INTERIORS I Milano
It must have been the natural light filtering through the generous windows that inspired architect Hannes Peer in the design of this scenographic yet intimate home. In a contemplative, concise, and refined language, from the initial moodboard - created together with the owners to define the desired atmosphere - Hannes Peer turned to nature: sunlit rocks, earthy tones, forest colours, wood with its texture and shadows.
In love with the concept of the Palimpsest, his nonconformist aesthetic is based on the layering of different architectural styles, underlining respect for historical elements as well as for contemporary design pieces, giving the entire project a highly eclectic character. Across all his projects, he creates an architectural dialogue between past and present and sometimes even introduces fictitious historical elements in order to further blur the line between the two.
The philosophy of the young architect, Milan-based by adoption and South Tyrolean by origin, has always given particular attention to pre-existing architectural structures and to the stratifications of time—those unique traces that tell the story of a space. This project, however, unlike previous ones, offered no significant traces or details to preserve, nor any heritage to protect. The building in which the apartment is located was constructed in the Art Deco style, but unfortunately no original elements of this style remained in the apartment, as a violent renovation in the 1980s “swept away” any detail specific to the period. The architect nevertheless ingeniously attempted to recreate a certain lost historicity through bold architectural choices as well as through the interior design of the apartment.
Unexpected details are inserted into the layout: “Inglesine”, the horizontal birch-wood window mullions, a typical element of Rudolph Schindler; the boiserie deliberately recalling the wooden furniture designed by Mallet-Stevens for Villa Cavrois; or “Palladiana”, the terrazzo finish pattern, a motif present in the entrance hall of the building, later reinterpreted and brought into the apartment interior. Peer distributed the nearly 200-square-metre space across an L-shaped plan, where a fluid succession of versatile spaces communicate visually while simultaneously ensuring intimacy.
The entrance features a curved wooden boiserie element, creating a moment of anticipation before the living room is revealed. The dining area and kitchen then unfold, facing each other, followed by two living zones arranged in succession and separated by a bookshelf specially designed for this project.
Materials have been orchestrated with great elegance and constitute the key element in achieving the desired atmosphere. Brass for the kitchen, which becomes the golden jewel of the home; a refined composition of wall claddings defining the dining area; and a spectacular terracotta brick wall incorporating the fireplace—all these form the voices of a score that modulates close tonalities, alternates between gloss and matte, and transforms a rustic material such as brick into an extremely refined presence.
Roberto Ortello, managing director of the N°21, wanted a home that would be above all warm, welcoming, and equipped with a kitchen that truly functions as the “heart of the home”. As the client adds: “As a good Neapolitan, the kitchen is the real home for us, the place where the most important moments take place and where the family is built and strengthened. At first, the idea of an open kitchen did not appeal to us, but gradually I was convinced by our architect, although before reaching the current version we went through a long sequence of drawings and variations. Now, the house truly has a heart of gold.”
www.hannespeer.com
Photography by Helenio Barbetta
Words by Andreea Dicianu
Discover the full version of this story in Volume I.