Inside JPMorgan Chase’s Historic D.C. Offices by Studios Architecture

The nation’s largest bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co., is also one of the oldest, tracing its origins to the late 1700’s. “Respecting history and supporting art and culture have been a part of our DNA since inception,” explains Farzad Boroumand, the bank’s executive director and global real estate head of design. It was only fitting, then, that when choosing a home base for its new mid-Atlantic headquarters, the financial institution would purchase a venerable property: the 1922 Bowen Building in the heart of D.C.’s Historic Fifteenth Street Financial District.

Much like JPMorgan Chase itself, which is a synthesis of many institutions that have merged or been acquired over the years, including First Republic Bank last month, the Bowen is a hybrid of several early 20th-century structures that had been combined and expanded in phases. Although the 12-story limestone edifice is not landmarked, its listed status and contribution to a historic district stipulated a sensitive renovation—and an equally conscientious design partner. After inviting proposals from several firms, the client selected Studios Architecture. “Studios stood out by suggesting innovative interior solutions that were appropriate to the classical exterior,” Boroumand recalls.

For JPMorgan Chase, Studios Architecture Designs a LEED-Certified HQ

The firm’s work at the LEED Silver–certified headquarters, totaling 231,000 square feet, encompassed a subterranean mechanicals level, the lobby and an adjacent ground-floor community center, four levels of employee and executive workspace, and a client center with a terrace. The primary challenge was to deliver the perfect marriage of old and new. “The client sought a modern scheme that spoke to who JPMorgan Chase is and would carry the organization, with its rich history, into the future,” says Studios board chair and principal Marnique Heath, who teamed with the client to lead the project with the support of Studios associate Ethan Levine, both architects from the firm’s D.C. office.

Many of the gestures, Levine notes, “were centered on thresholds, creating opportunities for visitors to pass into the bank and make them feel a sense of belonging.” That starts at the main entry sequence leading from Fifteenth Street. The client requested that it convey welcome and a sense of transparency, which Studios answered by introducing a glazed portal with revolving doors and, above, a glass canopy.

The Office Design Features Restored Details

Studios Architecture Creates a Flexible Workplace for JPMorgan Chase

The client center, up on the building’s 11th floor, houses various conference rooms and meeting areas as well as a generous terrace. Continuing the transparency theme, Studios carved out a double-height volume along the terrace-side perimeter, which serves as an airy waiting area. The firm also made substantial facade alterations here, expanding the glazing to create more openness and invite broader views of the Washington Monument and the White House. A new feature stair, its balustrade incorporating the same metalwork used on the ground floor, leads to the executive level on 12.

An elevator bay with tinted, mirrored panels and a series of LED mobile-esque chandeliers provides access to the three renovated floors of flexible work areas accommodating some 500 employees. Architect and client collaborated to uncover future-oriented strategies for the office proper. “We investigated entirely different models of working, incorporating features such as virtual meeting spaces and more homelike and lounge-y environments,” Heath recalls. A diversity of furniture types and finishes, along with 2,500 square feet of open lounges on each work floor, encourages staff members to access different settings as they shift activities throughout their day.

Ultimately, the Bowen Building stands as an example of how legacy institutions like JPMorgan Chase can build a framework for serving their communities on multiple fronts—one that acknowledges the past while making much-needed modern interventions to cocreate a better future for all.

Behind the Design of JPMorgan Chase’s D.C. Office

Studios Architecture: ashton allan; monica castro; kristian passanita; tammy chan; ruben smudde; jennifer hicks; jesse wetzel; katherine luxner; june zhu; maria percoco; gabriel boyajian

gordon: landscape architect

interior plantscapes: interior plantings

mcla: lighting designer

tce & associates: structural engineer

GHT: mep

columbia woodworking; jefferson millwork & design: millwork

boatman & magnani: stonework

gilbane building company: general contractor

bright chair: sofa, chairs (library)

modernfold: sliding door

B&B Italia: shelving

bernhardt design: tables, credenza (library), sofa (community center), coffee table, white lounge chairs (conference area)

spinneybeck: desk leather (lobby)

shickel corporation: custom screens

flos: custom pendant fixtures (lobby, client center)

bendheim: custom paneling (elevator lobby)

tech lighting: chandeliers

whitegoods: cove lighting

Stellar Works: armchairs (waiting area)

cassina: table

emerald ironworks: custom stair

planter­worx: custom planters (waiting area, terrace)

pilkington: glazing (exterior)

boon edam: revolving door

alpolic: canopy

skyfold: retractable walls (community center)

