Inside a 1930s Mansion Turned Eclectic Show House in Milan

Carlo Alberto Beretta, the general manager of Tod’s, and Jacopo Venturini, the C.E.O. of Valentino, embarked on a search for a new apartment in Milan six years ago, seeking a residence with historical character and charm. Milan, having undergone significant damage and subsequent rebuilding after World War II, presented a challenge in finding such a property. Their search led them to a four-story building constructed in the 1920s near the Arco della Pace. Initially, the apartment did not meet their expectations. It featured Italian Belle Époque architecture, including a central curved staircase with original polished gray plaster walls and a wrought-iron balustrade, indicative of its foundational quality. However, the interior had been converted into a sales office, characterized by dropped ceilings, a maze of drywall, and industrial carpeting, obscuring any original features. This modern office environment, occupied by numerous employees, required significant imagination on the part of Beretta and Venturini to envision its potential. Their curiosity led them to remove a small section of wallboard and carpet, revealing what lay beneath the contemporary facade. They discovered that the seemingly drab office space had once been the 3,200-square-foot parlor floor of a grand single-family dwelling. Descendants of the original owners had sold off other floors in the 1990s, but the family matriarch had continued to reside in the opulent salon level until her passing in the early 2000s. Following her death, the government agency responsible for cultural heritage protection granted landmark status to the entire floor. This designation ensured that when her heirs subsequently converted the residence into an office, they were legally obligated to meticulously cover and preserve all significant historical elements. This protective measure meant that the original architectural and decorative features of the apartment were intact, merely hidden beneath the office renovation. The discovery confirmed that the 'good bones' of the building extended to the interior of the apartment, promising a project of restoration and renewal rather than a complete overhaul. #MilaneseApartment #InteriorDesign #ArchitecturalRestoration #HistoricPreservation #FashionExecutivesHome #AntiqueDecor #ItalianBelleEpoque #HomeRenovation

The Designer Show House, a biennial event sponsored by the Village Improvement Association in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, showcases diverse interior and exterior design inspirations across its 6,000 square feet of space and nearly an acre of outdoor areas. This event serves as a platform for regional designers to present their expertise and offers visitors a wealth of ideas for their own homes. One featured space is a sunken living room, designed by Kate FitzGerald-Wilks of Timeless Design in Landenberg, Pennsylvania. This room embodies a West Indies aesthetic, characterized by bold lines, soft sandy hues, and rich textures. Key elements include vintage stick bamboo chairs painted black, adorned with Kuba cloth and Ralph Lauren zebra-stripe pillows on a slipcovered camel-backed sofa. A mid-century hutch is repurposed as a cocktail bar, complemented by sculptural metal and glass console tables flanking the fireplace. Wood mirrors with faux tortoise shell lean against textured wallpaper, while modern sculptures and art blend with antique books and global treasures. FitzGerald-Wilks also designed the dining room, aiming for a dramatic effect with a backdrop of 200 wine bottles and a striking Dolcetti chandelier crafted from shells and crystals, evoking sea glass. An 8-foot-long reclaimed wine rack sits atop a buffet. The room's color palette consists of soft creams and tans, punctuated by emerald green accents in the chandelier and wine bottles. Windows are framed with woven ikat print panels. An airy sunroom, conceived by Alfred Wolf Home (a new venture from Design Center of Rehoboth or DCOR), was designed to create a light-filled, contemporary transition between the house and garden. This involved removing existing French doors and window grills, painting the room in various shades of white and French gray-green, and incorporating textural elements of white canvas, iron, and marble. The family room, also by DCOR, maintained the warmth of its original paneling and fireplace stone, setting the foundation for a soft khaki and cream palette. The room is furnished with herringbone, tweed, and leather fabrics, offset by tortoise shell wood