LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
“I love biking, no matter the weather nor the season. It’s the best way to enjoy the city and to look for a house to buy.This is where this story and my. This is where this story and my 5 shades of grey begin.”
I invited Marzio over for dinner. We became friends since when I photographed his house and I turned his furnishings upside down looking for objects and garments for the shooting.
He has a sweet and serene look in his eyes. He’s tall, nice and you can tell by his appearance that he knows how to enjoy life.
I like him.
So, in front of a tomato and basil spaghetti dish, we start chatting: “When I decided to look for a house, I biked through all the streets of the old city of Milan. I didn’t know exactly how it should look like, but one thing was clear in my mind: I wanted an old apartment in an ancient building.
The challenge was to modernize a period house without changing its structure. So, after a few months, there I was working on my new, but old apartment. It was love at first sight.”
Marzio sips his wine and smiles. Memories emerge: “The thing that most stroke me was the long corridor which broadens and divides the spaces with its perspective. At that point, I needed to emphasize this characteristic and I could only do so by using color.
I decided to use just one hue in different shades, depending on the room. Grey was without a doubt the most suitable color, that also created a contrast with the retro style of the apartment. I wanted each room to become a sort of box in which the ceiling, the walls, the heaters and the door and window frames displayed the same tone.
It is then that, without realizing it, the living room, the kitchen, the corridor, the bathroom and the bedroom became my 5 shades of grey.”
Alluding to the book that has been crowding bedside tables and beach towels for some years now, makes us smile.
One thing is for sure: the result is excellent. When you step into Marzio’s house you feel like the space is embracing you, and the objects he loves to collect and to surround himself with are just perfect and well-chosen.
The furniture is either custom-made or vintage, but characterized by a unique design to contrast, once again, with the period structure.
The use of black iron for the boiserie and for the fireplace in the living room is extremely interesting as it unusually and very successfully combines the classic grace of the structure with the modernity and material consistency of the iron.
In the evening, the light is soft, almost simulating the glaring of the candles, directing its warmth downwards.
This is clearly a very loved house, it looks like a shelter, a corner of the world where one can stop and meditate, relax and invite good friends over… maybe for dinner.
Now, before the main course – roast with potatoes: “What do you say, Marzio… Do you have any precious advice for my house?”
Stefania Giorgi