In a 1960s building on Milan’s historic Via Cenisio, this apartment enjoys a privileged view over the new CityLife district, which unfolds along this urban axis all the way to the outer ring road. It belongs to a woman in her 40s who, after living abroad for many years, decided to put down roots in Italy. Despite not being originally from Milan, she picked the city as her new base, asking Federica Poggio and her husband Marco Orto, founders of Icona Architetti Associati, to help her create an urban sanctuary.
‘When we first met, she had just returned from a period spent in India — an experience that held deep spiritual and personal significance for her,’ recalls Federica. From their first site visit, she could see the apartment’s potential, thanks to its elevated position surrounded by mature trees which brought in light, shade and natural ventilation.
Her client asked for a generous living area to host friends, with a separate dining space that could be connected to the kitchen. They developed a concept of a living-dining-kitchen ‘as a fluid ensemble of functions that coexist coherently and elegantly’ she explains. A central, pivoting piece of furniture — accessible from both sides — would house the TV and bookcase, becoming the focal point of dialogue between the spaces.
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But first, they completely reimagined the spatial layout, reversing the functions so the original bedroom became the new dining area, and the kitchen turned into the home’s entrance. They managed to add a study-guest room and a second bathroom, plus a laundry area. ‘From the entrance, one is immediately immersed in the living space, which opens toward the Via Cenisio façade,’ says Federica, ‘here, the greenery of the trees enters the home, becoming an integral part of the project.’
The demolition phase revealed a treasure beneath the tired wooden flooring: precious sections of the original ‘graniglia di marmo’ flooring which Federica and Marco decided to preserve and enhance.
This discovery ended up informing the new layout; the kitchen and dining area were positioned precisely where the historic flooring was found, bringing the apartment’s original soul back to light. This original element now converses with the new herringbone parquet, laid continuously and separated by stone inlays, as seen on the TV wall.
Fitting all the required functions into a limited footprint without sacrificing comfort or spatial quality was a major challenge, one which the studio addressed by custom-designing the majority of the furnishings and creating softly curved volumes to guide the journey from the entrance to the living area.
Balancing modernism and exotic warmth, the material and colour palettes — terracotta, indigo, saffron, milk and mint, paired with oak and restored terrazzo — stems from the client’s love for green and turmeric tones, linked to Indian culture and cuisine.
‘We brought indoors the greenery visible from the terrace inside, and balanced it with light flooring in warm, golden hues,’ says Federica, adding ‘in the bathrooms, we were more daring: a midnight blue inspired by Indian textiles and geometries for the main bathroom, and a decorative covering for the guest bathroom that recalls the circular patterns of henna, symbols of continuity and infinity, reinterpreted through Mediterranean-inspired ceramics.’
Federica is particularly proud of ‘the play of curved lines, the sense of surprise upon entering and the project’s ability to blend an Eastern-inspired aesthetic with a 1960s Milanese context’.
While their client was involved throughout the project, she also maintained some distance in order to preserve the element of surprise at the end. Federica recalls the emotion of the final handover day; ‘the home exceeded her expectations, to the point that she fully recognised herself in the space.’
Through listening carefully to their client, working creatively within the limitations of the space and responding to the traces of the building’s past that remained, they’ve created a home that feels rooted yet cosmopolitan. ‘She was looking for empathy: she wanted the project to translate her inner journey, cultural influences and need for wellbeing into a tangible, intimate and authentic space. What emerged ultimately became her nest.’ iconaarchitetti.com
