ENGLISH TEXTS.

Peace and quiet, over the edge

FIVE DIFFERENT BUILDINGS IN MILAN BECOME JUST ONE THANKS TO A RENOVATION THAT REDESIGNS VOLUMES AND PURPOSES. WHERE LIGHT AND HARMONY CALL THE SHOTS. Serene harmony: this is the first impression when visiting this sumptuous home. Maybe it’s the garden in Japanese style, the majestic presence of rooms flooded with light, the delicate but forceful contrast between milky white and dark brown tones. The peaceful atmosphere is protected by a park around the villa, scented by roses, along paths leading to the green setting of the nearby countryside. This refuge for a couple in the country near Milan has been made by combining five different buildings, completely gutted and redesigned. A gigantic project that required organization, vision, and in-depth knowledge of the needs of the clients. The job was done by the interior designers Angelo Brignolli and Antonio Feraboli of Studio Linea, relying on the collaboration of the architect Paolo Guarneri for the restructuring, the artist-photographer Antonio Mazzetti for the lighting design and several decorative works, and Cristina Marini, for the delicate details in the installation of marble facings and wood panels. The merger of five different volumes created a sort of big empty box, on four levels, to design from scratch, starting with the entrance with white walls and marble flooring, an ideal backdrop for an aluminium sculpture by the artist Lorenzo Quinn. The Deco-style balustrade was made by Studio Linea in lacquered oak and gilded brass. From the entrance a corridor leads to a large studio with a glass ceiling and one wall open to the garden. Here Brignolli and Feraboli have chosen a desk that can become a table, a Chesterfield settee in white leather and a large sofa covered in chenille that also functions as a bookcase. The living area on the first floor features greater chromatic freedom and elegant furnishings. perfect example of the industrial architecture of the 1940s and 1950s. We kept various interior elements like the elevator, the staircase, the high ceilings on the ground floor, the basement where I have created a wellness zone with a small swimming pool that transforms an old industrial vat. The most important change was the insertion of a level for our studio, which also involved reinforcement of the structure». In the house, the large ribbon windows have been preserved as a continuous panoramic opening that wraps the entire dwelling. Elisa, Giovannoni’s wife, also an industrial (and interior) designer, explains: «Behind this transparency along the perimeter of the building, we have created a series of open and closed “shells” that contain the various functional zones, our bedroom, those of the children, Stefano’s music room. The fulcrum is the large living area featuring the presence of

the king-size island designed by Francesco Binfaré». Other interesting factors include a central micro-garden and the elegant kitchen designed by Elisa. We should also mention the upward extension of the house into what was once the water tower, with an outdoor lounge area and a guestroom. And the dramatic use of color.