Lambert&Fils: globe pendants

vibia: pendant fix­tures

datesweiser: worktables

arper: chairs

martin brattrud: banquettes

9wood: ceiling panels (com­munity center, office entry)

londonart: wall­covering (conference area)

walter knoll: blue lounge chairs

axis lighting: linear pen­dants (conference area, lounge)

BuzziSpace: dome pendant (lounge)

spacestor: cus­tom shelving

stylex: coffee table

Scandinavian Spaces: lounge chairs

muuto: sofa, ottomans

astek: wall­covering

naughtone: two-tone sofa

milliken: carpet tile (lounge, workspace)

Andreu World: tables (ter­race)

Janus et Cie: stools, chairs, sofa

Tuuci: umbrella

stepstone: pavers

andrew neyer: pendant fixtures (office entry)

adler display: environmental graphics

Greenmood: petrified moss

viccarbe: benches

herman miller: task chairs (workspace)

knoll: workstations

armstrong: ceiling tile

applied image: privacy graphics

evensonbest: furniture supplier

transwall: glass partitions

guardian glass: exterior glazing, fins

kawneer: curtain wall, storefront system

ege: carpet tile, rugs, broadloom

Sherwin-Williams: paint

Shamir Shah Goes West to Update a San Francisco Home

Shamir Shah Design has left its signature imprint all over the Manhattan residential map. So much so that when a sophisticated, world-traveled couple visited a lower Park Avenue loft principal Shamir Shah had created for friends, the pair was determined to bring the designer West—specifically to San Francisco, where a recently purchased Pacific Heights house was in need of a gut renovation. “All the things he did—art, furniture, textures, textiles, scale—spoke to each other,” the wife says of what initially attracted them to Shah’s distinctive style. An ensuing dinner party established that designer and clients had mutual respect and the right chemistry—prescient planning since the project took six years to complete, thanks to COVID erupting during the construction phase.

“We do interiors and architectural design,” Shah says of his practice, “mostly in New York, where we generally don’t work with an architect on smaller residential projects.” Thousands of miles away, San Francisco’s infamously labyrinthine permitting process presented another story: “We needed a local architect to shepherd the renovation through the building department, take charge of the house’s core and shell, and work in a truly collaborative spirit.” Enter Geddes Ulinskas Architects. In a flip of the usual procedure, it was the designer who brought on the architect after diligently interviewing three other prospects. “We enhanced each other’s roles,” principal Geddes Ulinskas reports, lauding the thoroughness of Shah’s drawings. “He produced a brilliant package that was a fantastic way of communicating and transmitting his passion for the project to the entire team.”

The Home Renovation Features Seismic Upgrades

The house, originally a 4,000-square-foot, three-level, wood-sided structure dating to 1947, was lackluster in design and substandard in construction. What it did have was location. At an elevation of 340 feet, the site offers panoramic views of San Francisco Bay. And in a city given to a mélange of residential styles, the property was located in a cul-de-sac of pedigree modernist houses by Gardner Dailey, Joseph Esherick, and William Wurster. In fact, the enclave is up for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The second level is given over to private quarters: the main suite, two bedrooms, one doubling as a larger office, and a sitting room. The penthouse, which opens to a roof deck, is designated as a game room while more things recreational—a gym and a capacious wine cellar—join two additional bedrooms, a laundry, and a mudroom in the basement.

“In general, our work is quiet and serene,” Shah says of the furnishings and materials, which are frequently custom and used plentifully “for a rich, layered approach.” Pale creams and grays dominate the color palette, while bronze is the metal of choice. A characteristic vignette centers on the living room fireplace, which is surrounded by planes of travertine and flanked by a pair of oak-lined niches with custom bronze pedestals topped by Ju Ming sculptures, part of the family’s art collection.

