In Milan, in the Sempione area, on the ruins of an old metallurgical plant, where disused old factories blend within “Old Milano” buildings, this 250 sqm loft project took life. The owner, a financial officer of a major listed company, beside his deep passion for basketball, truly enjoys and appreciate modern art, fiction, exclusive trips and creative cuisine.
These passions of his are the basis on which he decides to build his home in Milan where he spends not more than 5 days a week. As from the time of purchase, the owner immediately senses the potential of this space, albeit crude, with 5 meters high ceilings and full of natural light, but, as often happens, decanted his vision for more than a year before planning a radical renovation. The main reason resides in the fact that he did not want an industrial aesthetic, but, starting from scratch, he wanted to adapt it to his functional and aesthetic needs. Surely the space suggested several possible pleasant outcomes, therefore designers, Marco Dellatorre, Vittoria Fiorito and Emanuele Corte of Vemworks, with offices in Milan and Turin, called to rethink that old rustic plant, accepted the challenge with great enthusiasm, confident to be working with a very stimulating client, unbiased and attentive. The project lasts one year, with the goal, strongly requested by the owner, to not alter the original volumes, softening the basic space with precious elements and materials. The only link with the past stands in the use of iron as a structural and decorative element, often visible, becoming the link with the industrial complex past. The project carefully manages the volumetric articulation of the space. The loft floor-plan displays a simple square, open and bright, where the interior distribution scheme dominates and allows to fully enjoy the generous volumes, without visual obstructions allowing a narrative continuity (except, of course bathrooms) and a full blending of environments, defined but open, sometimes "filtered”, in which furnishings and decorative solutions determine unequivocally its space. The living area, which is meant to be representative area alternates finished raw concrete walls, others in copper leaf, lightened by a LED strip that winds around its perimeter, creating a strong dynamic effect. The pavement in anthracite resin extends throughout the lower floor. Here, the impressive library, in burnished steel, ideally circumscribes the reading area, hosting prestigious publications, but also displays testimonies of the countless journeys of the owner. Leather with different finishes and colors was the choice of the seating and upholstery. The iron and glass dining table, crafted on an original design by Vemworks, and the impressive Murano chandelier welcome us to the dining room, where a flaky red plaster peeling envelops and provides warmth to the space. The brown leather armchairs frame the table, creating an interesting contrast of materials. A short hallway, that gives access to the guest bathroom and laundry room, leads to the kitchen, an elegant space designed for culinary experimentation and to accommodate the closest friends for a casual dinner. The kitchen, deliberately hi-tech, it is made entirely of stainless steel with an extra-size island cooktop, recalling restaurant specific food preparation area. A makassaar ebony table integrates itself to the kitchen surrounded by chairs and leather stools. A generous double door American fridge and a large wine cellar allow storage of food and wine. From the kitchen you can see the self-supporting crystal staircase, a strong but discreet presence, which leads to the upper floor and to the sleeping area. Crystal is structure and decorum of the staircase which is practical and acts also as a sophisticated scenic mechanism. The upper floor is characterized by a transparent pavement area that allows to overlook the living area below. A 50s large oblique light neon advertising sign dominates the staircase. The sleeping area is composed of two suites, each with a private bath and vestibule overlooking the space below. On this floor, hand-planed oak wood was laid in French plug. The beds recall the leather theory used on the lower level, while iron is found in room’s furnishings and bathrooms. Crucial, along the all project, was the synergy between the owner and designers. With this spirit we achieved this final result adopting daring solutions never in contrast with the expectations of the property. This double side involvement allowed the space to blossom slowly, often reviewing choices and never leaving anything to chance. It is the set of details that make the whole, it is a sum of many small factors, without hierarchy, each of which is essential: the loss of one determines the failure of the whole work, in a continuous equilibrium made of very close connections.
