Breaking down the barriers of a Milanese apartment

Surrounding a multifunctional totem emerging in the space, distinguishing living and kitchen through a mirrored surface bordering the entrance, a bar area toward the sofa and a wine cellar toward the table, the new configuration of an apartment on Via Nava, articulates between dynamism, color, interconnected and open spaces. The intervention by studio Atomaa transforms in fact the traditional Milanese flat layout – subdivided into multiple rooms closed off by doors – into a lively and dynamic place with no barriers. Following the aim of merging rooms and dissolving partitions, few doors have been inserted, all different from one another: some standard, some double doors, one similar to a wall and high up to the ceiling. 

The totem is enhanced by Alpi Sottsass cladding, a design that Ettore Sottsass produced for Alpi in the 1980s and first used in the Memphis collection. The red texture chosen for this project is characterised by veins drawn to emphasise the nuance, in a reference to the unusual combinations of the designer’s language.  The flat is colourful and fun, enhanced by graphic geometries and vivid, textured surfaces – only a black and white bathroom seems to be out of place. Formed by drops of pigmented concrete, the floor is a fusion of the Silipol of the Milanese underground, the colour choices of the Pirellone linoleum and a Jackson Pollock painting. The resin of the aubergine-coloured platform, on the other hand, matches the deep blue of the other bathroom, a full and vibrant environment.