Memphis Milano Apartment by Puntofilipino

Avant-garde, scandalous and downright cheeky, this refurbished apartment in Milan by design studio Puntofilipino is a charming antidote to the familiar, threading a seamless narrative between now, then and in between into a design that feels singularly radical.

“In order to bridge the aesthetic dichotomy between period interiors and contemporary expanse, the apartment stands out as a whimsical rebuke to the minimalist aesthetic and elegant austerity of mid-century modernism,” explains Puntofilipino.

Aptly named Memphis Milano, the interior marries period stylings with the Memphis Group – notorious colour cowboys of the 1980’s – playful sensibilities. The original structure is conserved while classic motifs and materials are reinterpreted in a postmodern context.

“Characterized by an eclectic sequence of colours, stretching from the walls to the metal joinery and plaster cornices, the carpets and curtains [are paired] to a harmonious selection of furniture, inspired by the Art Deco and Pop Art movements of the Memphis Group, not only for its striking primary colours, synthetic materials such as laminate and terrazzo, and crazy geometry, but also for its iconoclastic cheekiness,” explain the designers.

Designed for a couple of art professionals, the heart of the space lies in its walls. Taking the opportunity to experiment, Puntofilipino dipped the living room and kitchen in blue and white swirled marble, while a fluted terracotta trim connects it to the above contrasting bright red bricks. A nature-inspired fresco in the dining room is a dreamlike addition, seemingly lifting off the walls (and over the cornice). All over wallpapers, bucolic patterns, marble tiles and optical prints adorn more walls as a true sense of this contemporary decadence washes over the space.

The classic arched openings are given a Memphis edge doused in the same blue and white swirled marble as the walls. With the design and decor suitably classic, vibrantly geometric modernist furniture and soft rounded upholstery offset the volume’s strict silhouette and subdued palette of greys, blues and brick red.

Proving there is no divide too wide, Puntofilipino has found common ground between period interiors and the Memphis Group in a design that has left no wall untreated.