In the heart of Desio, Italy, a modest 700-square-foot apartment has been transformed into a space of connection and emotion. This renovation project, named Ode to the Moon, was led by Studio Paradisiartificiali with the creative guidance of stylist Giulia Taglialatela, as a tribute to the profound bond between a mother and daughter. A home designed to reunite, nurture, and reflect the intangible ties that link two generations of women.
The project began with a daughter’s request to craft a space for her distant mother – a gesture rooted in love and longing. Rooted in feminine duality with two lives orbiting one another, distinct yet intertwined, the concept is much like celestial bodies in a cosmic dance. The designers approached this task not as observers confined by walls but as storytellers weaving a narrative of connection, empathy, and shared dreams.
Rather than envisioning traditional interiors, the design team imagined a metaphorical garden – a sanctuary where the boundaries between the external world and inner self blur. Here, architecture is not just functional but symbolic, offering a psychological space where the residents can reconnect.
The project kicks off with a floor of earthy red clay, grounding the space in warmth and stability. Above, a geometric pergola rises, drawing life from a circular fountain at the center. This fountain, i.e. the round rug, with an astronomical map etched beneath its surface, anchors the home in a celestial narrative, reminding its inhabitants of the cosmic forces that shape their lives.
Every element within the space speaks to the subconscious. The lush greenery of topiary hedges forms the “walls” of the home, a nod to the fluid and ever-changing nature of human thought. Open birdcages scattered throughout symbolize the liberation of the mind, while keys hanging from branches invite contemplation: Will you choose to remain within familiar confines or unlock new realms of possibility?
Where greenery and clay do not dominate, an ethereal whiteness takes over – a representation of clouds that fill the space with lightness and serenity. The apartment, though physically compact, becomes expansive, inviting its residents to explore not just its corners but their own depths.
As dusk descends, the journey leads to a hidden sanctuary within the garden – the nymphaeum, a place of water and stillness. Here, time seems to pause, offering a moment of introspection and rebirth. In this quiet area, the spirit of the home reveals itself fully: a space not just for living but for transformation and self-discovery.
At the heart of this project lies an ode to the Moon – a symbol of intuition, mystery, and the feminine essence. The Moon, with its ever-shifting phases, mirrors the fluidity of human emotions and the complexity of the mother-daughter relationship. The poetic invocation to the Moon, recited in the imagined sanctuary, captures the essence of this connection:
Oh, Moon,
I have crossed valleys and rivers to reach you.
I have slept on the bare ground and under the watchful gaze of an owl.
The more I sought the Way to find you, the more lost I became.
It was you who asked me to lose myself so that I would discover that there is no one way;
there are many.
The creatures of the night guard your secret.
Queen of intuition, Queen of dreams. You defy reason.
I abandon myself to the oblivion of your hypnotic gaze.
The more I flee from the unknown, the more I desire you.
Not a warm embrace but an evanescent caress you have for me.
Not a clear image, but an arcane vision.
A silver mirror reveals your face, but it was only an enchantment.
I drive into your opaline veil, the illusion of drinking from your fountain.
Then you silently vanish, and everything around me falls silent.
In an endless cycle I keep searching for you
In an endless cycle I find my shadow.
Like a handmaiden faithful to her Queen
I come back to you, wrapped in the mystery of your icy Light.
The Moon becomes a metaphor for the elusive yet magnetic pull of the unknown – a reminder that life’s most profound journeys are often those that lead us into uncharted territory.
To see more projects by by Studio Paradisiartificiali, click here.
Photography by Valentina Sommariva.
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