Chic and simple city life: A 60sqm apartment to copy

Sana Salam Sana Salam
Via Castaldi - Milan, Fabio Azzolina Architetto Fabio Azzolina Architetto Modern houses
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On today's 360°, we explore a sublime apartment in Italy's fashion capital Milan. Staying true to the heartbeat of the city, this newly renovated apartment effortlessly blends fashion and functionality. The project was undertaken by Fabio Azzolina who have retained certain structural features from the earlier version – such as the overhead wooden beams and exposed brick walls. 

Right off the bat, the architects had a rather substantial challenge awaiting them – a carpet space of only 60sqm! Instead of only opting for an open-floor plan, they also made a decision to stick to a single colour palette – white. Needless to say, not only does the space look contemporary and fluid, it also makes the apartment look way, way larger than its actual size. Too much white can end up looking clinical, but in the able hands of these architects, this serene city apartment looks like a stylish boutique hotel with tons of appeal. 

Artsy vibe

Along with white, the architects also decided to go the minimal route – a style that also reflected the owners' personal tastes. By paring things down while at the same time keeping it chic, a sense of spaciousness is achieved. The south-facing windows ensures that the area is flooded with light during the day. The high ceilings with the white-painted wooden beams invites your gaze toward it, giving the impression of a larger space. The brick wall, also painted in white, acts as a focus wall of sorts and has been used to display works of photography, adding another layer of chicness. 

The kitchen and dining areas were combined and the black benches at the end of the room make room for more guests in this limited space. 

Minimalist cool

The combined kitchen and dining area are definitely the heart of this small apartment – did you expect anything less in Italy? The kitchen here is as minimal as it gets, but still retains a sense of warmth thanks largely to the wooden flooring and the clever lighting. Notice how knobs and handles are almost completely done away with, creating a clean look. This is further aided by everything being tucked away inside the kitchen cabinets. Organisation is key when it comes to small kitchens! 

If you're struggling with a small kitchen, speak to our experts who can help you make the most of the space available to you.

Break the monotony

As we mentioned earlier, an exclusively-white palette can go downhill quickly. One of the ways that was avoided here was by adding strategic pieces of art and pops of colour. The bedroom in this apartment also doubles up as a study. One of the first things you notice here is of course the amount of natural light pouring in! With that kind of help, the architects only needed to make slight adjustments to ensure the room looked larger. Apart from the cheerfully-upholstered armchair and the wall-mounted art work, the room is almost completely clad in white. Small touches like the metallic hanging lamp add a modern vibe to this understated space. 

Minuscule spaces

By now, you've probably noticed that those cheeky little floating shelves in bright yellow appear in every room – this not only provides a much needed burst of colour but also utilises awkward corners and nooks such as these that would otherwise have been wasted. Plus, it provides storage space!

The sublime white palette continues in the bathroom where the shower stall takes up less space than a conventional bath tub. By cladding the shower stall walls in tiles instead of drywall, a sense of openness is created in this teeny-tiny space. A recessed wall-to-wall mirror also visually elongates the bathroom as well as provides more storage space. 

Attention to detail

We'll leave you with a closer look at the details in this lovely little apartment. The hutch dresser provides a slightly traditional touch to the otherwise contemporary apartment, and also doubles up as a tiny workstation when needed. This along with the wishbone chairs were painstakingly sourced from local boutique stores. A closer look at the photographs reveal how an otherwise empty wall has been given visual appeal. Not only do these fairly large photographs provide an anchor for the other items in the room, its effective scaling also helps to make the room appear larger!  

If you enjoyed this, you will love 9 simple steps to a perfectly Zen bedroom

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