“We wanted large walls for art,” Shah continues. Whether existing, purchased, or commissioned, the pieces were curated by the designer. An impressive Max Neumann canvas, one of the first works acquired and a Shah favorite, anchors the living room. A pair of Julian Watts stained-maple bas-reliefs adorn the adjoining wall, across from which hangs a Katherine Hogan wire sculpture, a ghostly presence reminiscent of the late San Francisco artist Ruth Asawa’s iconic pieces. Arguably closest to home is the commissioned site-specific mixed-media work spanning a media-room wall. Made of canvas, burlap, rope, and wood, it’s by Malcolm Hill, Shah’s life partner.

Inside the Curated, Art-Filled Home by Shamir Shah Design

shamir shah design: nely cuzo; cailen messersmith; olivia manzano; wendy wahlert

geddes ulinskas architects: alla agafonov; roma olišauskaitė

lutsko associates landscape architects: landscape consultant

jon brody structural engineers: structural engineer

matarozzi pelsinger builders: general contractor

todd merrill studio: custom sofas (living room)

through fair: floor lamp

through ralph pucci international: daybed

through galerie bsl: loveseat

la cividina: armchair

argosy designs: custom pedestal

Woven: custom rugs (living room, media room)

neolith: sintered stone (kitchen)

Holly Hunt: sconces (stair), chairs (dining room), armchairs (media room)

through maison gerard: sconce, shelf (entry)

Lindsey adelman studio: pendant fixture (entry), chandelier (dining room)

bddw: table (dining room)

chris french metal: custom front door (exterior)

amuneal: custom coffee table (media room)

emmemobili: table (penthouse)

dwr: chairs

garde: pendant fixture

phillip jeffries: wallcovering (bedroom)

bruno moinard éditions: armchairs (bedroom), sconces (penthouse)

B&B Italia: sectional (penthouse)

galanter & jones: seating (terrace)

erickson æsthetics: chair (office)

caste design: tables

Sacco: custom rugs

Resawn Timber Co.: accoya siding

amari: windows

benjamin moore & co.: paint

Gensler Enlivens the Street-Level of Chicago’s Willis Tower

At 1,451 feet, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world when it opened in Chicago in 1973. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, it rises 110 stories over the Loop neighborhood and is a modernist icon, with a geometric structure and a facade of blackened aluminum and bronze-tinted glass. It’s also a landmark visible from across the city—so much so that locals still call it the Sears Tower, though it was renamed the Willis Tower in 2009. But it was always, as architecture critic Blair Kamin put it, “a dud at street level.” An austere plaza and a granite berm wrapping the base kept pedestrians at bay, and the public could only enter to visit Skydeck, the observation platform. In 2015, Blackstone bought the building and hired Gensler to rethink the site, which has resulted in a mixed-use attraction for office workers, tourists, and Chicagoans alike.

Todd Heiser, principal and managing director at Gensler’s Chicago studio, grew up in the city and found it surreal to take on the high-profile project. “It’s walking on hallowed ground,” he begins. “We approached it with humility, serving to amplify its positives and correct what was imperfect.” Willis Tower, he notes, was the product of an era of urban flight and single-use office buildings; it was designed to be impenetrable. But in the 21st century, aside from the early years of the COVID pandemic, cities have come roaring back to life and tenants seek dynamic, welcoming workplaces.

Designing an Amenities-Rich Hub in the Willis Tower

Gensler brought the supertall up to date with a 463,000-square-foot makeover, including new entrances, lounges, and a transparent six-story podium with a food hall and a rooftop park—elements that prove why the firm not only ranks number one among the Interior Design Top 100 Giants but also third amid the Hospitality Giants (as well as 14th on the Healthcare list).

Heiser and Hansoo Kim, principal and design director at Gensler’s Washington office, started by researching how people used and moved through the building. They met with families visiting the Skydeck, who were often also looking for a place to have lunch, and office workers hoping to get to their desks quickly. “We had to support demographics of all ages,” Heiser says, and consider “the person who wanted to linger and the person who wanted a friction-free environment.” Kim adds that to create a vibrant multipurpose destination, they had to connect different types of programming, like coworking and retail, and “blur the boundaries between work, life, and play,” he notes.

Gensler Creates an Expansive Communal Space for All Ages

The block-long building has entrances on three different streets (Wacker, Jackson, and Franklin). Originally, there were two for tenants and one for Skydeck visitors. Gensler opened them all to the public. “The entire base of the tower is now porous,” Heiser continues. Like a transportation hub or civic plaza, it hosts everyone from United Airlines employees who work in the building to toddlers and Midwestern retirees; the Skydeck alone draws 1.7 million visitors a year. Security is discreet. There are guards and cameras, but nothing like the airport-style measures we’ve come to expect in skyscrapers since 9/11. Touchless turnstiles use fingerprint scanners to admit employees into the tenant elevator bank at the building core.

