Gio Ponti dining chairs, a Barra D’oro pendant light by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor for Viabizzuno and a pink vase by Carlo Scarpa. The XYZ made-to-measure dining table made from solid fossil oak wood and the 4 c_zero concrete shelves designed by Luca Cipelletti, produced and distributed by Giustini Stagetti Gallery in Rome. On the far wall, a Dan Flavin light sculpture sits alongside works by Lucio Fontana and George Condo.
A former industrial space in Milan is transformed into a residential attic for an art collector while intentionally retaining its Brutalist origins.
W hen tasked with converting the attic of a former industrial site for an art collector client, architect Luca Cipelletti realised a residence defined by its modular structure, with a uniform system of exposed beams and plaster-coated pillars that stretch for 36 metres and a continuous internal 20 metre-long wall. The 400 square metre, L-shaped space is transcended by natural light through a series of windows and skylights Cipelletti added, while outdoors, a large green terrace area was added and planted by outdoor space designer Derek Castiglioni.
The home’s materiality enhances contextual symmetry with Canaletto walnut used in flooring and ceiling intrados, concrete beams, and varying stones, including green emerald quartzite used in floor and wall coverings in the three bathrooms, wall and Tortuga table in the kitchen and green quartzite in the open bar area.
Other material applications include ultra-matt black laminate for the doors and mirrored stainless steel, evocative of Venetian antique mirror, creating an almost baroque atmosphere in some parts of the home, in contrast to the architectural Brutalism of the structure.
An open bar in the living area is crafted from green onyx. The space also features a vintage Branco e Preto sofa, a vintage Ico Parisi cocktail table for Cassina and a vintage Pierre Jeanneret armchair atop a custom rug by designer Allegra Hicks. The living space also features an ‘Asteroid’ table lamp by Ettore Sottsass and two sculptures by Alessandro Mendini.
The guest bedroom features nudes from the client’s photography collection and a side table by Georges Mohasseb. The walls and cabinetry are clad in Nabuk leather, while the bathroom beyond features emerald green quartzite.
Architectural considerations have been created to accommodate exceptional photographs and artworks of Cipelletti’s art collector client. The curation of photographs in the rooms of the house includes a custom-designed pentagram structure on which the works are placed, allowing flexibility according to the owner’s wishes.
Artists and artisans have also collaborated on the project creating custom-designed works,including designer and artist Allegra Hicks who designed a distinctive seven-metre-long handmade carpet in the home’s living room. Completing the project are the studio’s custom-made furniture pieces, such as the open frames supporting Aleksandr Rodchenko’s photographs, the wooden console in the entrance hall, bedside tables, a wooden cabinet in the study, bathroom cabinetry and washbasins, and a marble table for the breakfast area in the kitchen.
This feature originally appeared in our Milan 2024 Special Issue of est magazine.
A commissioned James Turrell artwork features above the bed. The set of armchairs and stools by the window are by Italian architects Giuseppe Pagano and Gino Maggioni.
The powder room is wrapped in Brazilian Fossil marble and features the Fresnel wall lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce.
The primary bathroom features forest green marble on the walls, floor and ceilings, a pair of floor lamps by Gino Sarfatti and a Nero Marquina marble bathtub designed by Antonio Lupi.
