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The 1960s facade of Via Andrea Verga 4 is situated just a half mile from Santa Maria delle Grazie, the famed 15th century Milan church that’s home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. Snake through the streets between them and you’ll find dichotomies around each corner, a juxtaposition of old and new, classic and modern, that is ever present in the northern Italian city.
Left with a constellation of pockmarks after bombings during World War II, Milan was primed for an architecture boom to fill in the gaps and provide new housing. This time is something Jay Vosoghi, co-founder of design studio R+D Lab, speaks about passionately, and it was important to his search for a home in the city in 2021. The work of Piero Portaluppi, Gio Ponti, and Franco Albini all factored in, but the lesser known buildings of Asnago Vender were of particular interest.
“I was really keen on finding something that was from a period that was designed by architects with a certain integrity,” Vosoghi explains. Fortuitously, after picking up a book on the partner architects, an apartment came on the market in what Vosoghi calls one of the firm’s most important structures—the one on Via Andrea Verga (and, coincidentally, on the cover of the monograph he had acquired). “It was like destiny was calling, and we were lucky that there was not a lot of refurbishments done to the apartment; it was actually kept very much in its original shape.”
A rarely-seen red travertine hallway, punctuated by stone columns, frames the building’s courtyard and leads to a light-filled lobby. Then, a lift, one of two leading to the apartment, crawls up to the third floor, where Vosoghi and his partner Sara Mostofi’s home and studio is located. “Houses in Italy, particularly in this period, were divided into two zones,” Vosoghi explains. “Zona giorno, the day area, and then zona notte, always separated.”
The glass-enclosed entry vestibule, flanked with midcentury Italian teak shelving and a ‘70s Sciangai coat rack designed by Paolo Lomazzi, sets the tone for the rest of the considered space. In the salotto, or living room, and dining area, two sumptuous Gianfranco Frattini Sesann sofas are bathed in golden light, as are the Japanese Meiji period hand-embroidered cloth.
With the furniture placement, Vosoghi wanted to create a lounge area with the L-shaped layout, separating dining and living spaces without the need for walls. He notes that when guests come over, evenings will start at the Tin-K by Kristalia dinner table and then move to the sitting area for post-meal amaro or Japanese whiskey and conversation.
Save for the cookspace and bathrooms, the wood floors, light fixtures, and windows have all been preserved. He explains that, at that time, the architects designed everything, including the interiors; many of the fixtures were made specifically for this building. Pass by the tucked-away kitchen and service quarters to find two bedrooms and two bathrooms, one of which serves as the couple’s workspace. There, a vintage Gian N. Gigante light hangs over a Achille Castiglioni-designed Leonardo table that serves as their desk; DSC chairs by Giancarlo Piretti for Anonima Castelli surround it.
“The aesthetic ethos of our brand is very architectonic,” Vosoghi says of R+D Lab. “If you look at our collection, they’re all nods [to architects].” To illustrate, he points to the glassware collections Luisa, named for Portaluppi’s daughter, and Helga, Franco Albini’s partner.
The rest of the home is dotted with lighting and furniture by modern Italian designers like Frattini, Gae Aulenti, and Tobia Scarpa, which mingle with Japanese lacquerware, antique rugs, and an art collection that includes Ellsworth Kelly, Winfred Gaul, Achille Perilli, and Hossein Cheraghchi. Frattini’s work is of particular interest to Vosoghi, who has outfitted the space with lamps, a coffee table, side tables, and a console by the designer.
The numerous examples of lacquer are an acknowledgement of his love for the art, particularly one Edo-era piece used in tea ceremonies. Being surrounded by objects that reflect their experiences and travel is paramount to Vosoghi and Mostofi, but the fabric of Milan is as much of a muse as what he’s chosen to display.
Most days, the duo ambles past Santa Maria delle Grazie on the way to Pasticceria Marchesi before getting started, and Mostofi stops at the market for lunch ingredients and flowers. Parco Sempione calls in the evening, perfect for a sunset stroll when the weather is nice.
“If you live amongst beauty, it’s quite easy to be creative, because all you have to do is just open your eyes,” the designer says. “You breathe it, it infuses you, it inspires you. You can’t not be influenced by it.”