Gensler built the glass-walled podium on what had been an unwelcoming granite plaza, extending the base of the building to the sidewalk. The centerpiece of the addition is a soaring atrium and food hall called Catalog, a nod to the Sears mail-order business, that brings together local eateries beneath an enormous skylight. Diners can slide onto oak benches under bistro-style lights and look up at the tower. “Our goal was to create a Chicago streetscape inside the atrium, so you feel like you’re outside,” Kim explains. Above Catalog, a public roof garden with winding paths and native prairie grasses faces a neighboring park. Like the rest of the podium, it connects the building to the street and draws pedestrians into the once-forbidding landmark.

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Inside the Spacious Street-Level of the Willis Tower

Gensler: grant uhlir; benjy ward; michael townsend; neale scotty; scott marker; stephen katz; hua-jun cao; kelly bogenschutz; marissa luehring; shawn fawell; todd desmarais; jeffrey peck; kim lindstrom; kate pedriani

skb architects: facade architect

olin: landscape architect

thornton tomasetti: structural engineer

esd: mep

v3 companies: civil engineer

burlington stone; campolonghi: stonework

parenti & raffaelli: millwork

clayco corp.; turner construction co.: general contractors

cascade coil drapery: chain drapery (lounge)

bloomsburg carpet: rug

pk-30 system: backlit wall

B&B Italia: sofa

cassina: black, white coffee tables

phantom hands: green chairs

novum structures: skylight (food hall)

tegan lighting: catenary system

concrete collaborative: flooring

newmat: stretched ceiling (lounge)

Avenue Road: green barrel chairs

hanover archi­tectural products: pavers (roof)

rich brilliant willing: pendant fixtures (food hall)

arflex: teal chairs

established & sons: stools

tacchini: sofa (small lounge)

estudio persona: chairs

stahl + band: coffee table

Pulpo: side table

linetec: custom aluminum cladding

boston valley terra cotta: terra-cotta paneling

This Napoli Home by Giuliano Andrea dell’Uva Architetti is a Hidden Gem

Italy’s third largest city, Naples, is not exactly known as a locus of peace and quiet. “The city is certainly chaotic,” says architect Giuliano Andrea dell’Uva, who has lived most of his 41 years there. “Its charm also comes from managing to find the serene and calm in that chaos.” That is precisely what he accomplished with his redesign of a three-bedroom, four-bath flat in the upscale Posillipo quarter for art/design collectors Irene and Teodoro Falco and their teenage daughter and son.

In a twist of fate, the 3,400-square-foot apartment, located in a 1956 building by Davide Pacanowski, has roots in dell’Uva’s youth, when he first became acquainted with the work of the Polish-born architect, a student of Le Corbusier’s. “I lived in a stretch of the Posillipo hill and was fascinated by the sight of Villa Crespi, a bold project of rationalist architecture that Pacanowski designed in 1955,” he recalls. The cliffside residence, with cantilevered slabs wedged between ancient pine trees, “was, for me, a symbol of the direct relationship between architecture and sea.”

Alas, his clients’ flat, though retaining some historical elements like porthole windows, had been restored in the 1990s “to a more neoclassical taste that eradicated its original charm,” dell’Uva recounts. “I really tried to get it back.”

Doing so entailed reconfiguring the floor plan around sea views, so that the public areas and main bedroom face the Gulf of Naples. Dell’Uva forewent corridors and divisions in favor of making the space as open as possible. The entry leads to conjoined living and dining areas (the Falcos requested a statement salon in which to receive guests) separated from the eat-in kitchen by full-height brass-frame glass doors. To the left of the living area’s fireplace—a steel marvel designed by the French sculptor Robert Ascain in 1972—a curved wall subtly directs foot traffic to a row of sleeping quarters: first the main suite, followed by bedrooms for the kids, as well as their own youthful sitting room. The son gets a custom berth tucked into a space-age aluminum enclosure.

