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Studio Paradisiartificiali, working with Bristol-based artist Owen Gent, renovated a 37-square-metre former warehouse in Milan’s Navigli district as a short-stay studio apartment. The design pairs surreal, arched wall murals with bright furniture and a newly built kitchen-and-bathroom service core; the project’s owners describe it as a place of passage and discovery.
Studio Paradisiartificiali and artist Owen Gent have transformed a 37-square-metre former warehouse in Milan’s Navigli district into a short-stay studio apartment built around surreal murals, colorful furnishings and a reworked interior layout. The project matters as a compact-housing example of how artwork and a concentrated service core can shape the experience of a small home, although the available report does not give a budget, completion date or performance data.
The apartment was previously a warehouse used by an astrophysics professor approaching retirement, according to Livingetc’s report. Its new brief was to accommodate people spending a few days in Milan. The designers responded with a predominantly white interior punctuated by bright furniture and decor, including Opinion Ciatti’s Yum Yum chairs, a cobalt-blue Oly Stool by noo.ma and a Krossing Maxi Bookcase by Kriptonite.
The rooms are marked by arched murals by Gent, whose imagery gives the small apartment a dreamlike, open-ended quality. The design team said the wall art and interior were developed together rather than treated as separate elements. The reported renovation also included a ventilated crawl space, a new roof with exposed timber beams and a service core containing the kitchen and bathroom. The source does not provide a detailed floor plan or explain how every area is arranged.
The project is named Mysterious Baths, after I Bagni Misteriosi, a recurring subject in the work of Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico. The designers cited de Chirico’s imagined landscapes and Gent’s suggestive illustrations as references for a home intended to feel like a brief encounter rather than a permanent place of belonging.
Designing a Short Stay in 37 Square Metres
The renovation presents a specific response to a common small-home challenge: making a compact interior serve visitors while giving it a strong identity. Instead of relying only on practical storage or neutral finishes, the designers use murals, vivid furnishings and a consolidated service core to organize the experience. The artwork gives the apartment a visual focal point, while the kitchen and bathroom are grouped within a single built element, according to the report.
That approach may interest readers planning small homes or short-term accommodation, but the project should not be taken as evidence that a particular layout will work for every studio. Livingetc provides no measurements beyond the apartment’s 37-square-metre area, and does not report on construction cost, storage capacity, accessibility or how guests use the space. Its value here is as a documented design case, not a measured comparison with other small apartments.
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From Milan Warehouse to Mysterious Baths
The apartment is in Milan’s Navigli district and was adapted from a former warehouse. Livingetc reports that the conversion required substantial renovation, including the addition of a ventilated crawl space where there had not previously been one and construction of a new roof with exposed timber beams. The source does not specify the building’s age or the condition it was in before work began.
Studio Paradisiartificiali’s Lorenzo and Alessandro said the brief prompted them to think of the home as a place of passage and encounter. Their reference, I Bagni Misteriosi (“The Mysterious Baths”), connects the apartment’s name to de Chirico’s artistic subject and to a sculptural work created in Milan in 1973, as described in the report. Gent’s murals were intended to contribute an image that suggests a story without fully explaining it.
“We found this idea of Mysterious Baths being a shelter for travellers passing through fascinating.”
— Lorenzo and Alessandro of Studio Paradisiartificiali
Project Costs and Guest Experience
The report does not state when the renovation was completed, what it cost, whether the apartment is currently available to book or how many guests it can accommodate. It also does not provide technical detail on the new roof, crawl space, heating, ventilation or the building approvals involved.
Claims about the apartment’s atmosphere and its ability to prompt discovery are the designers’ intentions, not independently measured outcomes. No guest feedback, operating data or comparison with other short-stay properties is included in the source material.
Booking and Further Details
Livingetc’s report documents the completed design, but does not identify a booking platform, give rental rates or say whether the home is open to visitors. Readers seeking to stay there would need to check with the property owner or a listing service for availability and access details.
Any further assessment of the project’s practical impact would require information not included in the report, such as operating costs, guest capacity and feedback from people who have stayed in the apartment. The source material does not announce another project milestone or a future update.
Key Questions
Where is the Mysterious Baths apartment?
It is in Milan’s Navigli district, according to Livingetc.
How large is the studio?
The apartment measures 37 square metres, or about 398 square feet.
Who designed the apartment and its murals?
Studio Paradisiartificiali led the interior project in collaboration with artist Owen Gent, who created the murals.
What renovation work was reported?
The designers reported adding a ventilated crawl space, building a new roof with exposed timber beams and inserting a service core for the kitchen and bathroom.
Can visitors book a stay there?
The report does not say whether the apartment is currently available to book or identify a rental platform. Availability and rates remain unconfirmed in the source material.
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