finishes and local tidal scene artwork. Mary Stewart of M. Stewart Interiors in Bear designed the upstairs hobby room, named "Just Us," intended as a shared family space for various pastimes like painting, photography, reading, chess, and Lego building. The room features updated cherished family heirlooms and is painted simply white to highlight paintings by Nadia Zychal. Nile Johnson of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, designed the second-floor paneled library, drawing inspiration from Rehoboth's laid-back yet cosmopolitan atmosphere. This space offers an updated interpretation of a classic library, decorated in layers of sandy tans. Cyndi and Ron Oronzio and Cathie Sheetz of Dreamweaver Interiors of Rehoboth Beach decorated a bedroom and bath, inspired by vibrantly patterned fabrics. They utilized Robert Allen fabrics as wallpaper for an accent wall, building the room's design around this print. The team selected fabrics for their depth, crisp patterns, contrasting textures, and detailed embroidery, incorporating a bright coral pink accent color and rhinestone embellishments for a feminine touch. Brenda Carder of blcINTERIORS of Rehoboth Beach designed a small guest bedroom, combining natural cotton and linen fabrics with metal and reclaimed wood. Crown moldings add formality. To compensate for limited sunlight, the room was kept light and bright, with a deep navy blue accent wall and touches of bright yellow for warmth. The second floor features art by Libby Zando of Zando Designs and Art Affects in Milton, alongside works by award-winning regional artists. Boardwalk Builders of Rehoboth transformed a hallway into a gallery space by adding wainscot paneling, creating an updated cottage aesthetic that visually broadened the hallway. Mark A. Polo of The Urban Dweller in Boonton, New Jersey, designed the master suite, aiming for comfort with soft textural colors ranging from taupe to blue. The furniture is upholstered to enhance the room's softness, featuring taupe draperies of embroidered sheer linen and silk edged in leather and freshwater pearls. Blonde floors are softened by a long-fiber rug. Outdoors, Erin Walls and Justin Bartels of Bella Terra Landscaping in Lincoln repurposed existing flagstone patios and walkways, adding new stones to create a Celtic-inspired design. The layout divides the space into a grand area for social gatherings and secluded nooks for quiet retreats. Creative Concepts Furniture of Lewes and Ocean View furnished the patios as outdoor rooms with bright coastal colors, including a sectional, loveseat, dining area for six, and lounge chairs, inviting visitors to envision themselves in the setting. #DesignerShowHouse #InteriorDesign #HomeDecor #RehobothBeach #DelawareDesign #LuxuryInteriors #OutdoorLiving #DesignInspiration

This article details the transformation of a 2,360-square-foot apartment in Milan's Quadrilatero della Moda district, which was once a Franciscan convent. Inge Theron, founder of FaceGym, initially sought a simple pied-à-terre but, influenced by the district's ecclesiastical history and the design prowess of Giuseppe Porcelli, decided to make it her family's full-time residence. Porcelli, known for his English eclecticism with an Italian flair, was given a blank canvas, as the apartment was stripped bare when he began the renovation. Porcelli's design approach for the apartment drew inspiration from his Neapolitan roots, favoring a romantic aesthetic that suggests a curated collection of pieces accumulated over time. He started by establishing a foundational layer of surfaces, including blue grass cloth walls, solid oak herringbone parquet floors, and cream-colored gypsum moldings, a nod to pre-World War II Milanese homes. He then integrated a mix of custom-designed furniture and vintage pieces sourced from antique dealers and galleries. The living room, for instance, features a large ottoman upholstered with a vintage carpet, 19th-century Kutani porcelain lamps with Indian dupioni silk shades, and an overstuffed sofa in a cotton jacquard with bullion trim. A 1968 Ingo Maurer faux-bamboo floor lamp and an emerald green love seat complete the space, alongside a Napoleon III mirror above the hearth. Moving into other areas, the kitchen showcases Amalfi Coast floor tiles and a custom trompe l'oeil wallpaper that mimics their pattern. Floating glass shelves display Theron's collection of Venini glass vases and Venetian goblets, complemented by mocha-hued lacquered cabinetry. The dining room, connected to the living room via a transparent bar cabinet, is