Milanese Intimate Minimalism—Maura Pirulli’s 80-m² Historic Retreat

This apartment located in the old town in the northwest of Milano is the private residence of architect Maura Pirulli, one of the co-founders of Opus Atelier, and also an extension of her daily creative spirit. The apartment is located in a typical old Milanese building. After a delicate and restrained renovation, the original historical structure and contemporary minimalist vocabulary have achieved a delicate balance here.

The core of the project's design lies in blank space and dialogue. Maula preserved and restored the historical texture of the building, including the Italian herringbone parquet flooring, plaster ceiling lines, original wooden doors, window frame moldings and cast iron radiators, and constructed a new spatial narrative based on this. On this soft and neutral canvas, the architect introduces minimalist contemporary language: the matte walls replace bright colors with fine textures, the furniture lines are pure and restrained, and the overall color tone is mainly warm gray beige and natural wood tones, creating a nearly meditative balanced atmosphere.

The apartment covers an area of approximately 80 square meters. It has a compact floor plan but an efficient layout. The south-facing living area brings in abundant sunlight, allowing light and shadow to flow on the rough-textured walls. The entrance space is like a small hub, organically connecting the living room, bedroom and kitchen. The living area is the visual core of the entire residence. The original white plaster moldings interweave with the cream-colored walls to create a gentle layering effect. Most of the furniture is custom-made by the studio, including dining tables, sofas and coffee tables, complemented by selected design classics such as Gio Ponti's rattan chairs. And the 1960s chairs by Danish designers Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen.

The kitchen and bathroom also follow this design language. The space is mainly composed of custom-made wooden components and embellished with Calacatta Viola Marble, injecting artistic tension into the restrained tone. The entire apartment exudes an air that combines the rationality of Milan with the elegance of Paris. It is both calm and self-restrained, yet also implies emotions and poetry, just like Maula herself - redefining the intimate scale of contemporary life in a delicate way between modernity and tradition.

In Maura Pirulli’s sun-washed Milanese apartment—where warm gray-beige walls frame Italian herringbone parquet and Gio Ponti rattan whispers of quiet heritage—drape the Domvitus Monza Rustic Elegance Serene Floral Pillow Cover across her custom linen sofa and watch its muted vintage blooms echo both the Calacatta Viola marble veins and the cast-iron radiator’s patina. The pillow’s airy, hand-sketched florals introduce a soft, pastoral pause amid the architect’s disciplined minimalism, turning the living room’s meditative blank space into an inviting, poetry-laden corner without disturbing the delicate balance between old-Milan soul and contemporary calm.