Jewel Box
Architectural Digest US|April 2024
Sumptuous textiles, bold patterns, and vintage treasures make designer Madina Visconti di Modrone's historic Milan apartment shine
HANNAH MARTIN
Jewel Box

Several years ago, jewelry designer Madina Visconti di Modrone was walking around Milan’s Cinque Vie neighborhood with her mother when they glimpsed a courtyard past an unassuming façade. “I would love to live in a palazzo like this one,” Visconti di Modrone recalls remarking. At mom’s urging, she asked the doorman if there were any units for sale in the building, a converted 17th-century convent. He grabbed a set of keys and took them for a look. “The apartment was completely destroyed,” she continues. “But I saw these super-high ceilings, the big windows—the rooms. And I could imagine it all in my head.”

The “it” of which she speaks is a diamond in the rough polished to perfection. “I wanted to really express myself,” Visconti di Modrone explains of the property, her first home purchase after years of renting. "So I really played. I had fun with it." Floors were restored using reclaimed boards, and a vacant hearth replaced with an antique fireplace. The elegantly timeworn walls, however, were left exactly as they were. "I wanted to preserve the feeling of the place," says Visconti di Modrone, who considered changing the original doors-she wasn't crazy about the bright blue glass-but eventually fell in love with them. And when she learned that she couldn't fit a soaking tub in the petite bathroom, she installed one in her bedroom, a decorating pivot fit for a 1920s starlet. "It's perfect. I take a bath every night."

Denne historien er fra April 2024-utgaven av Architectural Digest US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April 2024-utgaven av Architectural Digest US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST USSe alt
Top of the Heap
Architectural Digest US

Top of the Heap

Putting stone scraps to fresh use, Studio Raw Material mines the rich traditions of India’s western plains

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024
Raising the Bar
Architectural Digest US

Raising the Bar

With Italian homages and glamour galore, The Manner ushers in a new era of high-end hospitality

time-read
1 min  |
December 2024
Green Acres
Architectural Digest US

Green Acres

At Longwood Gardens, a bold update unearths wisdom old and new

time-read
1 min  |
December 2024
Ahead of the Curves
Architectural Digest US

Ahead of the Curves

A sinuous house by Snøhetta and Nicole Hollis dares to be different

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
Starting From Scratch
Architectural Digest US

Starting From Scratch

At the Manhattan home of designer Shawn Henderson, a blank slate gives way to a masterful mix of marvels, textures, and moods

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024
ICONS ONLY
Architectural Digest US

ICONS ONLY

In Bridgehampton, artist Daniel Arsham finds his groove within a rectilinear home designed by Jack Ceglic

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
gaining
Architectural Digest US

gaining

To update an underutilized landscape at Dia Beacon, Sara Zewde is digging into history, championing resiliency, and leaning into beauty

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
STYLE SUMMIT
Architectural Digest US

STYLE SUMMIT

Lauren Santo Domingo enlists Andre Mellone to help fashion a sophisticated ski retreat that defies tired decorative tropes

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
LIVING THE DREAM
Architectural Digest US

LIVING THE DREAM

In a historic London house, a stylish couple turn to Veere Grenney to help bring their vision to life

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
LABOR OF LOVE
Architectural Digest US

LABOR OF LOVE

With heroic help from around the world and an army of outstanding artisans, engineers, and architects, Notre-Dame de Paris prepares to reopen its doors TEXT

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024