We’re in Brera, the historic and charming district in old Milan.
Brera, the Milanese Bohème. The artists’ district and one of the liveliest neighbourhoods of Milano Design Week. A historic neighbourhood, populated by historic buildings and enchanting indoor courtyards. The famous “secret gardens” that fill the city centre of Milan. Small oases of greenery that are concealed from view of passers-by behind high walls or impressive and ornate solid wood front doors.
An open-air room
Indeed, it is in just one of these charming courtyards, situated a stone’s throw from the world-famous Brera Academy, that an antiques dealer from Milan decided to recreate his own privileged area for relaxation and sociability. A veritable open-air room, in the paved courtyard with creepers on the walls, where he can invite his friends on summer evenings.
The family building, an imposing edifice dating back to the late 18th Century, boasted a large unused space on the ground floor, which was originally used as storage.
The owner had the brilliant idea of transforming this storage room, which overlooked the internal courtyard directly, into an accessorised venue to greet and play host to his guests. Both to have a chat in a charming and relaxing ambiance, as well as for a quick al fresco meal, weather permitting.
A “4 seasons” kitchen
The heart of the project is a kitchen from the Atelier line by Abimis, which the antiques dealer himself designed according to his “unusual” need. He therefore created a compact and functional monoblock that could work both indoors and outdoors, depending on the season. An outdoor kitchen that is concurrently indoor
To achieve this result, he exploited the possibilities offered by stainless steel kitchens by Abimis. In winter, the small Atelier is used in the covered area, which the owner refers to as his “winter garden” owing to the view over the garden and because all his house plants are safe here in winter. But as soon as the milder weather makes an appearance, the kitchen is moved to the adjacent courtyard. This way, the Milanese antiques dealer can organise his evenings and open-air dinners with friends for more than 6 months.
Thanks to Abimis, this antiques dealer’s incredible idea has become a reality… He designed his very own “4 seasons kitchen”!
Since it is made of stainless steel, the kitchen is in fact immune to rain, bad weather, cold and even dirt. The kitchen is actually often washed down with just a hose.
And when the temperatures begin to drop again, which is usually towards late October, the kitchen is taken back into the Jardin d’Hiver, where it continues to play the starring role of the most exclusive Milanese social soirées.
