Riva Apartment
A 1930s Milanese apartment reopened to light, held together by walnut, travertine and quiet brass.
Brief & objectives
The owners, a couple returning to Milan after a decade abroad, asked for a home that would feel settled from the first day — generous for guests, calm for two.
The original 1930s plan had been fragmented by decades of small interventions. Rooms had lost their proportions, and the afternoon light no longer reached the heart of the apartment.
- Restore the original enfilade and let light cross the full depth of the plan
- Introduce a material palette that ages gracefully: walnut, travertine, unlacquered brass
- Design storage as architecture, not furniture
Process
- 01
Listening
Two weeks of conversations and shared references established a common language before a single line was drawn.
- 02
The plan
Non-original partitions were removed and the enfilade re-established, with services gathered into a thick functional wall.
- 03
Matter
Full-scale mockups of the walnut panelling and stone junctions were reviewed on site with the artisans.
Studies & material
The result
From the client
“Diana gave us back rooms we did not know the apartment had. Every detail feels inevitable.”