Finding beauty in Brutalism: a flat in Milan provides a haven for creativity

Art defines the space in an apartment in an iconic building whose Brutalist architecture once led to protests

Some people buy their dream home for the location, others for the space it affords them; for Italian fashion designer Massimo Giorgetti, it was a love affair with Brutalism.

His one-bedroom Milan apartment is housed in the former L’Istituto Mobiliare Italiano residential complex in the city’s Porta Romana district. Externally untouched since it was finished in 1966, this celebrated Brutalist masterpiece came with a few caveats – namely its single-glazed windows set in iron frames, that don’t open, making it more than a little chilly in winter and a greenhouse when temperatures soar. “You have to really love this building to live in this apartment,” laughs Giorgetti, joking that he needs to wear a hat and scarf in bed during winter and still wakes up with a frozen face.

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