What happens if the imagination of an architect and the dreams of two globetrotting artists meet? The result is a apartment-poster where creativity reigns supreme, but which also maintains a deep connection with the place to which it belongs. That place is Milan, chosen in 2020 by the owner couple, previously based in Los Angeles, as a starting point for a new life. Let’s talk about Phil America And Jenny D. Pham: artist, creative director and activist for him, marketing manager in the fashion sector for her. The two recently joined forces to create Objects Are By: independent homeware brand which well represents their nomadic spirit.
The showcase house of a couple of artists in Milan
The showcase house of a couple of artists in Milan
The first time they set foot in this apartment in via Eustachi, between Porta Venezia and Città Studi, the couple was not particularly impressed. Yet there was something in the high ceilings, in the light and in the dimensions – 180 m2 – that hinted at enormous potential, behind the dusty appearance of the whole. To bring it out you needed the touch of an architect capable of experimenting and tuning in to the needs of the clients, and this is how it comes into play Massimiliano Locatellifounder of Locatelli Partners studio. What is asked of him is to make this home not just a space to live in and in which to recognize oneself, but also the operational headquarters and showcase of the newborn brand. First of all, therefore, the architect intervenes on the layout, transforming what was a bedroom into Jenny’s new office.
The showcase house of a couple of artists in Milan
The showcase house of a couple of artists in Milan
The office projects onto the living room through arched passages edged with iron and echoed by mirrored doors, tracing the emphatic and evocative profile of a colonnade. «The rhythm of the arches recalls the entrance to the palace», explains Locatelli. «It is an operation that I would never propose elsewhere, but here it is in harmony with the context and makes sense. My idea always starts from understanding where you are and then framing the intervention.”
The showcase house of a couple of artists in Milan
The showcase house of a couple of artists in Milan
Again to immerse ourselves in the identity of the place, the house retains the original grit tiles, which dot the entrance and the corridor on the night side, while Jenny’s bathroom features large slabs of green seminato (photo below). As for the furnishings, many bear the signature of Locatelli himself, such as the bookcases in the study, on which some of the ceramics from the Objects Are By collection, and all the wardrobes, including those in the guest bedroom, a small intimate room that recalls the cabin of a train or a ship, where the hostess loves to take refuge.
The showcase house of a couple of artists in Milan
The showcase house of a couple of artists in Milan
The couple’s passion for design and love for Italy finally passes through some iconic pieces that complete the environments, including the Taraxacum chandelier and the Camaleonda sofa in the living area. And if you passed through these parts during Design Week, perhaps you were also lucky enough to sit on that sofa: the couple in fact opened the doors of their home, on the occasion of the launch of the brand, with a collection dedicated to the subway of Milan.
www.locatellipartners.com
Elisa Zagaria is an author who has transformed her greatest passion into a job: researching and inventing stories. What she talks about for Elle Decor, as a freelance collaborator, features dream homes, personalities, events and symbolic places of our time. And then there are other stories, in the form of novels and especially screenplays, that she writes for television, waiting to become rich enough to be able to buy one of those dream houses.
