Studio Apartment in Milan’s Navigli by AACM.

Italian practice Atelier Architettura Chinello Morandi (AACM) have transformed a typical studio apartment in Milan’s Navigli into a retreat from the looming metropolis while optimising its small footprint. Inspired by the bold shapes and dark atmosphere of Milan, the architects looked to build on this aesthetic, developing a reflection of the city through the apartment’s domestic intimacy.

A single charcoal element is inserted into the existing framework, containing utility spaces and emphasizing the entrance thresholds to the various rooms. Acting as a filter between the public and the private areas it disappears into the walls, becoming the architecture. This single envelope, covered in blackish resin compresses the monochromatic atmosphere and vibrates with gentle reflections in an evocative play of light and shadow.

Arches, archetypal of Milan, emphasise every threshold, giving rhythm to the succession of different rooms. The entrance, the hallway between the bedroom and the living room, and the vestibule are highlighted passages, acting as moments of transition into the domestic intimacy and forming different degrees of separation between the city and the home.

Complementing the insertion, the existing interior is kept thoughtful and restrained. Tan timber flooring and panelling interplay with white walls and little adornment allowing the impact of the black resin structure to be maximised while the small area feels open and uncontained.

AACM is a Padua-based architectural firm specializing in residential, public space and interior design. Simple materials and precise planning epitomise their distinct minimalist approach — a studio that seeks to find beauty in less.

Immersed in the spirit of Milan, this project has executed an austere formal vision with an emphasis on ritual. Simple in form and function, from the changes of scale to the arched passages of intimacy, a spatial spectrum between inside and outside has been constructed to creates a separation between the inner and the superficial. Bravo.

Related: Black & White Moscow Apartment of Designer & Artist Sergei Khrabrovsky.

[Images courtesy of AACM. Photography by Maria Francesca Lui.]