A Milanese apartment with a contemporary language, precious colors, intense reflections and a charming atmosphere of nostalgia

In a building constructed about twenty years ago near the Naviglio Grande, characterized by spacious green terraces, Calvi Brambilla and Partners chose a language of reflections, light, and color to reconfigure the apartment of a young couple. The dramatic entrance is a room clad in steel with a luminous sign that, in the dim light, diffuses iridescent shimmers and a certain air of mystery.

Natural light floods the large living room, highlighting the saturated colors—mostly deep blue and amaranth red—of the furnishings and walls, in a continuous alternation of matte and glossy surfaces. In a building constructed about twenty years ago near the Naviglio Grande, characterized by spacious green terraces, Calvi Brambilla and Partners chose a language of reflections, light, and color to reconfigure the apartment of a young couple.

The dramatic entrance is a room clad in steel with a luminous sign that, in the dim light, diffuses changing glows and a certain air of mystery. Natural light floods the large living area, highlighting the saturated colors — mostly deep blue and amaranth red — of furniture and walls, in a continuous alternation of matte and glossy surfaces.

Evocative effects and dramatic shadow play highlight collectible glass, designer pieces, and contemporary artworks that stand out on the walls in a studied harmony of contrasts. “In this case, despite being in the Navigli area, we wanted to focus on a modern language, without references to old Milan. Although the recurring use of blue and steel, together with the effect of the lowered central living room, evoke the atmospheres of the 1970s and some interiors designed by Cini Boeri, here just hinted at and reinterpreted. With an eye to the past, always taken up in a playful and never nostalgic way.”

text and photos courtesy of Elle Decor
text and production by Francesca Benedetto
photos by Andrea Ferrari
styling by Gaia Marchesini and Giordano Sarno