Eloquent Interiors. Milan 1928-1978

Abstract

This article reflects on the experience of dwelling in Milan through the research published and exhibited in Nelle case. Milan Interiors 1928–1978 by Enrico Morteo and Orsina Simona Pierini. The volume documents 220 residential interiors of Milan’s bourgeoisie between 1928 and 1978 through 1,357 images and 130 redrawn plans, offering a compelling vision of domestic life at the time. The merit of the authors lies in recovering and transmitting the history of these interiors, designed by architects and designers over a span of fifty years. The starting date, 1928, is conventionally associated with the birth of Italian modernity, coinciding with the simultaneous appearance of Domus and La Casa Bella; the end date, 1978, marks the emergence of new needs and clients. The article highlights how the clients—mostly progressive members of the bourgeoisie, often the architects themselves—fostered a “domesticated” modernity, a tempered rationalism mediating between tradition, Art Deco, and modernity. These interiors functioned as laboratories of experimentation and display a sophisticated coexistence between old and new, integrating art, historic furniture, and contemporary design. The exhibition, organized thematically, adds further reflections on color and spatial variations. The reflections presented here situate these projects within their context, framing them in a study that the work represents a fundamental contribution to the history of dwelling in Milan, with notable historiographical and didactic value.