Conquering the Milanese

A skilful and sophisticated restyling signed by two people from Varese, Luino architect Gaia Aceti and Barbara Contini, the talented owner of Besozzo Home, who was responsible for the fabrics. The architect Gaia Aceti from Luino with her accomplice and work companion Barbara Contini. Outgoing and volcanic, she is the brains and the brawn of the well-known Besozzo Home company. Gaia works with her sister Francesca in their father Gualtiero’s historic Luino architecture firm, which has collaborated on numerous international projects. Graduating from the Milan Polytechnic, Gaia completed a Master’s degree in bio-architecture dealing with “new architecture for education”, which won the third prize of the National Education Commission at the Triennale in 2008. Interior decoration made in Varese wins over Milanese 68 Living Inside “It was a team effort, a continuous dialogue between us and the owners, Mr and Mrs Pavesi,” explains architect Aceti, “Barbara and I redefined this magnificent flat, trying to interpret the tastes and personalities of the owners.” The result? A happy fusion of high-end design and soft, lived-in lines. A “country” atmosphere with total privacy despite being in the heart of the metropolitan centre. The spacious and bright living room is embellished with an antique parquet floor. Many elements of the furniture are by Flamant, a famous Belgian home decorating company, such as the console table and the Buddah head. An antique opium bed was used as a coffee table. In the background, one of the house’s three original and fully functioning fireplaces. Reflected in the mirror is a splendid 13th-century “Royaume Pagan” Buddha statue spotted by the owners in Paris. The soft, flowing curtains are made of wool and linen by Mastro Raphael, again designed and proposed by Besozzo Home, like the made-to-measure rug. A happy fusion of high-end design and soft, lived-in lines. A “country” atmosphere with total privacy despite being in the heart of the metropolitan centre. The spacious and bright living room is embellished with an antique parquet floor. Many elements of the furniture are by Flamant, a famous Belgian home decorating company, such as the console table and the Buddah head. The 18th-century English table in the dining room adjacent to the charming terrace is impressive.

Upholstered chairs by Flamant, Taraxacum lamp chandelier by Achille Castiglioni. Beautiful photographs by Irene Kung on the walls. The most “private” spaces of the house are accessed along this amazing corridor with its vaulted ceiling lit by Viabizzuno lamps. The kids’ room has beds by Zenucchi Arredamenti from Bergamo. On the walls, a highly regimental wallpaper, also by Flamant. Adjacent, little Sveva’s delightful lavender-blue-walled room. Decapè piece of furniture that belonged to the owner’s family. Boiseries by Zenucchi Arredamenti. Designer Guild rug and Zimmer Rohde curtains also by Besozzo Home. Much research and attention was devoted to the bathrooms. The guest one, in Carrara marble, features a Novecento Pozzi Ginori washbasin from the Luino company Iris Martignoni that supplied all the sanitary ware. Hans Grohe Starck 1 faucets. The master bathroom is magnificent, with a wood floor by Starck’s Project 1, treated with pearlescent paints. White lacquered cabinet by Mil due, Rapsel Nido washbasins, Rapsel bathtub by Arne Jacobsen, rain-effect shower by Starck. The small table with the make-up chair, also by Flamant, is notable. Casamance curtains and rug by Besozzo Home. The master bedroom is divided into three levels. The bed on the mezzanine overlooks the TV lounge and library below. The bookcase is by Zenucchi, sofa by Moroso Diesel, curtains and cushions again by Barbara Contini. In the foreground, the Foscarini Diesel lamp. Zenucchi’s custom-made bed headboard. Zimmer Rhodes mesh curtains. At the foot of the bed, an old trunk adds a very “Letters from Vietnam” touch. The ceiling beams are original. On the upper level is Tatiana’s “den”; the owner and mother of Sveva relishes her alone time here in a space that is hers and hers alone. The terrace-garden of more than 100 square metres, away from prying eyes, has a collection of Mediterranean plants and shrubs, myrtle, rosemary and pomegranate mixed with a profusion of roses, some of which bloom in December.