My Houzz: A Light and Bright Milan Apartment With a Serene Vibe
Texture and houseplants add depth and warmth to the all-white decor in a family home
In downtown Milan, there’s a home you wouldn’t expect to find. The two-story apartment is clear and bright, with an unconventional design plus abundant greenery and light. Not a sound can be heard from the street. White is the dominant color, from the floors and walls to the furniture, fabrics and accessories.
Like a fantastic secret, Laura Dragotti’s apartment is hidden from the street. First you pass through the entrance of an Art Nouveau building and, once in the courtyard, go upstairs.
A small green jungle on a suspended walkway is overlooked by several apartments. You step through a little gate to reach the last apartment.
French doors welcome guests into Dragotti’s family home.
“I was lucky enough to buy this apartment in its rough state, and I could decide on everything, from the space division to the choice of materials,” she says. “I chose to almost completely open the kitchen into the living area. Now they’re only separated by a 3-foot wall, so as to visually expand the space. I also decided to paint everything white, the floors and ceiling beams included, to get a brighter effect.”
Why did she choose an all-white interior? “Because Milan is gray!” she says.
“I was lucky enough to buy this apartment in its rough state, and I could decide on everything, from the space division to the choice of materials,” she says. “I chose to almost completely open the kitchen into the living area. Now they’re only separated by a 3-foot wall, so as to visually expand the space. I also decided to paint everything white, the floors and ceiling beams included, to get a brighter effect.”
Why did she choose an all-white interior? “Because Milan is gray!” she says.
Dragotti is the owner of Riad Food Garden, a year-old Milanese club that offers food and hospitality. The first time she saw the apartment was about five years ago, when she was visiting a friend’s house across the street. Looking out the window, she spotted the building, under restoration, and it was love at first sight.
Dragotti has an artistic background: She graduated from the Brera Academy in Milan. She supervised the renovation and furnishing of her home.
The apartment is a large, open space divided into different areas. The dining area is located at the entrance, overlooking the terrace. It consists of a glossy white Capriata table by Horm, which is extendable and ideal for hosting friends for dinner.
The kitchen, the only room where Dragotti kept the dark flooring, is the natural continuation of the dining area. The dividing wall between the two spaces, which is about 3 feet high, has been transformed into a comfortable counter, and lets the communication between guests and those who are in the kitchen flow.
Everything here is white or off-white, from pots to appliances, including the Smeg fridge-freezer.
The living area faces the fireplace. There’s a Gervasoni sofa from the Ghost collection (seen in the first picture and below). “It’s the one and only sofa I ever wanted to have in my home,” Dragotti says. “I love sitting on the floor,” she adds, referencing the floor pillows scattered on the Moroccan rug.
In front of the sofa is a Crinoline armchair by B&B Italia, designed by Patricia Urquiola. It’s a beautiful piece that Dragotti fell in love with. Its “twin sister” — with a slightly lower and less decorated back — is on the terrace.
In front of the sofa is a Crinoline armchair by B&B Italia, designed by Patricia Urquiola. It’s a beautiful piece that Dragotti fell in love with. Its “twin sister” — with a slightly lower and less decorated back — is on the terrace.
Over the sofa is an unusual chandelier, created by twisting a ceiling beam with simple electric wire, from which the bulbs hang. It’s the brainchild of Dragotti, who made it herself.
An old carpenter table repainted in white is now a desk full of beloved objects: little metal boxes, old scissors gathered at markets from all around the world, and the unavoidable succulent plants – Dragotti’s passion.
An old carpenter table repainted in white is now a desk full of beloved objects: little metal boxes, old scissors gathered at markets from all around the world, and the unavoidable succulent plants – Dragotti’s passion.
The TV area, hidden but adjacent to the living room, is simple and elegant. In place of sofas are soft wool mattresses by Tessuti Mimma Gini, which can be used as beds to accommodate the children’s friends.
The service area, with its small laundry and bathroom, completes the living room.
The service area, with its small laundry and bathroom, completes the living room.
The staircase leading to the upper floor is unusual: The risers are covered in pieces of toile de Jouy in shades of green, blue and beige. These fine-printed fabrics, first produced in Jouy-en-Josas, France, in the 1700s, were an imitation of Indian chintz, which was in vogue at the time.
These versatile fabrics, with their typically monochromatic prints on a white or beige background, are still synonymous with timeless elegance.
Overlooked Design Opportunity: Stair Risers
These versatile fabrics, with their typically monochromatic prints on a white or beige background, are still synonymous with timeless elegance.
Overlooked Design Opportunity: Stair Risers
On the bright walkway that welcomes you to the second floor of the apartment are the two children’s rooms, with iron beds by Cantori. The bathrooms and the master bedroom are also up here.
The owners’ bedroom is as simple and white as the rest of the rooms. Natural fabrics, with soft colors ranging from white to gray-blue, cover the canopy bed by Orizzonti while hiding the storage underneath as if they were curtains.
A stack of books enriches the room and becomes an object of furniture, together with a little iron chair and some fish hanging from the canopy beams.
Novel Ways With Bedroom Books
Novel Ways With Bedroom Books
This home is full of details, all very loved and hunted for with care. Dragotti’s favorite item is the “castle,” an iron cage made by Vox Populi Décoration in Avignon, France, a precious gift from her husband.
In the kitchen, you’ll find Moroccan lanterns, glazed earthenware containers for cooking tagine — the traditional North African dish — and wicker baskets scattered everywhere, used for storing utensils.
There’s also a small armoire that belonged to Dragotti’s great-grandparents. Originally dark wood, it was stripped and repainted in a creamy white.
Breezes travel freely throughout the apartment, which is surrounded by vegetation. This wide open space is rich in plants and vines, cages, colored iron birds, and small greenhouses for succulent plants. This is where the family loves to spend the summer: On the terrace, you can have lunch and rest in a hammock hidden from the view of neighbors.
“The four of us are almost always in the kitchen,” Dragotti says. “But my favorite corner is the space in front of the fireplace, which in the winter is always burning.”
“The four of us are almost always in the kitchen,” Dragotti says. “But my favorite corner is the space in front of the fireplace, which in the winter is always burning.”
Arsenio, the fifth occupant of the home, strikes a pose.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Laura Dragotti and Roberto Pistolesi, their two adolescent children, and Arsenio, the cat
Location: Milan
Size: Three bedrooms, three bathrooms