In the living area, a Franca Helg Primavera lounge chair with rattan seat joins Sergio Bicego’s Pixel sofa; the wool-silk rug is Claude Cartier Studio’s Dentelle Hexagone.
When members of an art-inclined family planned their return to Italy after nearly a decade living in New York City, they sought to meld the best attributes of both locales in their just-purchased flat. “The design marries Milanese elegance with New York’s boldness,” reveals Matias Sagaria, whose studio, Sagaría, completed the project in Milan. He was a natural fit for the transatlantic endeavor: The Italian-born architect, an alum of Tonychi and Associates and Roman and Williams, lived in the Big Apple full-time for a decade and now maintains offices in both cities.
In the Chinatown district, the 2,152-square-foot loft spans two levels of a historic building. “The neighborhood blends the city’s traditional charm with a cosmopolitan spirit,” Sagaria notes. With the owner couple working in photography and art investment, the interiors needed to match their lifestyle. “The clients desired a space that mirrored their essence: warm, inviting, yet reflective of their dynamic professional lives,” Sagaria continues. He formulated a colorful composition that blends high design and skillful local craftsmanship with focused moments of irreverence. “We were looking to challenge conventional proportions and redefine elegance,” he explains.
The apartment’s upper-level office overlooks the ground-floor entry below, animated with Taher Asad-Bakhtiari’s silk-and-cashmere Archer rug.
Glass portholes (at both child and adult height) and painted stripes accent the door leading to the kids’ bedroom.
Jean Prouvé’s Standard chairs pull up to a vintage table in the kitchen/dining area, illuminated by Paolo Rizzatto’s 265 swing-arm sconce.
On the L-shape lower level, which houses the free-flowing kitchen/dining/living area in one wing and the children’s bedroom in the other, furnishings and fixtures are assembled much like an abstract painting. Embracing the public zone’s spatial openness, Sagaria selected pieces with assertive lines and zingy colors that can hold their own—and be easily rearranged to make new compositions. Arrayed on the living area’s graphic-patterned rug, a shapely Franca Helg Primavera chair and omnidirectional Sergio Bicego Pixel sofa conjure a Memphis feel. Vibrant, red-dyed parquet floors and a custom green-painted scalloped cornice provide an artful frame for the space.
The signature crimson continues up the staircase to the second level containing the main bedroom suite and a mezzaninelike work studio. “We believe in creating spaces that are not only functional but also deeply emotional and profoundly personal,” says Sagaria, who designed several pieces of furniture and custom millwork—including the office’s desk and shelving—to complete the immersive environment and help tell the story of the cosmopolitan family and their vibrant past. That approach is characteristic of the firm’s idiosyncratic methodology, where form is less function-driven and more often wielded to tell a rich tale. “Our role,” Sagaria concludes, “is to weave narratives that are as grounded in technical precision as they are in poetic imagination.” Mission accomplished.
In the living area, a Franca Helg Primavera lounge chair with rattan seat joins Sergio Bicego’s Pixel sofa; the wool-silk rug is Claude Cartier Studio’s Dentelle Hexagone.
Panels of cane webbing are set into the entry’s built-in custom cabinetry; the marble-based side table is Shane Schneck’s Bowler.
Leif Jørgensen designed the main bedroom’s steel Connect bed, serviced by custom nightstands and accented with Pappelina’s wool Vera blanket.
The adjacent office is furnished with a custom desk and shelving and Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec’s Officina chair.
The main suite’s wardrobe area sports a space-saving foldable fabric door and a customized IKEA dresser.
A trio of Michele de Lucchi’s Dioscuris light the main bathroom. product sources from front
CC-TAPIS: RUGS (ENTRY, LIVING AREA).
HAY: TABLE (ENTRY), BED (BEDROOM).
BONACINA 1889: LOUNGE (LIVING AREA).
SABA: SOFA.
MOROSO: TABLE.
FOSCARINI: TABLE LAMP.
ARTEMIDE: FLOOR LAMP (LIVING AREA), TABLE LAMPS (BEDROOM, STUDIO), SCONCES (WARDROBE, BATHROOM).
VERY SIMPLE KITCHEN: CUSTOM ISLAND (KITCHEN).
VITRA: CHAIRS.
FLOS: SWING-ARM SCONCE.
PAPPELINA: BLANKET (BEDROOM).
MAGIS: CHAIR (OFFICE).
DOOOR: DOOR (WARDROBE).
IKEA: DRESSER.
CERAMICA GLOBO: SINK (BATHROOM).
NEWFORM: SINK FITTINGS.
sources throughout
KERAKOLL: FLOORING, WALL PAINT.
ZANGRA: FLUSH SPOTLIGHTS.
LAURA NAI: ARCHITECT OF RECORD.
EDILE FORESTIERE: GENERAL CONTRACTOR