motor. Though it’s available for purchase, the main appeal of the 01 is Lynk & Co’s monthly subscription service, which grants you use of the vehicle whenever you need it without worrying about things like insurance and maintenance. The car can also be borrowed for shorter periods. It’s designed to appeal to a broad range of tastes, and it offers all the functionality most people need in an urban vehicle.
A partnership between Chinese company Geely and the Swedish Volvo, Lynk & Co knew that people curious about renting or borrowing the 01 vehicle would want a chance to see it in person, but they didn’t want it to feel like visiting your neighborhood Toyota dealer. They decided to bring the car to the people who will use it most — those located in large cities — instead of opening a larger public facility in a more suburban location.
Designed in collaboration with Gothenburg-based studio New Order Arkitektur, the company’s Milan location is the tenth such club to open in the past few years. The interiors repeat some motifs like a cocktail bar and a signature mustard yellow sofa, but it also boasts elements that are distinctly Milanese. A neon “whirlpool light” wraps around a column in the center of the mostly concrete space, which is also outfitted with stylish furniture, a curving lamppost sculpture by local brand Seletti, and the Lynk & Co 01 set under a skylight.
The Tarot Room offers guests a chance to look into the future, and the Candy Shop Toilet encloses sweets within glass tubes, with everything else in the restroom painted a lurid pink. The company’s commitment to sustainability is also on display in the form of recycled materials and objects for sale that hew to the same vision (like Triwa watches with recycled plastic straps). A wood-clad meeting room is lined with reproductions of famous Milanese art. Runways also weave through the space, paying homage to Milan’s reputation as a center of the fashion world.
Previously, Lynk & Co opened a second club in Barcelona designed by Masquespacio. That space was designed to evoke “a world of utopias,” drawing in curious passersby on the well-trafficked Paseo de Grácia with big, colorful sculptural elements visible through the front windows. Other clubs are located in Gothenburg, Antwerp, Rome, Berlin, and Amsterdam, with a new location coming soon in Dusseldorf. Lynk & Co seems to be focused on Europe for now, but CEO Alain Visser has said the company sees market opportunities in U.S. states like New York and California.
“Being present in Milan means not only being part of a beautiful city that renews itself on a daily basis, but it also means entering a fabric where the community that lives there pulsates with ideas: with our club and the events we will organize here,” says Visser. “We want to give space to all those people who want to change their concept of mobility and lifestyle. It’s important to have fun while driving towards a more sustainable future.”