adorned with hand-painted wallpaper designed by Porcelli with Pictalab, featuring a floral motif inspired by Impressionist art on a patinated gold background. A glossy mahogany Regency dining table is surrounded by Art Deco-style lacquered chairs with burnt orange silk velvet seats, and a 19th-century French Fior di Pesco marble fireplace anchors the room. The apartment also includes a sophisticated smoking room, originally conceived for business meetings but retained due to its comfortable and inviting atmosphere. This room features mahogany-framed walls with sections upholstered in Braquenié floral fabric, a custom sofa, and Napoleon III armchairs on an antique geometric rug. A hidden wall panel conceals a small bathroom, offering an impromptu suite for guests. Theron particularly cherishes the private quarters beyond the dining room, which include a dressing room with a brass-doored armoire. These spaces subtly incorporate spiritual references, such as a 17th-century portrait of Santa Cecilia above the canopy bed in the primary bedroom, which is upholstered in a gold-toned floral jacquard and moss green velvet with a fringed canopy. The family's linens are embroidered with an image of the Holy Mother in oxblood red, a detail that Theron views as a tribute to the street's historical and spiritual significance, reinforcing a sense of blessing and divine watchfulness over their home. #MilanApartment #InteriorDesign #GiuseppePorcelli #LuxuryHome #VintageFurniture #EclecticStyle #ItalianDesign #ArchitecturalRenovation #SpiritualInfluence

Puntofilipino Studio has recently completed the interior design of a pre-existing apartment located in Milan, Italy. The project successfully merges vintage and modern architectural elements, primarily through the integration of Memphis-inspired aesthetics. Drawing inspiration from the Art Deco and Pop Art movements, the design incorporates a diverse palette of colors, synthetic materials like laminate and terrazzo, and bold geometric patterns. This approach serves as a deliberate contrast to the often minimalist and austere nature of mid-century modernism, creating an interior that is both eclectic and visually striking. The studio's primary objective was to bridge the aesthetic gap between the apartment's existing architectural character and the vibrant, post-modern principles of the Memphis movement, while also providing a playful counterpoint to the vintage mid-century modern style. The design actively uses vibrant shapes and bright colors, extending these elements from the walls to metal joinery, plaster cornices, carpets, and curtains. This cohesive application of design principles results in an active and dynamic space filled with contrasting visual elements that work harmonously together. The interior features a reinterpretation of classic motifs and materials through a post-modern lens, imbuing the space with an ironic and multi-layered character. The foundational color scheme consists of grey, blue, and black tones, with a bright brick red introduced as a contrasting accent. The walls are central to this experimental approach. In both the living room and kitchen, two types of terracotta tiles are used, along with a corrugated edge, covering the lower portions of the walls and countertops. These are further complemented by white and blue patterned marble. In the dining room, the wallpaper takes on a nearly three-dimensional quality, with a nature-inspired fresco that subtly transitions over the existing cornice. Following this active design philosophy, the architects incorporated monumental arched openings. These arches, with their classic forms, echo the stucco ceiling cornice and traditional terrazzo flooring, creating a dialogue between historical and contemporary elements. To further enhance the contrast with the classic design and decor, the apartment is furnished with modernist pieces in rich, vibrant hues. These include a coral sofa, a blue armchair, a table with blue legs, and black chairs with yellow seats, each adding a distinct pop of color. The bedroom presents a more restrained yet graphic aesthetic, combining a vivid marble pattern with hand-drawn ovals on Ornamenta’s Manifesto tiles. A notable decorative element is the TRN tubular lamp designed by Pani Jurek, crafted from decorative terracotta, which functions as a hanging sculpture, contributing to the apartment's unique and artistic ambiance. #MilaneseApartment #MemphisDesign #MidCenturyModernism #InteriorDesign #PuntofilipinoStudio #PostModernDesign #EclecticInteriors #ItalianArchitecture #HomeDecoration