TL;DR
Studio Paradisiartificiali and illustrator Owen Gent transformed a 37-square-metre former warehouse in Milan’s Navigli district into a short-stay studio shaped by surreal murals, colorful furnishings and a new service core. The project, named Mysterious Baths, draws on Giorgio de Chirico’s imagery and treats the apartment as a place of passage and discovery.
Studio Paradisiartificiali and artist Owen Gent have transformed a 37-square-metre apartment in Milan’s Navigli district into a compact short-stay home built around surreal murals and bright, carefully selected furnishings. The project, called Mysterious Baths, reworks a former warehouse into an accommodation for people spending a few days in the city, according to Livingetc’s report.
The apartment was formerly a warehouse used by an astrophysics professor nearing retirement, the report says. Its new owners wanted a place for temporary visitors, while the design team shaped the interior around ideas connected to philosophy, metaphysics and travel. Rather than treating the studio only as a small dwelling to be fitted out efficiently, the designers developed a strong visual identity for it.
That identity is clearest in the arched wall murals created in collaboration with Gent, whose illustrations suggest an arid, dreamlike landscape without spelling out a complete narrative. The report describes imagery that evokes a staircase and an oasis. Colorful furnishings provide a contrast to the apartment’s white surfaces, including Yum Yum chairs by Opinion Ciatti, a cobalt-blue Oly Stool by noo.ma and a Krossing Maxi Bookcase by Kriptonite.
The renovation also involved substantial building work, according to the designers. They introduced a ventilated crawl space, built a new roof with exposed timber beams and placed the kitchen and bathroom in a service core. The source notes that the team used the apartment’s generous ceiling height, but the supplied report excerpt cuts off before giving further detail about that part of the design.
A Small Flat With a Guesthouse Role
The project illustrates one response to a familiar design challenge: how to make a small city apartment serve short-stay guests while giving it a distinct character. Here, the design team’s answer combines a concentrated set of practical interventions—such as grouping the kitchen and bathroom in a service core—with artwork and colorful furniture that make the limited footprint feel intentional rather than anonymous.
The project is also relevant as an example of collaboration between interior designers and an illustrator. The murals are not described as decoration added after the renovation; the studio says the artwork and space were developed together. That approach makes the painted imagery part of the apartment’s concept, while the vivid furnishings give visitors visual cues across a compact interior. The source does not provide floor-plan measurements or guest reviews, so it cannot establish how well the arrangement functions in everyday use.
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From Milan Warehouse to Mysterious Baths
The name Mysterious Baths refers to I Bagni Misteriosi, a recurring subject in the work of Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico. According to Lorenzo of Studio Paradisiartificiali, de Chirico’s treatment of familiar Italian elements as parts of imagined landscapes became an important reference for the project. The theme also connects to his later sculptural work created in Milan in 1973, as described in the source report.
The designers said they viewed the apartment as a temporary place of passage and encounter, rather than simply a home defined by permanent belonging. That framing informed both the collaboration with Gent and the choice to create imagery that remains open to interpretation. Studio Paradisiartificiali is a Milan-based architecture and interior design practice whose work brings architecture, art, design and craft together, according to the studio description included in Livingetc’s report.
“We found this idea of Mysterious Baths being a shelter for travellers passing through fascinating.”
— Lorenzo and Alessandro of Studio Paradisiartificiali
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What the Report Does Not Specify
The Livingetc material does not identify the apartment’s exact address, the renovation’s completion date, its budget or the number of guests it can accommodate. It also does not state whether the studio is currently available to book, who operates it or what its nightly rate is. Those details should not be inferred from the project’s stated aim of hosting visitors to Milan.
The source provides limited technical information about the renovation. It mentions a ventilated crawl space, a new roof with exposed beams and a service core, but does not give construction specifications, accessibility details or a full account of how storage and sleeping areas are arranged. The report also does not include measurements for the furnishings or independent evaluations from guests.
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Booking and Project Details Remain Open
The source report presents the completed design but does not announce a public opening, booking platform or future project milestone. Readers seeking availability or practical accommodation details would need to check with the property’s owner or operator; the supplied material does not name either. Further information about the layout and renovation may also depend on a fuller project description from Studio Paradisiartificiali.
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Key Questions
Where is the Mysterious Baths apartment?
It is in Milan’s Navigli district, according to Livingetc. The report does not provide an exact address.
How large is the studio?
The apartment measures 37 square metres, according to the source report.
Who designed the apartment and its murals?
Studio Paradisiartificiali led the renovation in collaboration with Bristol-based artist and illustrator Owen Gent.
What is the design inspired by?
The project draws on metaphysical imagery associated with Giorgio de Chirico, including his recurring theme I Bagni Misteriosi, or The Mysterious Baths.
Can visitors book the apartment?
The report says the space was conceived for people spending a few days in Milan, but it does not provide booking details, rates or availability.
Source: rss
