How An Architect Couple Live Small In a 41sqm/441sqft Milan Apartment Designed For Family Life

Sitting on the north-east edge of Milan, overlooking a vast park and the Naviglio Martesana canal, is Casa Nuoro. Ylenia and Andrea were drawn to the home for its proximity to greenery, while still within reach of the city. As Andrea puts it, "it's like living in the countryside." And this offered the best of both.

Redesigning the apartment through Andrea's practice ATOMAA, the once dark, enclosed layout became a flexible, light-filled home for the couple, who have since welcomed their son, Aris. With light and expanse as the priority, the kitchen and bathroom were relocated for fluid movement through the space. Yet even with all the changes, the original colourful 1960s flooring was preserved – part of the reason they fell in love with the apartment in the first place. Grounded in the past, the home has since evolved into a bright, characterful space for a family of three. What Andrea describes as “A beautiful challenge”.

1. An Entrance That Stores and Flows 
2. A Living Room with Character and a View
3. A Stainless Steel Kitchen at the Centre of the Home
4. An Open Bedroom with Flexible Privacy
5. A Hidden Bathroom That Borrows Light

1. An Entrance That Stores and Flows 

The entrance remained open and was made even more organised. One of the few remaining original walls became a soft pink storage unit, anchoring the space and concealing electricals, keys and everyday pieces — including shoes for the current season. On the opposite side, a mirrored cupboard, complete with an integrated light, is both for "checking out" as Andrea says before you leave, and for storing seasonal wear like jackets. Above the front door, a small ventilation window, original to the building, also remains – allowing air and light to filter through while maintaining privacy just inside.

2. A Living Room with Character and a View

Right next to the entrance is the living area, focused out towards the balcony and the park below – one of the main reasons Ylenia and Andrea bought the apartment. The furniture inside is both bright and adaptable. The pink sofa shares the same base as the side table and can shift its cushions and stretch out into a guest bed. When not in use, a tree lives on top of the table, while a painted yellow circle on the wall behind plays the rising sun. Above, open shelving and a patterned statement sliding timber panel, inspired by Italian architect Ettore Sottsass, conceals the air conditioning unit. In front, the generous storage continues with a bookshelf made by Ylenia during her studies at university, repainted to match the flooring. It holds everything from sketchbooks to Polaroids and, most importantly, the radio, which is in daily use. Underfoot, the original terrazzo-style marble tiles were kept – "we avoid tabula rasa," says Andrea, that is, a blank slate, "it loses the taste of the house."

3. A Stainless Steel Kitchen at the Centre of the Home

Opposite the south-facing park windows is the long stainless steel kitchen, a space dedicated and destined for constant use. Thoughtfully layered storage throughout keeps the zone child-friendly, while the stainless steel countertop welcomes wear as part of the material's evolution, finished with marble detailing above, cut from an old broken table. A former fridge space became additional bench space, and was once the baby changing station – the shelving above ideal for keeping necessities within arm's reach. Beneath the opposite windows, storage stretches out, while outside, automatic blinds were added for multitasking ease to keep the kitchen bright, functional and still very much the centre of the home.

4. An Open Bedroom with Flexible Privacy

Originally walled off, the bedroom now flows directly from the kitchen through full-height sliding panels, finished in the same Sottsass style. When open, westerly light travels deep into the apartment; when closed, a calmer, private space – important for the family’s differing sleep schedules. Inside the bedroom, the sliding doors function as full-height mirrors, while the cabinetry from the kitchen continues this time as wardrobes, divided into three sections, one for each family member. Above the bed, more storage conceals an air conditioner, and behind the bed, another painting of a setting sun, facing Aris's moveable cot.

5. A Hidden Bathroom That Borrows Light

Hidden behind another Sottsass pattern ceiling-height panel is the bathroom. With the interiors finished in a soft purple and green with steel-framed glass panels, the palette is calm in what is the most inward room in the plan. With no external windows, Andrea and Ylenia introduced two internal ones — one pivoting south-facing window, and another fixed west-facing one — allowing steam out when opened and light in throughout the day. The compact space also integrates a washer-dryer, a built-in concrete sink finished in resin, and a shower that doubles as a shallow bathtub, ideal for baby baths, after the kitchen sink got too small.

When people ask Andrea and Ylenia if they will have to change the space now that they have a growing child, they say, "Why rush?" For now, this apartment offers exactly what they need, which, as Ylenia says, is "quality”.