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Studio Paradisiartificiali and artist Owen Gent redesigned a 37-square-meter apartment in Milan’s Navigli district as a short-stay home shaped by surreal murals, colorful furniture and a substantial renovation. The project, called Mysterious Baths, draws on Giorgio de Chirico’s imagery and treats the apartment as a place of brief encounters rather than permanent belonging.
Studio Paradisiartificiali and artist Owen Gent have turned a 37-square-meter apartment in Milan’s Navigli district into a vivid short-stay home built around surreal murals, bright furnishings and references to metaphysical art. The Livingetc report describes the project, named Mysterious Baths, as a response to a brief for accommodation for visitors spending a few days in the city.
The apartment was previously a warehouse belonging to an astrophysics professor nearing retirement, according to Livingetc. The studio worked with Gent to recast the small interior as a white architectural backdrop for arched, dreamlike murals and colorful objects. The client’s interest in philosophy and metaphysics informed the design direction.
The renovation went beyond decoration. The designers said they added a ventilated crawl space, built a new roof with exposed timber beams and installed a service core containing the kitchen and bathroom. The source notes that the apartment’s generous ceiling height was used in the redesign, but the supplied report cuts off before explaining the full treatment of that space.
Furniture and accessories include Opinion Ciatti’s Yum Yum chairs, a cobalt-blue Oly Stool by noo.ma and a Krossing Maxi Bookcase by Kriptonite. The report credits Thomas Pagani for the photography and Giulia Taglialatela for styling. It does not provide a project budget, construction timeline or measurements for individual rooms.
A Small Home Built for Discovery
The project offers a specific example of how a compact apartment can be designed around a strong visual idea rather than treated only as a space-saving exercise. Its 37-square-meter footprint serves visitors on short stays, while the murals and furniture give the interior a distinct identity. That approach is relevant to readers interested in small-home design, hospitality and the relationship between art and architecture.
There is also a practical distinction between the finished look and the work behind it. The studio’s account describes structural and building-services changes, not simply a new color scheme or furniture arrangement. The reported additions—a crawl space, a replacement roof and a consolidated kitchen-and-bathroom core—show that adapting a small former warehouse for contemporary use required substantial renovation. The article does not establish whether the design is affordable or easily repeatable in other apartments.
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From Warehouse to Mysterious Baths
The apartment is in Milan’s Navigli district, and its concept takes its name from Giorgio de Chirico’s recurring subject I Bagni Misteriosi, translated as The Mysterious Baths. Lorenzo and Alessandro of Studio Paradisiartificiali told Livingetc that the idea of a shelter for passing travelers led them to think of a home as a place of passage and encounter, rather than solely a place of belonging.
The designers said de Chirico’s ability to make familiar Italian imagery feel like part of an imagined landscape was an important reference. They also described Gent’s illustrations as suggestive rather than fully explained: the images, in their view, leave room for viewers to bring their own interpretations. Gent is a freelance artist and illustrator based in Bristol, England, according to the source.
Studio Paradisiartificiali is a Milan-based architecture and interior design practice focused mainly on residential work. Its stated approach brings architecture, art, design and craft together to shape spaces with narrative qualities. In this project, the partnership between studio and artist developed the interior and wall murals together, according to the designers.
“We made us think of the home less as a place of belonging and more as a place of passage and encounter; something brief and unexpected, but still capable of leaving a trace.”
— Lorenzo and Alessandro of Studio Paradisiartificiali, quoted by Livingetc
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Project Details Still Missing
The source does not state when the renovation was completed, who owns or operates the apartment, whether it is currently available to book, or what guests pay. It also provides no floor plan, construction budget, permit information or detailed account of how the new roof and service core were arranged.
The available report describes the designers’ aims and selected renovation work, but does not include independent evaluation of the apartment’s usability, accessibility, energy performance or guest experience. Its description of the design as transportive is editorial characterization, not a measured outcome. The source’s final sentence about using the ceiling height is incomplete, so additional architectural details cannot be confirmed from the material provided.
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Availability and Build Details
The source does not announce a forthcoming opening, booking date or additional project milestone. Readers seeking practical information will need confirmation from the owner or the studio about availability, rates and guest facilities. Further project documentation, such as plans or a complete account of the renovation, would clarify how the compact layout accommodates short-stay use.
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Key Questions
Where is the Mysterious Baths apartment?
It is in Milan’s Navigli district, according to the Livingetc report.
How large is the apartment?
The apartment measures 37 square meters, or about 398 square feet.
Who designed the apartment?
Milan-based Studio Paradisiartificiali designed the project with artist and illustrator Owen Gent.
What renovation work did the project involve?
The studio said it added a ventilated crawl space, built a new roof with exposed timber beams and inserted a service core containing the kitchen and bathroom. The report does not provide a complete construction specification.
Can travelers book the apartment?
The source describes the intended use as accommodation for people spending a few days in Milan, but does not say whether the apartment is currently available to book or identify a booking service.
Source: rss
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