Design Milk

Raw and Refined: Inside a Renovated Brutalist Apartment in Rome

A Brutalist-inspired apartment in the suburbs of Rome in Tor de’ Cenci recently received a complete renovation by STUDIOTAMAT. Designed for a lawyer couple, the project consisted of renovating the 120-square-meter apartment, along with a coveted 40-square-meter terrace. The Casa Rude residence overlooks the Castelporziano Nature Reserve offering both wooded and sea views, an ideal locale after years of living in small apartments in the heart of the city. Now, their space is filled with natural light, original character, and modern conveniences.

“What guided us in the design was the desire to enhance the distinctive features of the unique terraced building, dating back to the 1980s, which houses the apartment. We wanted to restore fluidity to the spaces, encourage the opening, and the discovery of pre-existing materials and details, on which to set a new vision,” says STUDIOTAMAT co-founder Tommaso Amato.

The main living area is designed much like a open plan loft with unfinished walls and the support structure’s exposed concrete visually connecting the spaces.

Paired with the original Brutalist details are a variety of tones, textures, and materials that add up to a visually enticing space. The roughness of the terracotta tiles on the oval island and concrete pillars are juxtaposed with the smooth Patagonia marble countertops that connect the two.

A custom dining table with a Shou sugi treated wood top rests on a black base and a glossy red ceramic leg for a sleek look.

A large, multifunctional birch wood cube is built to hide the pantry, hold coats, provide storage, and house a TV.

A wall of perforated bricks separates the living room and home office allowing natural light to pass through. A custom desk extends out from the built-in shelves and is held up by a circular red wheel, complementing the dining table’s leg a few feet away. The wheel allows the desk to roll along on a track to a new position.

A pivoting door visually separates the public areas from the sleeping area, which houses a main bedroom with ensuite bathroom, and a guest room.

In the primary bedroom, sliding ribbed glass doors offer privacy to those in the bathroom while allowing light in.

The large terrace features an outdoor kitchen, seating areas, dining space, and outdoor shower, all of which benefit from sunset views.

Photography by Serena Eller Vainicher.

Design Milk

Flote + Opus Give a Modern Edge to Group Seating

Comfort and high design collide in Hightower’s new Flote and Opus seating collections. Both are distinct and delightful with contemporary yet timeless aesthetics and the shared feeling of being embraced.

Flote brings the support, comfort, and easy relaxation of a pool float to its sofa and lounge. The team at Hightower went through extensive prototyping during the design phase to create that just-right sit. The Flote Sofa features a generous seat that’s large enough to seat three adults comfortably, making it a great fit for a group setting, whether that’s in a commercial or residential setting. Both the Flote Sofa and Flote Lounge bring a sense of lightness to users, with their curves, extended lumbar support, and inspired details making both easy to love.

Make Flote your own with unique seam and finish options. With the choice of an oversized welt, chunky zipper, or classic double-needle stitch, the collection can be customized to suit any space on the spectrum, from traditional to trendy.

Opus is Hightower’s contemporary take on the classic club chair that’s as comfortable as it is beautiful. Minimal and versatile, its seating can provide a sense of seclusion with its small footprint. The collection includes a chair and a lounge chair, both with a metal frame and upholstered seat and back.

Both designs feature a slender frame that adds a visual lightness, and either can be utilized in a conference room or at a dining table, complementing any aesthetic while doing so. Opus allows the rest of the space’s design choices shine while providing a classic yet modern edge. Choose from numerous finish options to make this collection work in spaces of all uses and sizes.

Bring together Opus’ simple style by taking advantage of optional contrasting fabrics on the back and seat, as well as custom frame colors. Whether it’s monochrome or high contrast, this collection makes it work and looks good doing it.

To learn more about Flote or Opus seating, visit hightoweraccess.com.

