molteni motta photograph fabio novembre's home-studio in milan

molteni motta photograph fabio novembre’s home-studio in milan
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

since 1973, molteni&motta (giuseppe molteni and roberta motta) have been pursuing a photographic career capturing architecture and interior design projects. part of their creative endeavour is ‘home portraits‘, which has seen the couple go inside the homes of famous italian architects and designers, offering us a look into their private live and work spaces. among these featured is the home-studio of fabio novembre and his wife candela, in the eastern part of milan that is anything but a typical residence.

a fiberglass fiat 500 C replica planter novembre created for a public installation with the car company
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits
see more about this project on designboom here

for many years, the lecce-born architect resisted any thought of living in a real home. for novembre, the idea of having any type of physical vertical restrictions seemed laughable, and he approached the thought of ‘privacy’ as a joke. but it was the fact that he was living in a one-room open loft which served as a space in which he slept, ate, worked, partied and made love, that made then girlfriend argentinian model candela, walk out on him for a period. ‘the place was filled with people day and night, and I couldn’t even take a shower without feeling like there were eyes prying on me,’ she recalls, describing it as an open-space nightmare.fast forward a few years, when the handsome couple got married and were expecting their first child — and when fabio was finally ready to inhabit a ‘real’ home… or at least his version of one.

an open courtyard greets visitors as they entire the private premises
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

novembre’s home-studio has been envisioned much like a tree-house. he wanted to create the feeling of living inside of tree, but more specifically, the tree of knowledge. his dream was that him and candela would occupy the space and live there as adam and eve before the fall. he wanted his own paradise where ‘there would be no evil and no punishments.’ these references to the garden of eden can be seen reflected throughout the exterior and interior of the space.

the façade of the home is clad in a mosaic of green foliage…
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

one is invited into the courtyard by a wrought iron gate that is in the shape and size of a substantially fed anaconda. visitors are then met by a courtyard and the architectural structure of the home which appears to be floating in mid-air. the façade is clad in a mosaic of green foliage designed by novembre himsef, created by company bisazza (of which novembre was creative director from 2000-2003) and carries through to the internal spaces — connecting inside and out — metamorphosising on the kitchen ceiling. among the green is a humourous snake by sandro chia, which sinks its fangs into a red apple over the dining table. ‘in my paradise, the snake is an element of protection and goodness‘, says novembre.

the green mosaic of tiles run from outside to inside, with a large snake sinking its fangs into a red apple depicted
images © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

fabio and candela’s house is an expression of their love for one another. the rooms have been rendered as passionate and fun, injected with life and bold features such as a transparent shower that can be viewed from the glass staircase; and heart-shaped handrails. a specially installed cabinet in the living room has been treated by the netherlands-based designer maarten baas, in which he has literally burned the surfaces of the cupboards to give them a charcoal look. additionally, a painting of adam and even adorn the doors of his and hers walk-in closets.

general view of the breakfast bar and cooking area
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

their daughters verde and celeste share a whimsical room, which has a large circular red glazed window that allows them to look into their parents bedroom (and vice versa). a featured green wall invites the girls to draw and create an ever changing art piece within.

a glass staircase runs between two floors, adorned with heart-shaped handrail finials
images © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

the abode, sits adjacent to fabio novembre’s studio, which in a previous life functioned as a banana depot. its inner core could be associated to the belly of a ship and is outfitted with pieces designed by novembre, such as his ‘titanic’ coiled sofa for capellini, alongside the work of fellow creative contemporaries who he admires, such as tom dixon, joep van lieshout and his own office chair designed by gaetano pesce. in its entirety, fabio novembre’s home-studio envelopes the atmosphere of an adult playhouse, full of curious and tempting details.

from the stairs, one has a view into the open, transparent shower
images © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

view from below
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

fabio and candela’s daughters celeste and verde’s fun bedroom
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

a feature green wall invites the girls to draw
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

a large circular window offers views between fabio and candela’s room, and their daughters’
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

lovely red details
images © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

novembre’s room is equipped with a bathtub and walk-out terrace
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

visions of temptation can be seen throughout the couple’s private quarters
images © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

living room with terrazzo flooring and camouflage covered seating areas
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

a custom built-in cabinet in the living room by maarten baas has been burned to express the look of charcoal
image © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

general view of the studio space that also serves as a gallery of the firm’s work
images © molteni&motta, courtesy of home portraits

molteni&motta fotografie’s work has been featured in numerous prestigious italian and international magazines over the last three decades. their photographic practice ranges from historic architecture to contemporary interiors. their home portraits portfolio is a collection of images documenting the homes of prestigious creatives, providing a look into their personal spaces and preferred aesthetic. see more home portrait interiors on: molteni&motta fotografie

molteni motta photograph fabio novembre's home-studio in milan

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