Casa Moe | Etiam Studio

Casa Moe is an apartment located on the top floor of an early 1900s building along the Naviglio Grande in Milan. The southern exposition allows the natural light to penetrate through the five big skylights that dominate the roof.

The design emphasizes the personality of the owner, a young creative woman aiming to create a live-work space that embodies both minimal aesthetics and functionality. 

The entrance is pervaded by a welcoming C-shaped kitchen with a direct visual connection to dining area. The soft palette of the resin flooring creates a solid and relaxed foundation between the different living spaces. 

Although the existing structure of the house has been preserved as originally, the aim of the project was to exploit the different heights of the rooms and to benefit the lower perimeter part through the design and construction of a custom-made warm birch wood furniture that runs throughout the house giving continuity from the living area to the bathroom. 

The project incorporates a custom sofa design by Etiam Studio composed by two blocks that convert in a giant 2x2m bed by pulling the straps above. Its outdoor and camping aesthetics has been studied thoughtfully to allow guests to play with it and transform it according to their needs. 

The mirrored wardrobe closet built into the bedroom has been tailored to duplicate the brightness of the room decorated with a carved detail on top to hide the air split. 

The importance of giving value to even the smallest rooms of the house is clear in the bathroom decorated by rectangular 2D striped tiles and with a small hidden laundry room in the birch furniture. Nearby you can find a small porthole to hide the cat litter box. 

The house is sprinkled all around with historic design pieces as the Locus Solus chairs by Gae Aulenti in the dining area, the 606 Universal Shelving System by Dieter Rams in the entrance, the Applique Cylindrique by Charlotte Perriand x Nemo in the bedroom and some vintage pieces in the living area. 

The mix of the old and new tailored elements strikes a delicate balance between the respect for the past and a new identity for the future.

Ph. Francesco Spallacci