Two Outdated Flats Become One ’80s-Inspired Apartment in Milan

Project Details:

Location: Milan, Italy

Architect: Atelierzero / @atelierzero

Builder/General Contractor: Never Stop Group / @neverstopgroup 

Landscape Design: Amanda Oliver Gardens / @amandaolivergardens  

From the architect: "The project is configured as the union of two housing units, inside a typical Milanese "casa di ringhiera." The kitchen has been completely renovated, and now presents itself as the protagonist of the space, the focal point of the house, a perfect place for conviviality and being together. The arched passage between the kitchen and the dining area has been maintained and taken as a starting point to create on the one hand a new vaulted passage between the kitchen itself and the new study and on the other to model the shape of the vaulted corridor that leads to the sleeping area. The shape of the arch was thus divided into two half arches, which highlight the passages from the kitchen to the other rooms: the idea is that of a central space completely permeable and connected to the rest of the apartment. The sleeping area consists of a guest bathroom, two single bedrooms and the primary bedroom, complete with an en suite bathroom. The floors were used as a means to define and clarify the spaces: the main functions (dining area, living room, study, bedroom) are identified by herringbone parquet, the connective spaces by a neutral colored resin, the thresholds by travertine slabs, the en suite bathroom and the area in front of it with geometric cement tiles. The choice for the general color palette is oriented towards the use of light and neutral shades for the areas not affected by the most important renovation processes (such as living room, bathroom, single bedrooms) while the new rooms and the connective spaces are defined by full and vibrant colors, reminescent of the ’80s aesthetic. Colors, materials, and finishes help create a continuous system between the two previously separate housing units, making them perceive as a single system of spaces."