The gulf also inspired the color scheme: sparsely deployed yellows and blues (see the cipollino marble paving the entry and cladding the primary bath walls) against a background of sparkling white. The city’s world-class cultural scene also figures prominently in the form of the couple’s blue-chip art collection as well as covetable vintage furnishings from a cadre of specialist dealers. Elements by maestri of design invariably factor into any dell’Uva project. He grew up surrounded by the work of Gio Ponti, Franco Albini, and others, which instilled a love of design in him from an early age. “Even as a little boy I would draw houses and interiors,” he recalls. (Dell’Uva was certainly precocious: his first project, at the tender age of 17, was the renovation of a family home his architect great-grandfather had designed in 1924; and he launched his own studio at 23, shortly after graduating from the Università di Napoli Federico II.)

cc tapis: rug (living area)

la cividina: sofas

through galleria francesco: coffee table

tacchini: armchairs

rezina: resin floor

through dimore gallery: floor lamp

through robertaebasta: chimney breast (living area), chandelier (dining area)

Nilufar: custom table, chairs (dining area)

paola c.: glass centerpiece

through galleria massimo caiafa: leather armchair (son’s room)

cassina: chairs (kitchen)

abimis: island

B&B Italia: sofa (kids’ lounge)

through galleria rossella colombari: vintage ceiling light

alimonti milano: marble (bathroom)

Dornbracht: sink and shower fittings

galleria elena: tilework (primary bedroom)

Nilufar: sofa

B&B Italia Launches 50th Anniversary Edition of Mario Bellini’s 1972 Sofa, Le Bambole

It was 1972 when B&B Italia introduced Mario Bellini’s Le Bambole, which was revolutionary then for its lack of an obvious support structure and casual informality (as witnessed in this advertising campaign from that year). A 2007 reissue of the sofa had thinner proportions. But, back by popular demand, the 50th anniversary edition, launching this month, returns the seating to its plumper profile—and is environmentally sensitive to boot. A new hollow rotational-molded recycled polyethylene structure requires less foam to achieve its plushness and is assembled with zero adhesive. The soft, almost fleecy acrylic-blend upholstery, a French sablé called Sila, is also new, available in eight calming colors including Bluette. The entirety can be disassembled and recycled. The series includes the Bambola armchair, the Bibambola and Granbambola two- and three-seater sofas, and the Bamboletto double bed.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Draws on Architectural Harmony for the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations

Established only 50 years ago, the United Arab Emirates has, within the last two decades, emerged as a rock of geopolitical stability and a cultural magnet in the Middle East. Almost as an instrument of state policy, architecture has played a role in the UAE’s development and national image. Icons such as Jean Nouvel’s Louvre Abu Dhabi, Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s Burj Khalifa in Dubai—at 162 stories, the tallest building in the world—symbolize the dynamism of the country.

Along with its growing presence on the international cultural map, the UAE, which is about to serve again on the United Nation’s Security Council, has also emerged as a rising diplomatic force in New York. In 2014, having outgrown two floors in an office building near the UN, and needing greater presence in the city’s diplomatic milieu, the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the UN held an invited competition to design a flagship home. The New York office of SOM won the competition for an infill building on a through-block site between Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza and East 46th Street.

Besides the need for privacy and security, and a program of executive suites, offices, and lecture and reception rooms, the brief called for an aspirational design requiring architectural diplomacy: elegance without ostentation and an ethos of dignity, calm, grace, and gravity. Later, the client asked that the concept also evoke New York’s art deco landmarks as well as the Middle East’s ubiquitous palm tree, a symbol of peace and desert culture.

Diplomats now enter the mission underneath a bronze canopy cantilevered from a facade composed of long, thin, Indiana limestone mullions that climb to the top of the 10-story, 75,000-square-foot building. Recalling the tapered spines of palm leaves, the gently undulating CNC-milled mullions rise from a stone frieze at the base, itself milled with a row of stylized fronds. Using rock from quarries that supplied Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building, the understated facade introduces visitors into the decorum of a building centered around the simple pleasures of the square, the cube, and symmetry.

