Hidden Kitchen and Bold Colour Transform Small Milan Apartment 50sqm 538sqft

The building is a classic 1930s structure, characteristic of what is commonly referred to as Vecchia Milano, which is old Milan. Today these buildings are highly sought after and increasingly appreciated for their architectural charm and historical value. The general brief was to create a home that reflected an urban sensibility, a richness of materials and colors, without ever feeling garish or overdone. I'm Andrea, an architect at Atelier Zero, a Milan-based architecture and interior design studio. The apartment is located between the Porta Venezia district and Milan Central Station. The area where the apartment is located is rich in layers and contrasts. It's one of the most vibrant and urban parts of the city. The apartment had recently been renovated using rather poor quality materials, with no overarching interior design concept. What struck us the most was the highly irregular floor plan. We created a niche in the corridor to accommodate a linear kitchen. The bathroom was divided into two parts, the living room and the bedroom remained in the original positions. What does a magazine look like when you jam it full of intoxicating Greekness, dreamlike logic, Compeggi's convertible creations, robot-y sculptures, Jaime Hayon's contagious creative compulsions, intimate home portraits from Japan, and Enzo Mari-inspired creatures? Well, it looks like this, and this, and this, this, this, and this. And it includes sexy-as-hell small apartments from Amsterdam, Athens and Milan too, as well as a spectacular archive of stickers and labels telling stories of design histories. And it also features the 100% definitive and scientifically proven principles of timeless design. Disclaimer, not 100% definitive or scientifically proven. Wait, there's more! There is a salami factory-turned-art museum, and there are very un-kitcheny kitchens, laundries, legacies, mythology, and some seriously hot pots. Oh my! Subscribe now to get yours with free worldwide shipping. The entrance is a colored box. You step into an immersive space, characterized by mosaic factory cement tiles, and complete it with a custom-made wardrobe. The wardrobe in the entrance has become the main storage space for clothes and shoes, and the other household items. On the wall, we added a couple of our Il Disco lamps, which are from our brand Dererum. The kitchen was moved to the corridor. The countertop can be hidden behind a shelf that flips down when not in use, and it makes the telltale signs of the kitchen disappear. And can be used like a corridor sideboard. The clients didn't want the kitchen to be a focal point. The central lower part is flanked on one side by the refrigerator column, and on the other by a sliding door that leads to the bedroom. We added a LED strip light, because when switched off it's virtually invisible, reinforcing the idea of a hidden disappearing kitchen. The handles on our custom kitchen units are carved right into the door panels. Since the kitchen window sits in a recess, we decided to add a small custom storage unit underneath it, to provide some extra super space to prep food and extend the workable area in the kitchen. The living room is at the other end of the apartment. The upper part of the room is painted in a teal tone, to create an immersive feeling when you're sitting on the sofa or on the bench. The sofa is very large, so it can become a bed by simply removing the pillows. In the corner of the living room, we put a lamp by Ettore Sozza. For the light switch, we chose a design with large format buttons by PLH Italia. Along the window, we added a low bench that serves multiple functions. It acts as a bench to support the dining table, is used as a surface for objects and the television. We covered it in a decorative laminate made by Abbott, and we like the idea of having something with a 70s radical design. The bench is used also as a seating for the table, to save a space in the dining area. We custom designed the dining table. It is a metal structure with a smoked black glass top, and above the table, we designed a custom made lamp using the same red metal as the table. It felt natural to go with a parquet flooring, though instead of the traditional herringbone pattern, we opted for square tiles. And above the entrance to the living room, we also heat the air conditioner, so it's less noticeable. We wanted the shower to feel like a hybrid space in continuity with the rest of the home. That's why we used a custom glass door to bring as much natural light as possible into the shower area. The tiles are glossy 10 by 10 centimeters by Ceramica Vogue, and they helped us give the shower area a strong identity. The bedroom is very minimalistic and serves solely as a place for rest. A large niche frames the bed, and we opted for an inverse color scheme compared to the living room, so a light tone above and a dark tone below. The double leaf windows have wooden shutters that slide right into the wall cavity, so it doesn't take up any extra space. The clients brought the bedside table from their previous home. They were designed in the late 60s. The bathroom has been divided into two parts. In the first area, there are two niches, one used for the sink and the other for a washing machine and some storage. The bathroom fixtures are by RAC Ceramics, and we chose this limb model to make the most of the limited space given the small size of the bathroom. Designing a small space is a truly rewarding challenge. The goal is not only to enhance its functionality and beauty, but also to create an atmosphere that reflects design sensibility and the personality of those who will inhabit this space. In this way, even the most compact layout can become a rich and layered narrative. Love this home? It's in the latest issue of our mag that's jam-packed with small home inspiration from Athens to Amsterdam, Melbourne to Milan. Subscribe by January 19th to receive your copy with free worldwide shipping. Sign up to our newsletter for subscriber-only content and exclusive offers. Visit nevertosmall.com slash subscribe