Hasta La Ideas

The art nouveau-style chalet of Alessandro Mendini and an apartment in a 16th-century Neapolitan palace feature in Laura May Todd’s Italian Interiors: Rooms With a View. Here, the author shares 10 of her favourite projects from the book.

Published by Phaidon, Italian Interiors: Rooms With a View features 50 of “the most stunning homes across the country”, said Milan-based writer Todd of her second publication.

The book includes properties created by some of Italy’s most recognisable names, from late design pioneers like Mendini and Carlo Scarpa to contemporary film director Luca Guadagnino.

Todd aimed to celebrate the universal appeal of Italy’s design scene and highlight its distinctive yet varied visual language.

Ranging from minimalist to maximalist and historic to contemporary, the selection includes interiors that were previously unpublished in print.

Todd unpacks the myriad ways that Italians live and have lived, highlighting interior details including futurist-style ceramics, silk brocade walls and a large floating fireplace.

Accompanied by colour-drenched photography, the publication’s short essays highlight the significance of every featured interior.

In the run-up to next month’s fast-approaching Milan design week – the annual event where Todd originally came up with the idea for the book – we asked the author to select 10 of her favourite picks:

Casa Stella, Sardinia, by Alberto Ponis and Ivan Baj

“This cottage in the Costa Paradiso area of Sardinia, commissioned by the artist and glass designer Ivan Baj, was designed by the renowned architect Alberto Ponis. Though he was born in Genoa, his work was largely concentrated on the island of Sardinia, where he nurtured a profound connection to the local landscape and culture.

“Baj commissioned Ponis to create a home that harmoniously integrates with its natural surroundings. Named Casa Stella for its distinctive star-shaped footprint, the house is nestled among pink granite boulders overlooking the sea. Inside, massive rocks are incorporated into the interior, emerging from whitewashed plaster walls and granite-tiled floors.”

House in Liguria by Luisa Castiglioni, Maddalena Scarzella and Matteo Petrucci

“The architect Luisa Castiglioni designed and built this modernist retreat in the wooded hills of Liguria in the late 1950s. She and her close-knit cohort of intellectuals – mostly from Milan – created a vibrant community here, which they called Società degli Amici di Bocca di Magra.

“This home, one of three buildings on the property, features large windows framing views of the Apuan Alps and the Magra River, staggered interior volumes that create dynamic perspectives and built-in furniture of Castiglioni’s own design, including floating bookcases and a teak dining table.

“The home is now owned by her granddaughter, Maddalena Scarzella, who restored it to its original state in recent years.”

House in Milan by Vittorio Viganò, Wannasiri Kongman and Jesse Dorsey

“Following a move from Bangkok to Milan, the founders of luxury accessories brand BOYY found their ideal home in a 1970s apartment by the Italian brutalist architect Vittoriano Viganò.

“The two-floor space, located in the city’s Montenapoleone shopping district, opens onto a secluded garden – a rarity in Milan’s historic centre. Inside, Viganò’s striking design features remain intact, from interlocking plaster ceiling panels to a floating stone-and-cast-iron bridge leading to the entrance.

“They also curated an exceptional collection of Italian design classics, including a rattan armchair by Joe Colombo, a sleek red loveseat by Gastone Rinaldi and a dining room table by Viganò – paying tribute to the legendary architect himself.”

Apartment in Rome by Giacomo Balla

“Rome’s MAXXI Museum acquired the former home of futurist painter Giacomo Balla in 2021 and opened it to the public for guided visits.

“The apartment in the northern peripheries of Rome is a rare example of a Gesamtkunstwerk, in which Balla created or transformed each surface and piece of furniture in the home. Over the thirty years he lived there with his wife and daughters, he painted the walls, ceilings, and even everyday objects with pastel fields of floating colour, turning the space into a living canvas.

“From kitchen dishes to bed linens, every detail reflects his artistic vision, preserving a vibrant time capsule of the futurist art movement.”

Castello di Cigognola, Lombardy, by Renzo Mongiardino

“Perched atop a hill in the Oltrepò Pavese region, Castello di Cigognola began as a 13th-century watchtower before evolving into a grand estate. After a fire in the 1980s, the Moratti family enlisted decorator Renzo Mongiardino to restore their ancestral home.

“His design transformed the interiors into a whirlwind of colour and illusion – wood painted to resemble fabric, wallpaper mimicking marble and stencilled motifs climbing the walls – that remains untouched to this day.”

Apartment in Milan by Concorde

“The Milan apartment of Carlo Prada, the co-founder of design studio Concorde, is a clever subversion of the city’s restrained, bourgeois aesthetic. Set in a Liberty-style apartment building, the original parquet floors and ornate ceilings remain but subway-style rubber flooring, synthetic grass and PVC panels replace traditional finishes.

“A mix of design icons – like Enzo Mari’s transparent dining table – sits alongside religious figurines and Baroque portraits. The result is an unconventional domestic space where Milan’s classical elegance collides with contemporary grit.”

Cà del Cembro, Veneto, by Edoardo Gellner

“Located in the Dolomites of northern Italy, Edoardo Gellner’s Cà del Cembro blends alpine tradition with modernist principles.

“Constructed in 1951 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the five-storey building houses Gellner’s former apartment, where finely grained pine walls, a sculptural concrete hearth and expansive windows embrace the mountain landscape.

“Eschewing chalet-style kitsch, Gellner introduced bold geometric elements, including ceramic brick structures that blur the boundary between indoors and out. The result is a refined yet deeply connected mountain retreat, still occupied by his niece Eleonora.”

Apartment in Naples by Klaus Schuwerk

“Palazzo Carignani di Novoli, a 16th-century palace in Naples, was once home to the noble Carignani di Novoli clan. When German architect Klaus Schuwerk discovered a neglected apartment on its main floor he restored it, preserving original features while updating it for modern life.

“Schuwerk balanced the opulent Neapolitan aesthetic – sky-blue gilded doorways, embroidered silk panels and botanical motifs – with minimalist furnishings like Thonet chairs and a marble dining table.

“Historical touches such as blackened wood shelving and a green glass amphora subtly connect the apartment to the city’s rich cultural heritage.”

House in Puglia by Massimiliano Locatelli

“Architect Massimiliano Locatelli is well known for transforming unconventional spaces – his former Milan office was a floating glass cube inserted into a Renaissance church – and his holiday home in Puglia is no exception.

“Set in a former stone quarry, the low-slung building has been reimagined as an austere retreat, furnished with mid-century design pieces, antiques and Locatelli’s custom furniture. Described by the architect as a ‘luxury dormitory’, it houses eight identical bedrooms, each with an aluminium bed and the room number embroidered on the linens.

“Stark metallic elements, such as stainless steel cabinets and die-cast aluminium chairs, contrast with the grey Lecce stone floors while above, a lavish rooftop pool extends the living space vertically.”

House in Bergamo by Alessandro Mendini

“Mendini was a key figure in Italian postmodern and radical design, who created whimsical, colourful works influenced by philosophy, antique furniture and ancient cultures. His mountain house in Olda in the Italian Alps naturally reflects that playful yet academic aesthetic.

“The art nouveau-style chalet, resembling an iced gingerbread house, features pastel-painted walls, intricate carvings and patterned tiles. Mendini furnished it like a gallery of his own creations with eclectic pieces and his iconic Proust Chair, whose signature pointillist patterns appear throughout the house.”

The photography is courtesy of Laura May Todd and Phaidon.

The post Ten Italian interiors that reveal “the most stunning homes across the country” appeared first on Dezeen.