Arcadia Gardens in Milan by Giulio Minoletti.

Today Yellowtracers, we bring you this incredible apartment from one of our all time favourite places… yep you guessed it… Milan! I’m sure you’re familiar with our ardent love for the city but it’s all for a good reason. Milan is expressive, open-minded and combines creativity, technique and elegance. It really is the epicentre of design, and architect Giulio Minoletti played a big part in shaping the city. During his career, Minoletti collaborated with many important Italian architects and designers, such as Franco Albini, Ignazio Gardella and Gio Ponti, and managed to move from Streamline Moderne to Modernism, designing architecture defined by the elegance of Rationalism.

Minoletti’s own apartment “Villa on the Roof” is located in the Arcadia Gardens, which was an area destroyed by bombings during the Second World War. In the late 1950s a residential building designed by himself, Giuseppe De Carli and Luigi Lanza was constructed in its place. Spread over two spacious levels in the attic, this apartment is a melodic melange of materials, form and colour. This building transcends trends and I am digging it so hard – so please excuse the extreme outpourings of love!

The joy starts before you even step into the building. There are a total of fourteen apartments and their flower-filled balconies wrap around the building with their striking horizontal railings. The facade upholds a common character but there is diversity in colour and articulation of form.

The tessellated stone and geometric pattern that greets you at the building’s entrance is utterly arresting. Combined with marble, terrazzo, brass and blazing red timber and you’ve got a material pallet of perfection. It makes me wonder why we get so scared of mixing it up?

Inside the apartment there are countless moments of delight. The words “subtle” and “light touch” may not come to mind but the apartment feels deliberate, vigorous and fun. The attention to detail is outstanding and it’s as if each room could be dissected for the little quirks, nooks and niches that are contained within. Sliding walls, concealed elements, mirrors, recessed bookcases and cabinets all contribute to the expansion of space and provide extraordinary flexibility to the living experience. The large windows and terrace balcony enforce the kinship between the indoor and outdoor spaces, something that Minoletti explores in a lot of his work. Sandwiched between the green marble floor and flat grey coiffured ceiling are a combination of colours, materials and furnishings that are stupidly good. We’re talking red walls, green doors, warm honeyed timber, brass fixtures and a very eclectic range of furniture and rugs (shag throw anyone?). Dio mio, I’m in love!

It is no wonder Minoletti is acknowledged as one of the most important architects in Milan and that his enduring work continues to inspire new generations with its highly innovative approach.

[Images courtesy of Gianluca Gelmini Architetto.]