In the heart of Desio, Italy, a modest 700-square-foot apartment has been transformed into a place of connection and emotion. The name of this renovation project is tribute to the moonled by Studio ParadisiaArtificially With the creative guidance of a stylist Giulia TaglialatellaAs a tribute to the deep relationship between a mother and daughter. A home that is designed to reflect the reunion, parenting and intangible relationships that connect two generations of women.
The project began with a daughter’s request to make space for her distant mother – a gesture rooted in love and longing. With two lives rooted in feminine duality revolving around each other, separate but intertwined, the concept is much like the celestial bodies in a cosmic dance. Designers approached this task not as observers confined to walls but as storytellers, weaving a tale of connection, empathy and shared dreams.
Instead of imagining traditional interiors, the design team envisioned a metaphorical garden – a sanctuary where the boundaries between the outside world and the inner self blur. Here, architecture is not only functional but also symbolic, providing a psychological space where residents can reconnect.
The project begins with red clay floors, which provide warmth and stability to the space. Above, a geometric pergola rises, depicting life with a circular fountain in the centre. This fountain, a round rug with an astronomical map engraved beneath its surface, binds the house to an astronomical narrative, reminding its inhabitants of the cosmic forces that shape their lives.
Each element within the space speaks to the subconscious. The lush greenery of the topiary hedges form the “walls” of the home, a nod to the fluid and ever-changing nature of human thought. Open cages scattered throughout symbolize the liberation of the mind, while keys hanging from the branches invite contemplation: will you choose to stay within familiar boundaries or open up new realms of possibilities?
Where greenery and soil do not dominate, an ethereal whiteness takes over – a representation of clouds that fill the space with lightness and peace. The apartment, although physically compact, becomes spacious, inviting its inhabitants to explore not only its corners but also its depths.
As evening falls, the tour leads to a hidden sanctuary within the garden – the Nymphaeum, a place of water and peace. Here, time appears to stop, providing a moment of introspection and rebirth. In this tranquil area, the feeling of home is fully manifested: a place not only for living but also for transformation and self-discovery.
At the heart of this project lies a tribute to the Moon – a symbol of intuition, mystery and the feminine essence. The moon, with its ever-changing phases, reflects the fluidity of human emotions and the complexity of the mother-daughter relationship. The poetic invocation of the moon, read in the imagined sanctuary, captures the essence of this relationship:
Oh, moon,
I have crossed valleys and rivers to reach you.
I have slept on the bare ground and under the watch of an owl.
The more I searched for a way to find you, the more I became lost.
It was you who asked me to lose myself so that I would know there is no one way;
There are many.
The creatures of the night guard your secret.
Queen of intuition, queen of dreams. You defy logic.
I abandon myself to the oblivion of your hypnotizing gaze.
The more I run from the unknown, the more I want you.
The love you have for me is not a warm embrace but a fleeting caress.
Not a clear image, but a mysterious vision.
The silver mirror shows your face, but it was only a magic.
I walk under your opaque veil, carrying the illusion of drinking from your fountain.
Then you silently disappear, and everything becomes quiet around me.
I keep looking for you in an endless circle
In an endless cycle I find my shadow.
Like a maid loyal to her queen
I come back to you wrapped in the mystery of your icy light.
The moon becomes a metaphor for the elusive but magnetic pull of the unknown – a reminder that life’s deepest journeys are often the ones that take us into uncharted territory.
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by photography Valentina Sommariva,
