A NEW RENAISSANCE

Casa Mia a Milano, Milan, Italy

By Stacey McLachlan / Photos by Matteo Imbriani

Timeless Design

The low-slung Hide and Seek sideboard would be at home in any century; the Bolle Tela hanging lamp is part of the Reflected Identities collection by the artist Simon Berger.

When you think of Italian history, you might typically imagine a beginning-of-modern-civilization or elaborate-works-of-art-on-the-ceiling sort of thing. But a look back to a more recent century can provide equally rich inspiration, as Casa Mia a Milano proves.

It’s the home of Gallotti&Radice principal Silvia Gallotti, who tapped architects and designers Leonardo and Marzia Dainelli of Dainelli Studio to help with a redesign—and the refreshed, early-20th-century-inspired space is absolutely worthy of its own place in the history books.

The apartment is located in the heart of Milan; the recent restoration both celebrates and elevates its 1920s origins. The vintage Milanese architecture is in beautiful dialogue with furnishings from Gallotti&Radice and extensive custom fixtures. While you’ll find plenty of bespoke additions, period parquet and grit floors have been left in their original state, and the ornate ceiling mouldings, fineframed interior doors and cast-iron radiators have been refurbished to their former glory.

The layout stays fairly true to the original, with changes made only for functionality’s sake. The living room, featuring a large Bolle pendant chandelier, is the centrepiece of the design—the sinuous lines of the Audrey sofas welcome all to gather and connect. The Brera walnut bookcase (with doors in a lava-coloured, liquid-metal finish) is framed by the Gallotti&Radice custom boiserie. Elsewhere, custom bridged cabinetry and caned wood panelling blend seamlessly into the space.

The kitchen, which was created in collaboration with Binova, is divided into an L-shaped operational area with an Ariostea worktop and LG Signature appliances. Delicate bronze details bounce light into the room to create an inviting warmth, but the kitchen isn’t the only space you’ll find these pops of metal: it’s repeated in the decorative plinth, in the slabs framing the radiators, in the distinctive sliding panels in the dining room and in the hallway embellishments.

“It’s got a strong personality,” admits Gallotti—but it’s one that you can’t help but be drawn to, whatever point in history you’re lucky enough to step inside its doors.