The apartment is accessed via the top floor, which houses an arrival gallery and enfilade living, dining and study rooms as well as a kitchen, media room and powder room. This floor also incorporates the master bedroom with two ensuite bathrooms and a spacious dressing room. The stairs to the lower level lead to a library landing, three guest bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, and a gym.

Interesting metal finishes set the scene for the home from the outset, with statement bespoke antique bronze liquid metal doors and a metal-legged console table specially designed by Natalia Miyar making a design statement in the foyer, complemented by Urban Electric wall lights and a vintage mirror. The metal doors connect the entrance gallery to the living, dining and study rooms, and were inspired by the Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan, designed in the 1930s by architect Piero Portaluppi. “My client loved the two heavy German silver sliding doors that open to the villa’s veranda, so we created a similar concept in a specialist bronze finish,” reveals Miyar. 

In the living room are a bespoke bar in antique brass with fluted detailing, along with a mix of modern and vintage lighting fixtures such as a pair of bronze table lamps by Maurizio Tempestini sporting a brutalist design. In the kitchen, a bespoke liquid metal oven hood holds court, matching the specialist finish which feels like sheets of patinated copper. “I love working with metals, bronze and brass in particular,” declares Miyar, adding that these materials are “timeless, yet can be interpreted in a very contemporary way”, and bring texture and richness to a space.

Also adding charm to the living room are bespoke sofas and a custom rug, alongside vintage armchairs sourced from Paris and reupholstered in a textured blue fabric. Rounding off this complement of furnishings is a wall mirror by Lazzarini & Pickering for Marta Sala and an Ado Chale coffee table. The adjoining dining room is clad in Phillip Jeffries’ Manila hemp wallpaper in charcoal, its dark tone acting as the perfect backdrop for a customised Natalia Miyar dining table with a dark wood top and high-gloss, Bordeaux-hued base. Overhead, a Trapeze 7 Mobile pendant chandelier by Apparatus catches the eye with its architectural form. In the media room, a rich blue-grey velvet dresses the walls and a sofa for a unified look. “I love dark rooms, and using the same material on all the surfaces creates a really sumptuous space,” says Miyar.

Even the home’s more private spaces are elevated with a touch of opulence, with various varieties of marble used in the bathrooms. These include Calacatta Viola marble with beguiling red veining in the powder room, and Statuario marble flooring and wainscoting in the principal bathroom as well as a Statuario marble vanity in the guest bathroom, which is accented by a bespoke Natalia Miyar mirror in timber painted bronze. 

The refurbishment, which came to fruition in September 2021, took just over a year to complete; which was noteworthy considering the lead-time and supply-chain limitations. “I look back and think it’s quite remarkable we could do it in the timescale the client asked for, with all those challenges,” remarks Miyar, adding that the homeowner’s open and decisive nature also helped the process. “I was able to understand his tastes and create something fitting to his character. It is always a privilege to be asked to work on someone’s personal home and I was happy he loved the result.”

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