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Italian studio AIM has designed a compact, multi-level apartment interior in Milan organised around a floor-to-ceiling Verde Alpi marble partition.

Created in collaboration with local marble artisans Bianco67, AIM Studio used the wall to divide the various functions of Green Nest, aiming to create an elegant backdrop for a dynamic domestic experience.

“The design challenge [for] Green Nest was to combine the compact size of the dwelling with the desire to create inviting, functional and representative spaces pleasant to live in at all times of the day,” AIM Studio told Dezeen.

“We were looking for a single gesture to characterise the apartment [and were] inspired by the idea of a majestic wall [running] through the heart of the house,” the studio continued. “This massive element, both because of its solid presence and its intrinsic beauty, is the focal point on which the entire design revolves.”

Full height glass divider in Green Nest Apartment by AIM Studio in Milan — The fluid living spaces can be divided by an operable ribbed glass door

The marble partition was constructed as a permeable threshold between the apartment’s lower level living spaces and a staircase leading to the habitable roof terrace above.

Designed as a single, fluid area, the main living room and bedroom can be separated by full-height ribbed glass doors.

Green Nest Apartment by AIM Studio in Milan — The studio used the marble wall system to host functional storage and compartment spaces

AIM Studio sought to meet the practical requirements of small-footprint living by using the Alpi marble to conceal a series of deep storage compartments.

“More than a monolith, the volume is an inhabited wall whose thickness is continuously perforated, crossed and interrupted to host the different functions of living,” AIM Studio said.

“[It] was designed as a precious shell but [leaves] nothing to chance in terms of containment and management of the space. Every compartment, every opening, has been designed [for utility].”

Behind the marble partition, the staircase to the rooftop terrace was completed with a central lightwell to draw natural light into the space below.

The studio also integrated large windows into the main living area to encourage an interplay of light on the reflective marble surface and to evoke a chiaroscuro-like effect.

Suspended kitchen system inside Green Nest Apartment by AIM Studio in Milan — The compact kitchen was formed by suspended travertine joinery

Tucked into a corner of the living room, the kitchen was demarcated by suspended travertine joinery and an embossed mirror feature wall.

Neutral-toned fixtures and restrained furniture pieces were selected to balance the apartment’s modern aesthetic and emphasise the drama of the green marble.

“We conceived this project as a search for authenticity; a minimal but at the same time welcoming and functional design created through natural, precious [and] timeless materials.”

“We hope that this search for authenticity will be perceived by those who will inhabit these spaces and that it will translate into family atmospheres and elegant, but convivial, environments.”

Founded in 2012 by Claudio Tognacca in Milan, AIM Studio has projects spanning across architecture, interior design and product development both in Italy and internationally.

Other recently completed projects in Italy include Antonino Cardillo’s design for “a miniature palazzo” residence near Lake Garda and Humbert & Poyet’s interior conversion of a 16th-century Milanese chapel into a Beefbar restaurant.

The photography is by Simone Bossi

Reference

Interior Design

Alexander & Co carves out spaces for calm and play inside Pacific House

By Zarkon Group,23/01/2023

Australian architecture practice Alexander & Co has overhauled this oceanside home in Sydney to make it more suitable for family life.

Before its renovation, the five-bedroom house had a disjointed floor plan that was proving inefficient for its two young owners and their three children. Many of the rooms were also cut off from views of the garden and the ocean beyond.

“[Pacific House] was substantial in structure but devoid of spirit and certainly absent of any operational utility,” said Alexander & Co‘s principal architect Jeremy Bull.

Tasked with making the home a “functional engineer of family life”, the practice decided to carve out areas for activity and play, alongside spaces with a calmer, more contemplative ambience for the adults.

Breakfast nook in front of curved window — The cosy breakfast nook backs onto a curved window

At the heart of the plan now sits an expansive kitchen. All of the cabinetry is made from warm-hued American oak, while panels of a paler European oak were laid across the ceiling.

Jagged-edged pieces of Grigio Firma, Grigio Lana and Carrara marble were set into the kitchen floor.

Garden of Pacific House designed by Alexander & Co — Arched doorways open onto the garden

Inhabitants can eat at the central island or take a seat at the breakfast nook, which is tucked against a huge concave window.

