Penny Apartment — Reviving a 1920s Milan Flat
Penny Apartment opens onto a light-filled 1920s shell in Milan, Italy, reshaped by designer Fiorenza Raja for a young family. The renovated apartment sets refined walnut, Verde Alpi marble, and dark cabinetry against playful color, neon lyrics, and musical art that trace the owners’ passions. Each room balances historic character with crisp, contemporary lines so daily life unfolds against a quietly theatrical, deeply personal backdrop.
Morning light slides across the herringbone floor and catches the pink neon script on the wall. A deep blue sofa anchors the living room while tall white windows frame the city beyond.
Within this 150 mq (1,615 sq ft) apartment in a 1920s building in central Milan, Fiorenza Raja orchestrates a renovation that turns heritage rooms into a tailored family home. The project pairs original elements and decorative ceilings with custom cabinetry in noce canaletto, planes of Verde Alpi marble, plissé glass, and black Fenix surfaces. Color, art, and music references spark through the interior, giving each volume a precise mood without breaking the overall calm.
The apartment reads as a sequence of atmospheres, all tuned through material and hue. Historic bones stay present, yet every built-in, from wardrobes to kitchen island, responds to specific routines, down to a discreet opening in the bathroom baseboard for the cat. The result is a refined, contemporary interior where warmth grows out of touchable textures and confident color choices.
Layering Old And New
In the main living room, original moldings and a delicate ceiling rosette float above pared-back furniture in saturated tones. The parquet floor runs in a classic herringbone pattern, its warm grain tying together historic walls and contemporary pieces. A pink neon sign, music posters, and a generous plant soften the orthogonal lines, bringing an informal rhythm to the room. Subtle brass wall lamps echo the building’s era while casting a gentle glow across the white envelope.
Dining Room To Hidden Kitchen
Past the sofa, a black dining table with woven-back chairs stretches toward a wall of plissé-glass doors. The glass slides open to reveal a dark, cinematic kitchen centered on a sculpted Verde Alpi marble island with rounded corners and strong veining. Matte black cabinets and counters recede visually, letting the stone volume act as a quiet focal point for both cooking and conversation. Walnut paneling wraps the adjacent wall, integrating appliances and a portal that cuts through to a teal-toned corridor and the rest of the apartment.
Color Blocking In Private Rooms
In the primary bedroom, a band of deep berry red closets and wall paneling rises from the floor, stopping mid-wall to leave the upper portion crisp white. The horizontal divide steadies the tall room, while an arched doorway softened by the same color leads toward the hall. A pale upholstered bed and light textiles keep the palette from feeling heavy, turning the strong cabinetry into a calm backdrop. Across the hall, bathrooms play with similar tones in more graphic ways, using tile and paint to mark distinct zones.
Playful Bathrooms And Details
One bathroom sets a tropical mural above the tub, parrots and lush foliage rising above white tiles and a warm wood floor. Fittings in brushed brass echo those in the rest of the apartment, tying the vivid scene back to the larger palette. Another bathroom pairs sage-green fluted tiles with blush walls and a plum vanity, topped by a round basin and mirror for a softer, everyday ritual. Here, a low arched opening at the base of the vanity quietly marks a route reserved for the family cat.
On the terrace, black rope armchairs and a low table face the open sky and the weathered stone balustrade of the old building. Shadows from the furniture stretch across the pale floor while the city hums just beyond. As daylight shifts from morning clarity to evening warmth, the apartment’s materials catch new tones, letting family life move through a house that stays characterful yet composed.
Photography by Simone Furiosi
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