Design Milk

Vipp Goes Outdoors With the New Open-Air Collection

There’s something new this spring at Vipp, the brand’s first outdoor furniture collection – Open-Air – has been released! Like its name, the design of the furniture visually depicts the lightness and soft shapes of durable materials that are meant to be used outdoors. The collection includes a chair, a dining table, a lounge chair, lounge tables, and sofas that pull directly from Vipp’s refined indoor furniture pieces. Open-Air matches the same durable craftsmanship, timeless design, and attention to detail that can be found throughout the brand’s history of molded metal.

The collection is characterized by strong, lightweight grey powder-coated aluminum. The strong silhouette created is then complemented with rattan, teak, and outdoor-friendly textiles. Details in teak will naturally age to a soft grey with time, fitting in well with the existing neutral palette. The seats are filled with quick-dry foam and covered in an Italian Ten Stars yarn textile that is water and UV resistant.

To learn more about the Open-Air collection, visit vipp.com.

Design Milk

Cobra Studios’ Decor Thrives on Surprise + Charisma

Architect Kenny Decommer and scenographic designer Hugues Delaunay have otherwise been known as Cobra Studios since 2020. The Brussels-based duo work together to bring creative, sculptural furniture pieces and interiors that overflow with color, material, form, and texture to life. The studio recently launched a series of chairs, tables, lamps, sofas, and curtains. Initially designed for a specific space in the Art Deco SHELL building near Brussels Central Station, the collection can be combined with other pieces previously released by Cobra Studios for an inimitable aesthetic.

Cobra Studios’ manufacturing process for the series includes reusing and recycling materials and objects – including leftover resin stock – to bring these new pieces into the world. The original elements of the Art Deco SHELL building include travertine, marble, and concrete and have been combined with latex, clay, stainless steel, foam, resin, velvet, and aluminum. The end result is a surprising, charismatic, and chic visual experience that retains an air of fun.

To learn more about Cobra Studio’s furniture and lighting, visit cobra-studios.design.

Design Milk

The BOB Sofa System Continues Expanding Its Versatility

Blå Station is once again adding to the brand’s BOB Family – times three! BOB Solo, BOB Biz, and BOB Corner, each designed by Stefan Borselius and Thomas Bernstrand, have the ability to make the office a more versatile, worker-friendly space with their presence. Without further ado, let’s explore the details behind the designs.

BOB Solo gives one the ability to roam about at will, thanks to a set of wheels underneath its base. Two padded screens enclose the sides of the cubicle, leaving the seat and armrests on the interior. “BOB Solo is a room in the room, a nook for privacy,” says Borselius, who together with Bernstrand created the fully independent addition. A small table in massive oak is the ideal size for a laptop, book, and documents, while smaller shelves, coat hooks, cupholders, and a foldable steel table are also within reach when needed. And if your worry is connectivity, rest easy knowing there are no extension cables in BOB Solo’s design. Instead, a detachable power bank wirelessly charges smartphones, laptops, and the BOB Light Mini.

For those times when you need to collaborate in the office, there’s BOB Biz. A great setup for face-to-face meetings, brainstorming, and more, the padded screens help to create an enclosed space with good acoustics where work gets done. Versatile and flexible, BOB Biz can accommodate anywhere from two people up – just keep adding sections to increase the size. The padded screens are available in both open and closed designs.

BOB Corner is an important addition to the adaptable BOB sofa system because it now adds the ability to create 90-degree angle connections. It also allows for plants, tables, and more to be inserted into the system for better workability. BOB Corner is available as a square seat with backrests that will join together in the chosen direction.

To learn more about BOB Solo, BOB Biz, and BOB Corner, visit blastation.com.

Design Milk

LAUN’s Sculptural Ribbon Collection Is Growing

Known for their California-inspired furniture designs as much as their architectural practice, Los Angeles-based design studio LAUN is expanding its outdoor Ribbon Collection. Two new pieces – the Ribbon Curved Sofa and the Ribbon Curved Bench – are joining the family of aluminum furniture. Modular in design like the rest of the collection, the curved sofa and bench can be moved around to create various seating situations to suit your needs. They were created by experimenting with the proportions and forms of the original Ribbon collection, allowing for the further expansion of its capabilities.

To learn more about the new additions to the Ribbon Collection, visit launlosangeles.com.

