In 1966, Arnaldo Pomodoro turned to Ettore Sottsass to renovate his apartment in the center of Milan. The pioneering architect behind Memphis design immediately thought of it as “a space devoid of colors but, at the same time, capable of conveying a sense of warmth.” Sottsass’s renovation featured absolute white, rigid and square shapes, and internal partitions distributed around imposing perimeter walls. Some 60 years after it was completed, the postmodern icon has shaped the design of another apartment, this one in the heart of Piacenza.
“I thought of a space that, although it has a muted palette, would still convey a sense of peace, order, and warmth, just like the ‘non-house’ designed by Ettore Sottsass for his friend, the artist Pomodoro.” Architect Deborah Vermi introduces her latest project as a light, monochrome space of geometric shapes. Located in a historic building overlooking a 17th-century church in Piacenza’s old town center, the 807-square-foot apartment was designed for a young couple who share a passion for traveling and who, as Vermi points out, “have chosen to live in an environment where minimalist design is capable of housing all the different memories from their travels.”
The goal of her project was to transform the apartment’s existing imperfections, Vermi explains: “The load-bearing columns along the perimeter of the living space became the common thread of the entire renovation. What previously was awkward became the defining characteristic of the space.” Initially, the apartment was ringed by reinforced concrete pillars (part of the supporting structure). New elements were custom-designed with an obsessive attention to detail. The use of natural materials, neutral colors, and high-quality finishes contribute to a feeling of intimacy, while the careful arrangement of spaces promotes fluidity and harmony.
Irregular walls have been transformed into the key design element of the project: the integrated niches and recesses create storage spaces that are in dialogue with one another, calling attention to the apartment’s walls in the best possible way and visually eliminating elements that broke up the space. “The result,” Vermi says, “is an environment that welcomes and responds to the needs of those who live in it, with a design that embraces the uniqueness of each individual detail.”
Vermi says her favorite area of the apartment is undoubtedly the living room. “When the sun begins to slip towards the horizon, light floods the space with a soft golden hue.” The sun’s rays fall on the furniture, selected with this moment in mind. The wood pieces light up, revealing warm tones that enhance natural grain, almost as if it were alive. Every detail of the room engages with the light. Every object and every surface takes on a new intensity. The design merges with the soul of the home, transforming a space into a unique experience.