Just beyond the reception and security desks in the entry vestibule—its floor and walls surfaced in geometrically patterned Portuguese limestone—visitors step into a surprise: a two-story burst of space with a cliff of stairs that zigzag upward like a switchback version of ancient Greek propylaea. Recalling the courtyard of a traditional Emirati building, this welcoming central hall with a recessed 40-foot ceiling finished in hand-gilded metal leaf, transposes traditional Arab attitudes of hospitality to Midtown East. The simple, axially organized prism has a pharaonic architectural authority, confirmed by floors and walls uniformly clad in dark, sedimented, meticulously slip-matched St. Pierre limestone. The geometry is pure, but the room feels solid, encased, and immersive. The SOM team, led by design partner Chris Cooper, materializes abstraction: There is a there here.

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A tall box of dark stone nested within a larger, taller box of white Italian marble, the entry hall is the heart of the building, a core that initiates the interior’s sense of ceremonial progression. Functionally, it leads to event spaces on the second floor, but thematically it establishes a precedent for the reductive palette of rich, beautifully crafted stone and wood, mainly walnut, on the floors above, and for the symmetries and geometric simplicity throughout. On higher floors, secure elevator landings open onto reception courts—either carpeted or floored in wood-inlaid stone—surrounded by offices, meeting rooms, and work areas. “The planning is very consistent from bottom to top,” Cooper explains. “The stone heightens the sense of formality, and the formality lends itself to a sense of procession through the building.”

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Using no decoration or architectonic articulation of details, Cooper and his colleagues keep planes clean, edges crisp, and volumes pure. Finishes are matte rather than polished. The simplicity foregrounds the natural patterns in the veins of the marbles and grains of the wood, but it also sets the stage for design at the next scale, furnishings that bring the human hand into the project.

Cooper worked with a range of collaborators to integrate the decorative arts into a total, environmentally immersive scheme. Lebanese designer Nada Debs created contemporary sofas, armchairs, and tables for the entry hall and offices on the upper executive floors, the furniture’s edges subtly inflected with inlaid mother-of-pearl patterns. Rugs handwoven with natural fibers and dyes by Afghan craftswomen feature traditional complex motifs in nuanced colors; each one is unique, made to complement its dedicated space. The furnishings bring traditional cultural references into the interiors, rooting the building in the Middle East without lapsing into craft nostalgia. The rugs provide terrain for islands of furniture placed in traditional majlis seating arrangements, which emphasize the equality of the interlocutors.

The overall result is harmony in a low-key visual register: The tone never lapses. Each element, whether a wall of limestone or a marble table, plays a scripted part in a visual ensemble. With the precision of a Swiss watch, the parts fit seamlessly, creating apparent simplicity out of complexity. SOM has designed an architectural model of diplomatic agreement.

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skidmore, owings & merrill: tj gottesdiener; emily mottolese; charles harris; shubhra singhal; nathaniel broughton; oana bunea-velea; xian chi; norbert schlotter; ece calguner erzan; sepideh khazaei; jackie moran; angela caviezel; lauren kosson; fiona mccarthy; sarah hatch; cynthia mirbach

pentagram: graphics consultant

sbld studio: lighting consultant

desimone consulting engineers: structural engineer

cosentini associates: mep

philip habib & associates: civil engineer

four daughters architectural millwork: woodwork

lasa marmo: stonework

plaza construction: general contractor.

polycor: stair, walls, floor (entry hall)

nada debs: custom sofas, custom lounge chairs, custom tables (entry hall, executive office)

fbmi: custom rug (entry hall, offices)

solancis: wall tile, floor tile (vestibule)

viabizzuno: pendant fixtures (multipurpose room)

carl hansen & søn: chairs (multipurpose room), sofas, lounge chairs (ambassador’s office)

michael anastassiades: floor lamp (executive office), pendant fixture (meeting room)

studio e: ceiling finish (pre-function)

BassamFellows: sofa, tables (delegates’ lounge)

molteni&c: arm­chairs

marc phillips: custom rug

flos: lamps (delegates’ lounge, reception area, ambassador’s office)

campo­longhi: feature walls (delegates’ lounge, meeting room, ambassador’s office)

cassina: sofas, table (reception area)

halcon: custom table (meeting room), custom desk (ambassador’s office)

knoll: side chairs (meeting room, ambassador’s office)

pollock: curtain fabric (meeting room, ambassador’s office)

B&B Italia: tables (ambas­sador’s office)

aswa acoustic: plaster ceilings

lv wood: oak flooring

gamma: curtain wall

indiana limestone company: facade stone

empire furniture: furniture supplier

Tommaso Spinzi Transforms an Airy Industrial Loft Into His Own Apartment in Milan

