The design of this Milanese apartment celebrates its features from the past while adding in modern pieces – it’s a classic look that’s future-proof
LIVING ROOM
‘I love to hunt for out-ofthe-ordinary items to create interiors that are not standardised,’ says owner Tessa. The piece over the mantel is actually a rug.
In the elegant residential neighbourhood around Milan’s Via XX Settembre, Tessa Horovitz, a Parisian architect, has been working on her most important project – the house she shares with her husband Alvise Raccanelli, astrophysicist and professor at the University of Padua. ‘We immediately fell in love with the area,’ she says. ‘Coming from Paris and having grown up among ancient and sumptuous buildings, for my first experience of living in Italy I wanted a place that truly represented its aesthetics and beauty.’
In designing her house, Tessa faced the challenge of ‘how to make a place like this something different without distorting it,’ she says. ‘Since everything was well preserved, I have enhanced the historical features, such as the original windows. We kept the original layout and worked above all on the finishes, the colours and restoring the beauty of the ancient elements that needed care.’ For her, the most important aspect was preserving and enhancing the grandiose ceiling height – ‘one of the luxuries in architecture and real estate, and one of the hardest things to find in today’s modern homes.’
It was a challenge she rose to thanks to her professional experience. Having designed and renovated more than 50 hotels with Châteauform, a family company, she now manages Maison H, an interior design company co-founded with her sister, Deborah. ‘With Maison H we have worked in this way on castles, palaces, farms and ancient buildings. It is our modus operandi.’ Compared to a commissioned job, there are a few differences with a personal project, however. ‘The positive side is having full control,’ she says. ‘I can take risks, experiment. In my philosophy, homes and interiors grow and change; a design decision made today does not necessarily have to be a life-long one. Without ever throwing anything away, an interior can be reimagined 100 times. I am aware of that; the clients, not always.
‘I am inspired by the craftsmanship and the history of the place where I create a new space,’ she continues. ‘Architecture and interior design for me are a journey
