It’s no surprise that Marilena Sobacchi, PR for Milan’s prestigious Salone del Mobile, has made a home in the city’s most iconic skyscraper
STYLING AND WORDS Chiara Dal Canto
KITCHEN AND DINING AREA
Marilena loves the chandelier above the custom-made dining table. ‘It looks like a constellation of clear, fragile clouds,’ she says.
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Marilena Sobacchi, the Italian PR for the Salone del Mobile. She shares the apartment with her husband Sergio, an entrepreneur, and their five-year-old son Alessandro.
An 11th-floor apartment in the Bosco Verticale (vertical forest) in Milan. There is an open-plan kitchen/living/dining room, a study, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry, a walk-in wardrobe and two terraces. c
Choosing to live in a landmark building that has been described as ‘the most beautiful and innovative skyscraper in the world’ is, in its own way, a declaration of love for modern design, as well as for living in a big city. These are ideals celebrated by Marilena Sobacchi, thanks in no small part to her work as head of the Italian press office at the Salone del Mobile – Milan’s annual international furniture fair. ‘I appreciate what allows you to live better,’ she agrees.
Home for Marilena, her husband Sergio and five-year-old son Alessandro, is an apartment in the Bosco Verticale, the award-winning Milanese skyscraper created by architect Stefano Boeri. The building is also home to more than 5,000 trees and shrubs, which shroud it like a second skin.
This innovative green exterior is partly what drew Marilena to the building. ‘I used to live in a villa surrounded by a park,’ she says, ‘but the need to be in the city for work convinced me to move. However, I really didn’t want to give up our proximity to greenery.’
Although they were the apartment’s first-ever occupants, Marilena decided to change the space to suit her family’s needs, and she chose to work with Valentina Moretti, architect and creative director at Studio More. The key request was to create a large living room designed for socialising and to include a kitchen, dining area and conversation space. ‘We have a big family and often host get-togethers,’ says Marilena.
When the project was in the stripping-back stages, Valentina’s team discovered an unused void above the false ceiling in the living area. They decided to reclaim a portion of the extra space, and in the process introduced an industrial edge to the apartment. ‘We then enhanced the beauty of the exposed concrete by installing new stainless-steel ventilation channels,’ says Valentina. The exposed mechanics deliberately contrast with the r