Its form nods to the architectural style of P&O – an offshoot of modernism that was popular in 1930s Sydney and drew on the streamlined curves of Pacific and Orient-line cruise ships.

Dining room by Alexander & Co with muted colour scheme — Neutral hues were applied throughout the formal dining area

Two arched doors at the front of the kitchen grant access to the garden, where there’s an alfresco seating area.

A new swimming pool was added in an excavation pit that had previously been created in the home’s driveway.

The rest of Pacific House’s ground floor includes a rumpus room for games, parties and recreation, plus a sophisticated dining area decked out in neutral hues.

There’s also a spacious living area with Mario Bellini’s Camaleonda sofa for B&B Italia, which looks out across the ocean waves.

An Afghan rug printed with abstract shapes and a couple of triangular marble coffee tables add to the more fun, graphic look that the practice sought to establish in this room.

Living room interior of Pacific House designed by Alexander & Co — The living area is arranged to prioritise ocean vistas

Spaces become slightly more muted on the floor above, which is accessed via an oakwood staircase.

In the principal bedroom – which features another P&O-style curved window – walls are rendered in concrete.

Grey terrazzo and marble was used to cover surfaces in the bathroom, clashing against the pattern of the grey mosaic flooring.

Bathroom interior by Alexander & Co with pattern-clashing greyscale surfaces — The primary bedroom has a curved window and a greyscale en-suite

Alexander & Co has completed a number of other projects in Sydney including an Italian trattoria and most recently its own studio, which is housed in a converted Victorian-era residence.

Formal workstations are built into the building’s basement, but the remaining residential-style floors accommodate a kitchen, living room and library where staff can brainstorm ideas.

The photography is by Anson Smart.

Reference

mobius architekci carves dune-shaped residence into lush hillside site in poland

Architecture

mobius architekci carves ‘dune house’ into lush slope in poland

By Zarkon Group,12/10/2022

Dune House by Mobius Architekci

Architecture firm Mobius Architekci has completed its latest residential project called ‘Dune House’ near Warsaw, Poland. Nestled in green meadows and surrounded by lush forests, the house features a distinctive curved silhouette reminiscent of a sea dune, rightly giving the project its name. The curved shape, which the Polish architects characterize as a harp, stretches across the hillside and follows the line of the winding Narew River.

nestled in green meadows, the house features a distinctive curved silhouette | all images courtesy of Mobius Architekci

Cubist forms and sharp lines emerging from an organic residence

Lead architect Przemek Olczyk of Mobius Architekci carved the building into the hillside of the site, creating a modern and spacious residence of over 1,500 square meters. The expansive structure that rises gently from the slope undergoes defragmentation inside the organically shaped body. Cubist forms, and sharp lines, cut out the semi-open atrium, providing intimacy and allowing light into permeate the interior.

Dune evokes futuristic imagery, though it harkens back to the minimalism that the Polish studio has used for years. From the perspective of the river, the building appears to be a monolith. The balance and completeness of the space are also achieved through the materials used: white plasters and stone quartz sinter.

cubist forms and sharp lines cut out the semi-open atrium

glass box ‘periscope’ and automated technological features

The house captures light while providing shelter from the burning sun, allowing residents to be indoors and outdoors without barriers or separations. The design ensures the intimacy of the house’s inhabitants while being open and free from functional architecture – a common approach and a feature of Przemek Olczyk’s projects.

Looking at the house from the river side, the architect placed the bedrooms in the right part; in the middle there is a living room with kitchen and on the left a recreation room. Also noteworthy is a glazed rectangular box placed on the roof of a one-story sprawling body. Like a periscope, it allows to look over the crowns of the surrounding trees. The house has two swimming pools, including an indoor pool and two helipads, a 300-meter running track and a mobile platform that allows free communication with the base of the hill. Many elements of the house are automated, which, combined with innovative technological solutions, directly affects the comfort of the home.

the house captures light while providing shelter from the burning sun

the curved shape stretches across the hillside and follows the line of the winding Narew River

Reference

carves

Monolithic green marble carves apartment interior in Milan by AIM Studio

Alexander & Co carves out spaces for calm and play inside Pacific House

mobius architekci carves ‘dune house’ into lush slope in poland

Dune House by Mobius Architekci

Cubist forms and sharp lines emerging from an organic residence

glass box ‘periscope’ and automated technological features

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