Few furniture companies are as synonymous with the Milan design scene as Molteni & C. It was its founders Angelo and Giuseppina Molteni who, in 1961, with a handful of other manufacturers, dreamed up the Salone del Mobile, the furniture fair that continues to transform the Italian city every year. The Molteni family’s headquarters may be based in Brianza (the historic home of Italian woodworking, which is just a short drive outside of the metropolis), but it has a spirit that is quintessentially Milanese.
It’s no surprise, then, that when Giovanni Molteni – current vice-president and grandson of Molteni & C’s founders – first viewed this apartment, located just a stone’s throw from the city’s legendary Duomo, there was an instant connection.
He had been visiting his sister, Giulia (the firm’s head of marketing and communication), when he came across the 1950s-built property back in 2019. Its position could not have been more perfect, but this mid-century find needed a complete renovation to make it ready for Giovanni, his wife Fiammetta and their two young daughters.
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So, who does Giovanni turn to when he needs to turn an apartment into a home? He keeps it in the Molteni & C family, of course! The man for the job was Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen – creative director at the brand since 2016, he has ushered in a hushed revolution, focusing on quietly beautiful design with multigenerational appeal.
‘I wanted to create a family townhouse in a style that was both conservative and informal,’ explains Van Duysen, who approached Giovanni’s home in a similar way to his in-house collections for Molteni & C, favouring natural materials and a neutral palette. The flooring throughout is made of oak, laid in a herringbone pattern, while the gallery-like calm of the whitewashed walls is occasionally broken by decadent marble – Breccia Capraia in the kitchen and bathroom, with touches of red travertino introduced via the ‘Vicino’ bedside table by Foster + Partners that’s placed in the bedroom.
The latter is just one of the numerous Molteni & C pieces that decorate this home; many of them classics. Of course, there is the ‘D.153.1’ armchair by Gio Ponti – a master of Italian design whose back catalogue of work Molteni & C began producing back in 2012 – but there is also contemporary furniture, such as Van Duysen’s own ‘Paul’ sofa (a piece Giovanni calls ‘iconic’).
This is not a showroom, though. Alongside Molteni & C designs, Giovanni and Van Duysen have selected gems by the likes of Jean Prouvé, Vico Magistretti and Konstantin Grcic. The shared commonality is that all of these pieces transcend trends.
Van Duysen’s intention for his tenure at Molteni & C is, he previously confided to ELLE Decoration, to create ‘the idea of slow design, characterised by timeless pieces passed on from one generation to the next’. This is a family home in which that ripple effect of good design can be felt more closely than in most – Giovanni grew up steeped in the story of Italian craftsmanship and, now, his daughters too are surrounded by future heirlooms. ‘The thought of them growing up surrounded by art and design brings us joy,’ says Giovanni. ‘We’ve been lucky enough to live many inspiring experiences, to meet great designers and to see many beautiful things. We are happy that we can give them the same opportunity we had.’
Designed and chosen with longevity in mind, the furniture in this apartment is unlikely to change, but this is not a static home. A dedicated art lover, Giovanni regularly frequents galleries, filling his walls with the work of the lucky artists who catch his eye (also championing them by displaying pieces in Molteni & C’s global showrooms).
Much like the roster of designers who have worked with the brand, his chosen artists include the innovative (Nina, the artwork by Gabriele De Santis above the sofa in the living room, for example, was made using trainer laces) and the introspective. The freehand sketches of buildings, also in the living room, are by Aldo Rossi, the Italian architect and designer who was a personal friend of the Molteni family. Clues to history and legacy are never far away in this home, but we think its future is in good hands. molteni.it
