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FLEXFORM | PAPER
FLEXFORM | PAPER
Linee avvolgenti. Proporzioni calibrate e sofisticati dettagli di confezione consentono alle
poltrone Ermione di inserirsi armoniosamente in questo spazio living. | Enveloping contours.
Balanced proportions and sophisticated craftsmanship details make the Ermione armchairs a
perfect fit in this living room.
T
he initial step was to buy
the property, about 140
square meters on the first
floor of a historic building.
Actually, the owner wanted
to be on a higher floor but
the fact the apartment had
a 50 sq. meter terrace was the deciding factor.
Everything else about the apartment was just
what he wanted: a square floor plan, symmetri-
cal, with dual exposure. A 1972 renovation had
erased all traces of the 18th century. Removal of
a false ceiling brought quite a surprise. Under-
neath were all the original paintings of the pe-
riod. Everything was demolished including, of
course, the false ceilings. The house was set free,
its history brought back to light. That led to the
redefinition of the rooms, giving the apartment
a very contemporary look.
The option of dual access points to a room
is one of the constants in this project, a spe-
cific request made by the homeowner. Thus, a
dwelling took shape that is an exercise in flu-
idity, with uncommon connections: only the
bathrooms have a single entrance and exit. One
can move freely from the dining room with its
frescoed ceilings and striking chandeliers, to
the bedroom, where the Lifesteel bed and a small
reading corner are located, to the kitchen, where
Moka chairs are reflected in the stainless-steel
floor, to the living room.
The living room ceiling is spectacular. The
beams were lacquered black and, to bring light
into the room, a back-lit sheet of micro-perfo-
rated brass was installed, visually doubling the
vertical space. Interior design choices placed
Perry Up and Guscio sofas center stage; both
designed by Antonio Citterio. The overall color
palette is in warm earth tones.
The walls, too, had originally been decorat-
ed, as revealed by further examination. But the
homeowner wanted to quickly take possession
of the apartment and recovery of all the art
would have taken much longer than planned.
The solution was to install plasterboard panels
with a simple locking system that would allow
access, at some point in the future, to restore the
paintings. Reflective mirrored surfaces abound:
in their own way, they are also as many “doors”
expanding the space and lending further visual
continuity between the various rooms.
The spacious terrace is accessed from the liv-
ing room, offering a view outside that broadens
the sweep of the room. It also connects the street
side of the building with another more internal
one. The lushly planted terrace is for the exclu-
sive use of the apartment; in good weather it is
used as an alfresco dining room where meals
are enjoyed while comfortably seated on Moka
Outdoor chairs around the Fly Outdoor ta-
ble. Nearby, a conversation corner with Alison
armchairs. The terrace also provides access to
another room, in a second part of the building,
that the owner uses as a home gym.
