An Italian Apartment Riffs on a Mies van der Rohe Masterpiece
A block of deep green Verde Alpi marble and a glass-encased winter garden are all that divide the space.
A block of deep green Verde Alpi marble and a glass-encased winter garden are all that divide the space.
You can find Giuseppe and Elena Dilena’s home on the top floor of a 1930s apartment building in northern Italy. Designed in the Liberty style (an Italianate variant of Art Nouveau), the building resembles many of its neighbors in the historic center of Udine, a city about 30 miles from the Adriatic Sea. But in the attic, the couple has converted a loft-like space into a miniature homage to an icon of 20th-century design.
A jagged staircase leads up to the roof terrace of Giuseppe and Elena Dilena’s penthouse apartment in Udine, Italy. Made of black-painted iron, it contrasts with the sumptuous block of Verde Alpi marble just below it.
Photo by Gianni Antoniali
The minimalist aesthetic in the open-plan living room is softened by leather and wood furnishings. Other than the Michel Effe sofa by B&B Italia, the room is outfitted in vintage pieces, like the Eames lounge chair, ottoman, and Model A stool, all from Vitra. The fireplace is by Gyrofocus.
Photo by Gianni Antoniali
"My wife and I are both very passionate about architecture and design, although I would say we are just hobbyists," says Giuseppe. "We love the local Liberty style, but we’re also quite passionate about modernists like Mies van der Rohe."
Photo by Gianni Antoniali
See the full story on Dwell.com: An Italian Apartment Riffs on a Mies van der Rohe Masterpiece
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