Tommaso Spinzi is transcontinental. The young architect is a native of Como, Italy, but has lived or worked in New York, Switzerland, and Australia, the latter where he was located for nearly a decade and launched his firm, Spinzi. But in 2018, he decided to return home, to Milan specifically. It’s there that he found and converted a former workplace near the city center into a luminous loft, now his own. The 2,000-square-foot “white canvas,” as he calls it, reflects his work, which ranges from conceiving interiors and furniture to lighting and watches, as well as his passion for Italian art, design, and heritage architecture. “You can’t walk toward the future without learning from the past,” he proclaims.

The origins of his loft are most definitely rooted in the past. “We received word that, in the late 1800’s, it housed a stable for the postal service horses,” he says. “In more recent years, it served as an office.” Upon acquisition of the ground-floor space, Spinzi employed a measured approach to the renovation, working with its industrial elements—the tall multi-paned windows, the concrete floor, the open plan—and underlining them with the addition of softer elements both old and new. His main and only architectural intervention was, in order to create a dining area, opening a passage underneath the existing mezzanine, a former work area that Spinzi turned into his bedroom.

Downstairs, walls and windows have been painted white and the concrete flooring polished and painted gray. The functional areas—kitchen, bathroom, living and dining, library, and garage, for his 1983 Porsche 911SC (Spinzi is a vintage car collector)—flow into one another, loosely delineated by furniture groupings. And it’s those elements that make the project come to life, through overlapping material and texture, combining vintage and new pieces, many Spinzi’s own, the careful positioning of artwork, and the occasional shot of green. “It’s my favorite color,” he says,“so I applied it to walls, reupholstered furniture in it, and added foliage com­positions to bring nature inside.”

In the library, for instance, an Afra and Tobia Scarpa 1960’s sofa in shiny tobacco leather shares the floor with an armchair from the same decade that Spinzi found and recovered in emerald velvet and his smooth marble Medusa stool. On the walls is a ’70’s Italian vanity mirror and a large abstract canvas by Spinzi (yes, he paints, too). He uses vintage furniture to support “upcycling” and celebrate Italian craftsmanship.

Furthermore, Spinzi does not advocate using solely the work of famous designers, choosing several anonymous pieces that stand out for their strong profiles and Italian origin. The living area’s pair of shapely burnt orange–upholstered armchairs and imposing wooden soldier sculpture exemplify this approach: Their provenance is unknown, but their aesthetic value is certain. They’re joined by a Mario Bellini Le Bambole sofa from the ’70’s, a drawing by Italian artist Alessandro Paglia hung on a sage-painted partition, and Spinzi’s Origini console and cocktail table, both topped in greige terrazzolike Ceppo. These pieces, which Spinzi developed in the last few years, offer sober complements to the various ensembles.

He admits to having a preference for working with stone and metal, but has engaged with a variety of mediums throughout his career, always honoring their essence. “We’re committed to respecting the feel and nature of materials,” he points out, “enhancing their look and exploring the creative possibilities they offer.” It’s work that has earned him an exhibition at the high-profile Rossana Orlandi Gallery in Milan. (His pieces as well as his carefully selected collection of rare finds and curiosities can be purchased at his online shop at spinzi.com.)

Further intersections of new, old, and recycled Italian design in the apartment include light fixtures made of Murano glass, such as the large ’70’s Venini chandelier appointing the bedroom, and a stack of marble samples that Spinzi assembled into a striking sculpture. His attitude toward remix and reuse, from an object to the scale of a building, is intrinsically linked to the rich architectural heritage of Milan. From the grandiose palazzi in the center of town to the industrial complexes in the outskirts, Spinzi notes how “all these spaces were built to endure, and retain an intrinsic sturdiness that allowed them to withstand the test of time.” For the architect, “Repurposing old structures instead of tearing them down and rebuilding something new is a way to respect the souls of buildings and a city’s past, all while avoiding unnecessary waste and environmental stress.” Spinzi’s conscious approach fully embraces important contemporary concerns, while also continuing strong Italian traditions.

Cattelan Italia: Cocktail Table (Library)

B&B Italia: Sofas (Library, Living Area)

Lost Profile Studio: Brass Sconce (Living Area)

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