My Houzz: A Light, White Family Apartment With a Serene Vibe
All-white décor is given depth and warmth thanks to masses of texture and verdant houseplants in this city home
In downtown Milan, there’s a home you wouldn’t expect to find: it’s clear, bright, filled with unconventional design and surrounded by greenery. Not a sound can be heard from the street. White is the dominant colour, from the floors and walls to the furniture, fabrics and accessories, and it’s filled with light.
Like a fantastic secret, Laura Dragotti’s apartment is hidden from view. To get in, I passed through the entrance of an Art Nouveau building and, once in the courtyard, took the lift to a suspended walkway on the first floor – a small, green jungle overlooked by several apartments. From below, you can’t see anything. I stepped through a small gate and entered the last apartment, the largest one.
See 12 ways to bring houseplants into your home
See 12 ways to bring houseplants into your home
A beautiful French door welcomed me. From there, I could see Dragotti sitting at her desk, already at work in the early morning. She’s the owner of the Riad Food Garden, a young Milanese club established only a year ago that’s become a place that combines a passion for plants, great hospitality, and good food.
The first time Dragotti saw the apartment was about five years ago, in a completely unexpected way. That day she was visiting a friend’s house across the street from the property. Looking out of the window, she spotted the building, a former bowls club, under restoration, and it was love at first sight.
“I was lucky enough to buy this apartment in its rough state and I could decide on everything, from the space division to the choice of materials,” she says. “I chose to almost completely open the kitchen into the living area. Now they’re only separated by a three foot wall, so as to visually expand the space. I also decided to paint everything white, the floors and ceiling beams included, to get a brighter effect.”
Why did she choose an all-white interior? “Because Milan is grey!” she says.
“I was lucky enough to buy this apartment in its rough state and I could decide on everything, from the space division to the choice of materials,” she says. “I chose to almost completely open the kitchen into the living area. Now they’re only separated by a three foot wall, so as to visually expand the space. I also decided to paint everything white, the floors and ceiling beams included, to get a brighter effect.”
Why did she choose an all-white interior? “Because Milan is grey!” she says.
Dragotti has an artistic background: she graduated from the Brera Academy in Milan and has personally supervised the renovation and furnishing of her home.
The apartment is a large, open space divided into different areas. The dining area is located at the entrance, overlooking the terrace. It consists of a glossy white Capriata table by Horm, which is extendable, so ideal for hosting friends for dinner.
The kitchen, the only room where Dragotti kept the dark flooring, is the natural continuation of the dining area. The dividing wall between the two spaces, which is about a metre high, has been transformed into a comfortable counter and lets the communication between guests and those who are in the kitchen flow.
Tour a classic kitchen in a glazed extension
Tour a classic kitchen in a glazed extension
Everything here is white or off-white, from pots to appliances, including the Smeg fridge-freezer.
The living area faces the fireplace. There’s a sofa from the Ghost range by Gervasoni (shown in the first picture). “It’s the one and only sofa I ever wanted to have in my home,” says Dragotti. “I love sitting on the floor,” she adds, hinting at the floor cushions scattered on the Moroccan rug.
The vegetable fibre chair standing in front of the sofa is the Crinoline model by B&B Italia, designed by Patricia Urquiola, a beautiful piece that Dragotti fell in love with. Its ‘twin sister’ – with a slightly lower and less decorated back – is on the terrace.
The vegetable fibre chair standing in front of the sofa is the Crinoline model by B&B Italia, designed by Patricia Urquiola, a beautiful piece that Dragotti fell in love with. Its ‘twin sister’ – with a slightly lower and less decorated back – is on the terrace.
Over the sofa there’s an unusual chandelier, created by twisting a ceiling beam with simple electric wire, from which the bulbs hang. It’s the brainchild of Dragotti, who created it herself.
An old carpenter table repainted in white has now become a desk full of beloved objects: little metal boxes, old scissors gathered at markets from all around the world, and the unavoidable succulent plants – Dragotti’s passion.
An old carpenter table repainted in white has now become a desk full of beloved objects: little metal boxes, old scissors gathered at markets from all around the world, and the unavoidable succulent plants – Dragotti’s passion.
The TV area, hidden but adjacent to the living room, is simple and elegant. In place of sofas are soft woollen mattresses by Mimma Gini Tessuti, which can transform into beds to accommodate the children’s friends.
The service area completes the living room, with its small laundry and bathroom.
The service area completes the living room, with its small laundry and bathroom.
The staircase leading to the upper floor is unusual: the risers are covered in pieces of toile de Jouy fabric in shades of green, blue and beige. The canvas of Jouy are fine printed fabrics that were produced in Jouy-en-Josas, near Versailles, in the 1700s and were an imitation of Indian ‘chintz’, which was in vogue at the time.
These versatile canvases, with their typical monochromatic prints on a white or beige background, are still nowadays synonymous with timeless elegance.
These versatile canvases, with their typical monochromatic prints on a white or beige background, are still nowadays synonymous with timeless elegance.
On the bright walkway that welcomes us to the second floor, there are the two children’s rooms with wrought-iron beds by Cantori; the bathrooms and the master bedroom are also located up here.
The owners bedroom is as simple and white as the rest of the rooms. Natural fabrics, with soft colours ranging from white to grey-blue, cover the canopy bed by Orizzonti, while hiding the storage underneath as if they were curtains.
A stack of books enriches the room and becomes an object of furniture, together with a little wrought iron chair and some fish hanging from the canopy beams.
This home is full of details, all very loved and hunted for with care. Dragotti’s favourite item is the ‘castle’, an iron cage made by Vox Populi Décoration from Avignon, a precious gift from her husband.
In the kitchen, you’ll find Moroccan lanterns, glazed earthenware containers for cooking tajine – the traditional North African dish with a strong aroma – and wicker baskets scattered everywhere, used for storing utensils.
There’s also a small, old family wardrobe that belonged to Dragotti’s great grandparents, originally made of dark wood but now stripped and repainted in a creamy white.
Breezes travel freely throughout the apartment, which is surrounded by vegetation. In addition to the first floor terrace, where you find the Crinoline outdoor chair by B&B Italia, there’s another one on the top floor, which overlooks the master and children’s bedrooms.
This wide open space is rich in plants and vines, cages, coloured iron birds, and small greenhouses for succulent plants. This is where the family loves to spend the summer: on the terrace you can have lunch and rest in a hammock hidden from the view of neighbours.
So where’s Dragotti’s favourite corner of the apartment? “The four of us are almost always in the kitchen,” she says. “But my favourite corner is the space in front of the fireplace, which in the winter is always burning.”
This wide open space is rich in plants and vines, cages, coloured iron birds, and small greenhouses for succulent plants. This is where the family loves to spend the summer: on the terrace you can have lunch and rest in a hammock hidden from the view of neighbours.
So where’s Dragotti’s favourite corner of the apartment? “The four of us are almost always in the kitchen,” she says. “But my favourite corner is the space in front of the fireplace, which in the winter is always burning.”
Before leaving I had the chance to befriend Arsenio, the Thai cat (an ancient ancestor race of the Siamese) with big blue eyes, the fifth occupant of this home. Vain, as he should be, he struck a pose and then ran away to sleep in the sun.
Are you a fan of all-white interiors? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Are you a fan of all-white interiors? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here Laura Dragotti and Roberto Pistolesi, their two adolescent children, and Arsenio, the cat
Location Milan (a stone’s throw from Via Piave), Italy
Property A two-storey apartment
Size 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Year renovated 2010