Joe Colombo, Apartment in Via Sismondi, Via Sismondi, Milan (Italy), 1963

This apartment designed by Joe Colombo in 1965 is part of a villa in Milan, located in Via Giancarlo Sismondi.

It gives the impression of being in four dimensions, as if there were volume within the volume. This is due to the use of contrasting colors like the mix of pink and green in the bedroom as well as the play on levels.

The space appears as open and closed at the same time. First, there is the small and low-ceiling corridor with a door of reduced height, that leads to the other wing of the house. Then there is a wide living room with a much higher ceiling. Interestingly enough, the lights are not placed at the center of the room, but over steps or shelves. Combined with the use of strong and contrasting colors like the blue and lilac of the walls and the green of the door, this draws the eyes to new points of interest and extends the attention to the entire area.

Colombo’s main objective is indeed to create a visual continuity and to not divide the space by isolating single pieces of furniture. To him, a house must be thought of as a whole and be perceived as a single and global volume. Joe Colombo took great interest in the continuity of space, but also in the way it was lived. To him, a house should adapt to its occupiers and be both flexible and convertible. Time, the fourth dimension, became a structural element of interiors. This is why many objects and furniture are convertible or of double-use, like the closet-stairs in the bedroom or the moveable bar.

Regarding the use of materials, Joe Colombo expressed a desire to experiment and use different elements, such as the stainless steel on the handrail, the walls of the chimney or the covering of the platform and walls.

References:

JOE COLOMBO: PROGETTISTA D’INTERNI, Nicoletta Intrepido

Facoltà di Architettura del Politecnico di Milano, Laboratorio di Progettazione IV. Student : Fabio Azzolina M. Prof. : Gianni Ottolini.