What do you get when a fast car collides with Roman busts, refined objects and a generous industrial volume? Interior and furniture designer Tommaso Spinzi’s epic loft apartment in Milan, of course! Spinzi describes his epic home as a container for all his passions. The apartment perfectly showcases the designer’s keen eye for beautiful objects, and his ability to pair them despite their seeming disparity.
Having lived and worked in New York, Melbourne and now Milan, Spinzi’s work speaks with the unique language of each city while remaining true to his own design philosophy. A small collection of Australian designers and artists are featured throughout the space including Christopher Boots, Hava Studio, Dylan Farrell, Lost Profile Studio and Morgan Shimeld. These pieces sit alongside a vintage 1970’s deep-green Verde alpi marble dining table and a 1983 Porsche 911 that sits proudly on the ground floor – because a car like that doesn’t belong hidden away in a garage.
“I am inspired by beauty, you can find that in everything,” explains Spinzi. ”To me, the furniture pieces are art pieces”.
Following this philosophy, the interior unfolds with distinct gallery vibes – a vessel that contains Spinzi’s collection of beautiful things. However, the designer’s special ability to create cohesive and layered spaces ensures there are no clinical gallery-like feels to be seen. The interior is warm, visually stimulating and highly energetic – everywhere one looks, the eye is met with multiple jewels to admire.
The ground floor features decadent marble, warm leather and iridescent brass. A collection of new and old object become interwoven – the stories of the past now melding with those of the future. A curved upstairs mezzanine level houses the bedroom, a space that floats, suspended above the living areas below. There is an ever-present tension between soft, quiet moments and bold, industrial insertions, a complex relationship that brings extreme visual interest to the project.
Spinzi sees himself as a lifestyle designer. He believes successful projects are all about creating spaces or objects that reflect the nuanced and complicated lives of the client. Therefore, he finds the collaborative relationship between the designer and the client to be crucial. His apartment becomes the background for these discussions, with projects taking shape from exchanges held within its walls. Visitors can experience this loft by appointment – some objects are for sale while others are a part of the designer’s own collection.