In Milan in 1954, well before Stefano Boeri’s Vertical Forest, the ‘Green Palace’, a residential complex so nicknamed by the Milanese of the time due to its lush internal and external vegetation, created by the Hungarian architect Béla Angelus (Budapest 1903 – Milan 1993) in collaboration with the engineer Raffaele Merendi. The two designers introduced the innovative concept of creating a connective tissue by overlooking an internal green space, created thanks to the creation of one of the first underground garages.
It seems like an ancient story but it isn’t that old, not only because the building is still greener than ever but also because the story continues and becomes current. THE’apartment which belonged to Béla Angelus, who went to live in the complex, was the subject of a recent renovation created by the architect Emanuele Durola. This is a large four-room apartment of 200 m2 with double facing and with a classic internal planimetric system: a long corridor with a comb-like distribution of the different rooms on both sides.
Architect Durola’s main objective was to respect the historical legacy of the apartment with some conservative interventions, such as the recovery of the original floors and the marble fireplace with mosaic, and other design interventions aimed at adapting the house to the needs of contemporary living.
The kitchen, created by Giacomo Moor designed by Emanuele Durola, it is maintained as a separate environment, has the original terrazzo floor and new doors that recall the Serliano arch, in homage to Piero Portaluppi.
The living room in front was recovered with a thoughtful fusion of elements of the timelike the boiserie wall, the singular cmarble amino with mosaic and the decoration of the ceiling, and with the introduction of new architectural components, including the double Serliano arched openings, to expand the connection and diffusion of light between the rooms, and furnishings. “The same original path – says the architect Durola – he appears in one of the family shots of the time, published on Instagram from her daughter Margaret Angelus who has been reconstructing his father’s archive for years. I don’t have direct anecdotes because the previous owner didn’t belong to the family but I found an interview with Corriere della Sera in which Angelus spoke of her father’s enthusiasm in the creation of this complex, of which he had also designed the interiors of 10 apartments. Al Center for Higher Studies on the Visual Arts of the Sforzesco Castle several documents, books and drawings on the work of the architect Béla Angelus are preserved.”
The choice of furnishings also followed the same guidelines, some original furniture from the 1950s with contemporary items and some custom-designed but always with a design inspired by the great masters of the 20th century.
The double bedroom has a wall decoration reminiscent of arched openings which goes well with the Vertigo Nova Noir pendant lamp by Costance Guisset for Petite Friture. The children’s rooms fit well into the context despite winking at the Nordic design. The bathrooms have maintained the typical perimeter layout of the time out of respect for the project and its historicity but have been democratically adapted to eliminate the hierarchy between the intended uses guest and owner.
For the bathrooms, washbasins from the Calla line by Ideal Standard, taps from the Giò Ponti collection by Mamoli, arched mirrors and custom-made furniture were chosen to maintain the style of the 1950s but with a contemporary restyling.
The project by architect Emanuele Durola is an excellent example of how one can intervene while respecting the history of a house and its predecessor, while introducing a discreet and personal touch of modernity.
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Source: living.corriere.it
