This hotel, housed in a typical bourgeois palazzina of the late 19th century, is distinguished from neighbouring buildings only by its compact size and warm yellow colour. But as soon as you walk through the side entrance with its wooden, Chinese-temple arches to the courtyard pavilion scattered with red stools and serpentine cushion-sculptures, you realise something unusual is going on. Off-duty Milanese fashion folk are surprisingly resistant to cutting-edge interior design: what they want is comfort and conviviality with a modern, ethnic edge. And Townhouse 31 is very much a child of Milan's creative set. The interiors are by Architectural Digest editor Ettore Mochetti, while the seats and cushions in the courtyard are by Argentinian footwear wizard Claudio Montias. The entrance lounge functions as a breakfast room and lounge bar for the 18.00 to 21.00 "aperitivo" slot, which attracts locals as well as guests. Bedrooms are arranged on four floors. Their cream-and-white colour scheme is set off by the dark cherry tones of the Oriental wooden furniture. The idea is to provide a stylish home-from-home for fashion professionals. Guests can even have suits pressed and returned to the wardrobe, ready to be worn, thanks to the hotel's "Butler" service.