Design Milk

ONSEN Wins Wallpaper* Design Award for Best Outdoor Lounge

“The ONSEN collection is very simple and blends well with diverse architectural spaces. We developed it with the intention of transmitting calm, like Japanese architecture. We are inspired by rationality, by geometry, and elemental shapes that do not need heavy ornamentation,” said designers Francesco Meda and David Quincoces.

When Wallpaper* announced their 2023 Design Awards winners, Gandiablasco’s ONSEN came out on top in the “Best Outdoor Lounge” category. The iconic collection is lightweight, practical, and cozy – all things Wallpaper* considers when choosing ideal outdoor furniture. Smart decisions were made throughout the series’ design that features calm, clean, refined lines borrowed from elements of Japanese architecture.

ONSEN’s materials are chosen just as carefully, with efforts taken to maintain their natural properties. The structure of each piece is constructed from uncoated stainless-steel tubes, with the rest of the design employing repetitive vinyl straps resembling leather. Highly resistant and functional, the collection wraps up with two low coffee tables using the same steel. For their surfaces there’s a choice between thermos-lacquered aluminum – Gandiablasco’s flagship material – or iroko wood slats.

To learn more about Onsen, visit gandiablasco.com.

Design Milk

This Motorized Sofa Wall Bed Unfolds in Under 15 Seconds

When you have limited space, every square inch matters during the day and at night, which is why a wall bed is a great option for those who want reclaim that precious real estate once they wake up. The daily lowering or putting away the bed can seem like a cumbersome chore though, so we can see why a motorized version like Resource Furniture’s Tonale two- or three-seat sofa wall bed would be so appealing. In under 15 seconds, the bed silently opens out or folds up with the push of a button. Because a bed is no small object, automatic sensors detect if an obstruction is in the way, whether it’s an item, pet, or person, for added assurance of safety. With its clean lines, tapered steel legs, and kaleidoscope of available leathers and fabrics, Tonale looks stylish during the day with added functionality during the night for much needed rest.

For more information on Tonale, visit resourcefurniture.com.

Design Milk

Fungi Forest Toile Comes for the Le Bambole Capsule Collection

In her first-ever interiors collaboration, British eco-conscious pioneer Stella McCartney worked with B&B Italia on a series that launched at Art Basel Miami Beach. Based on both’s shared values of sustainability, the Le Bambole capsule collection features a hand-drawn “Fungi Forest” in a dark red and white toile print. The upholstery pattern was pulled from McCartney’s Summer 2022 runway collection, and can be seen adorning the exclusive Le Bambole armchair and Granbambola 3-seater sofa. In reimagining Mario Bellini’s armchair, McCartney was able to experiment with a designer’s work she loves while also celebrating Le Bambole’s 50th anniversary with B&B Italia.

Five decades after its introduction, Le Bambole has evolved using innovative design elements that contribute to its comfort and environmental footprint. The capsule collection brings together the quality and durability of B&B Italia with responsible materials and construction choices that are in line with McCartney’s eco-conscious mission. The new Le Bambole is designed to be fully disassembled, allowing for easy repairs when necessary and a circular end-of-life process to do the least harm.

While the original construction used a metal structure wrapped in polyurethane, the updated versions employ a recycled polyethylene frame, elements in polyurethane foam, and thermoplastic elastomers. These are encased in recycled polyester fabric beneath the upholstery to give Le Bambole its iconic shape, comfort, and breathability.

The capsule collection also introduces sustainable innovations developed by B&B Italia’s R&D team. Happily, Le Bambole’s upholstery is made of 100% biodegradable and toxin-free polyester that leaves no harmful microplastics in the environment. It’s produced using 25% bio-based, 75% petroleum based feedstock and made in audited mills which follow the strict OceanSafe Compliant standards, and the ink used for the print is Oeko-Tex® certified.

To learn more about Stella McCartney x B&B Italia three-piece capsule collection, visit bebitalia.com. They are available for purchase in all B&B Italia direct, mono-, and multi-brand stores globally as well as online.