MM Apartment
This newly built apartment comes from the addition of an extra storey to a two-storey bulding in a semi-central area of Milan.
Originally designed as a three-room apartment with a very small living room and a kitchen corner overlooking a large window and a long balcony. Lack of proportion between size of the room and the large glass window was particularly noticeable.
The renovation project has the goal to solve the above ‘defects’ providing a new layout for the apartment, in line with the client’s needs (the client is a young single man working in communication and arts).
Our layout involves demolition of a small bedroom to obtain a larger living area. The new living area is very bright thanks to the two windows and the huge six meters long floor-to-ceiling window.
We wanted to mantain perception of the living area as one large space. We created a distinctive central element (instead of a completely separated kitchen) to divide the living room function from the food preparation function.
A dining table acts as a physical and virtual pivot between the two functions. The central plasterboard element is very effective in creating a new layout for the living area; thanks to its limited height the living area is still perceived as one large room. This central element houses three columns for home appliances and cabinets. The very same central element provides a back wall for a tv on the side facing the living room area.
Aim to maximize available space permeated the design of each room of this apartment; the small hallway leading to the sleeping area for example was transformed into a laundry room by the use of a drop-down curtain hiding the washing machine and spacious shelves.
The result is a balanced and relaxed environment. Design pieces are mixed with industrial-produced furniture to create an inspiring atmosphere.
Textiles play a key role. White curtains in the living room highlight the abundance of light permeating the apartment. A color-neutral blackout curtain over a white filtered curtain is used to get complete darkness in the bedroom.
Some more design pieces are used to enrich the environment: an Achille Castiglione designed lamp by Flos on the nightstand and Meteor by Serralunga next to the bed.
Textures of the fabrics for living room furniture, the big natural fiber rug and for the bed are used to create a cozy and coordinated environment.
The color palette used in the apartment is based on whites, dove-grey and ivory with the addition of a few more colorful accents such as the sage green of the vintage armchair and the orange cable of the bedroom lamp.
We used the same colors for bathroom wall tiles and floor creating a mosaic of tiles in different sizes; we followed a scheme while at the same time giving the impression of a free composition.
