Inside a Compact Milan Apartment Shaped by Colour and Texture

Located between Milan’s Central Station and the Porta Venezia district, this 50sqm apartment sits within a classic 1930s “Vecchia Milano” building. When Andrea Giovanni Rossi and the team at Atelierzero took on the project, the irregular plan and recent low-quality renovation limited major structural changes. Instead, the redesign focused on colour, texture, and materiality, treating the home as a sequence of connected micro-spaces. Each area is defined by its own palette, flooring, and atmosphere, turning constraints into a layered, urban interior that feels considered rather than compromised. Below, we break down five key design decisions that shape how the apartment looks, feels, and functions.

1. Storage That Starts at the Door
2. A Hidden Kitchen That Disappears into the Corridor
3. Low Bench That Anchors Daily Life
4. A Bathroom That Reads Like an Artwork
5. Custom Lighting and Switches That Make Interaction Part of the Design

1. Storage That Starts at the Door

Rather than treating the entrance as a leftover space, Atelierzero turned it into a bold, immersive threshold. Wrapped in a warm orange tone that echoes colours from the shared stairwell, the entry reads as a defined room rather than a corridor. Mosaic Factory cement tiles, custom-designed for the project, give the floor texture and graphic presence, while a full-height, custom-made wardrobe absorbs coats, shoes, and everyday clutter. A pair of Il Disco steel wall lamps designed by Atelierzero under their brand De Rerum, along with a concealed LED strip above the wardrobe that washes light upward, add warmth and a soft, ambient glow.

2. A Hidden Kitchen That Disappears into the Corridor

Faced with an irregular plan and a kitchen that wasn’t meant to be a focal point, the architects carved a discreet niche into the corridor to house a linear kitchen that almost disappears when not in use. Finished in a soft wisteria tone - a subtle nod to colours found on the walls before renovation - the cabinetry reads more a piece of built in furniture than a utilitarian workspace. A flip-down shelf conceals the tap and worktop, allowing the kitchen to function as a sideboard when closed. Integrated LED lighting provides task light when needed, then vanishes from view.

3. Low Bench That Anchors Daily Life

Running along the living room window, a custom low bench quietly performs multiple roles. It supports the dining table, provides extra seating, acts as a surface for the television and objects, and conceals generous storage within its drawers. Finished in a decorative Abet laminate, the bench nods to the radical design language of 1970s Superstudio, introducing pattern and personality without overwhelming the space. Its low profile keeps sightlines open to the street and surrounding buildings, allowing the room to feel both grounded and expansive, a true anchor for everyday life.

4. A Bathroom That Reads Like an Artwork

Instead of hiding the bathroom behind neutral finishes, Atelierzero treated it as a visual moment within the apartment. Floor-to-ceiling glossy tiles in a rich green and white create a striking composition that feels more like an installation than a purely functional space, especially when glimpsed through an open door. Vertical striping adds rhythm and scale, while dark resin flooring grounds the room and connects it to other transition zones throughout the home. To allow daylight to filter through into the otherwise enclosed space, fluted glass panels were introduced. The ribbed texture softens views and diffuses light, giving the bathroom a gentle glow and reinforcing its role as a feature space rather than a hidden utility.

5. Custom Lighting and Switches That Make Interaction Part of the Design

Rather than treating lighting as a fixed element, Atelierzero designed it to move with the life of the apartment. Above the dining table hangs a custom lamp created under their De Rerum brand, made from red steel to echo the table’s structure below. The fixture can slide and shift along its track, allowing the table to move, expand, or be reoriented without needing to reinstall the light. This same attention to interaction carries through to the apartment’s switches. Large-format designs by  PLH Italia punctuate the walls like small tactile objects, chosen for their colour combinations as much as their feel, turning everyday actions into moments of material awareness.

Together, these five design details show how Atelierzero approached the apartment as a sequence of experiences shaped by colour, texture, and experience. Beyond the moments highlighted here, the home is full of quieter details that deepen its character: resin floors that soften transitions between rooms, shifts in colour that signal changes in mood, and materials that reference Milan’s layered urban identity. Rather than relying on a single defining move, the renovation unfolds through a series of bold and thoughtful interventions, expressed in colour, material, and carefully calibrated moments that reveal their quality through daily use.