STYLE REVIVAL
Changing the floor plan was the key to creating a family-friendly home for Matteo and Carlotta Braga
A family-friendly layout and pared-back schemes lend modern elegance to a flat in Milan
The apartment Matteo Braga set his sights on very nearly passed him by and, were it not for his wife, Carlotta, the family might have found themselves living elsewhere. With Carlotta expecting their first child Pietro, who is now two years old and has been joined by baby Emma, the couple were eager to find a larger apartment. ‘We were looking for about a year before we landed on this one,’ says Matteo. ‘The owner had a buyer lined up, but when his wife met Carlotta she reminded her of her own daughter. She fell in love with her and decided to sell the apartment to us instead,’ he recalls.
The new apartment was a mere few hundred metres from where the family previously lived in the Porta Venezia district of Milan. ‘I love this part of the city and I can cycle into the centre in 10 minutes,’ says Matteo.
The apartment itself is on the fifth floor of a turn-ofthe-century building, and Matteo was impressed by its proportions and the craftsmanship of its original wood panelling. But the property was not without its drawbacks. ‘The old-fashioned floor plan wasn’t suited to modern family life and the apartment had a dated look,’ he explains.
Matteo enlisted the help of his friend, interior designer Barbara Vergnano, who in turn commissioned architecture firm Superluna. By opening up previously boxy, enclosed spaces, a large sitting-dining area was created, two small
bathrooms became a large bathroom and the kitchen was entirely redesigned. ‘In total contrast to the rest, we made it a functional black box in the centre of the apartment with modern digital appliances,’ says Matteo.
‘The apartment had been decorated in dark yellow shades that I hated. Now it is mostly white and neutral to make an elegant shell for both inherited and new pieces of furniture,’ says Matteo. Restoring the original features was a priority for Matteo and Carlotta, and they visited auctions with Barbara to find pieces that would suit the period. Leaving the rooms fairly sparse, the couple wanted the furnishings to have enough space to make an impact. ‘We didn’t want to fill the place with too many things,’ says Matteo. ‘We prefer to wait to find pieces that fit perfectly.’
Family time is spent around the little breakfast table and, more surprisingly, in the bathroom. ‘We opted for a large bathroom as Carlotta practises yoga in there and the children love bath time. Maybe in the future we will change this, but at the moment we use this room a lot,’ he reveals.
The original parquet floor was restored, with Moroccan Berber rugs defining the spaces with delightful softness. Wall panelling has been brought back to its original splendour and is a feature to be admired in its own right. And, like the rest of the eight-month renovation, it deserves to be a great source of pride for Matteo and Carlotta.