Continuity

Globes, world maps. Sculptures, paintings, antiques. Some houses take you on a journey. To worlds of shapes and colours, different eras and memories. They do it with continents hanging on the walls, with bookcases full of pages and photos. All you need to do is embrace them. To let your eyes wander. Only in this way, by losing yourself in the details, will they tell you about the people that live in those rooms. This is the kind of house that Centimetroquadrostudio has conceived in Milan in collaboration with Zenucchi Design Code. Here, Giorgio Mangiagalli and Stefano Maffeis have designed reserved, elegant, independent spaces. Spaces which complement the well-lit external areas. Spaces full of character and personality. Spaces joined together by connecting elements, sometimes camouflaged as rich furnishings, other times taking on a decorative function themselves. This elegant apartment has a very fluid design. Spaces that flow into each other, materials that open and close. Even in its private spaces, it is a house with light barriers. A layout that unites, on a light oak floor. The colours are carefully chosen, measured. Black, grey and white dominate: they are the protagonists. But they also know how to take a step back: when the pastel of a chair or the bright orange of an open compartment bursts onto the scene, they meld into the background. A wonderful background, illuminated by light: because here, the sun’s rays filter through the enormous sliding doors, made to measure in wax-treated natural iron, with a sheet of white linen enclosed between the two panes. This light illuminates everything. And when the sun is low, help is at hand in the shape of lamps. Iconic and proud. In the daytime area, the Pipe Light-L by Henge illuminates the ottoman, which sits in front of a built-in bookcase whose natural iron has been wax treated.

And then the wall, with dark walnut strips and – hidden – the swing door, which leads to the night-time area. The large sofa looks out onto the terrace and, like the terrace, the dining room. Here, with its slender circles, the Sorry Giotto (Catellani&Smith) illuminates the fabric of the chairs. It resembles a sculpture, like the Aim by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (2013, Flos), with its long wires and spotlights trained on colour. Green, yellow, light blue, lilac: Carl Hansen’s chairs are reminiscent of wax crayons. And they stand out against the white kitchen and tar-coloured bookcase. Which, here, is filled with cups, glasses and dishes. Colour returns on the terrace. On the wrought iron table, in the mats with their bubbles. And then in the children’s rooms, where the world map is reproduced on the wallpaper and Rodolfo Dordoni’s Fortepiano (Molteni & C.) is used to store games and exercise books. The master bedroom is also wallpapered. In this case it is beige with white decorations. It forms the backdrop to the bed with the bedside cabinets replaced by little side tables and, underfoot, a Berber rug. On the opposite side, the completely furnished wall gives the room a living room feel; behind the bed, the bathroom is a private and intimate space. With its freestanding bathtub, Voilà valet stand by Studiopepe (Ivano Redaelli), sculpted fittings from the Sencollection by Gwenael Nicolas for Agape and, on the wall, an abstract picture. Because colour is light. And here it traces a thin line. Between the spaces, inside but also outside. Between the rooms and life.