A central kitchen, mirrored surfaces, hidden storage and a deliberately hotel-like sense of arrival allow Simone Mungini to extract an impressive amount of function from a 45-square-metre Milan apartment. Rather than treating compact living as a problem to disguise, he builds the entire renovation around it, using low cabinetry, sliding doors, shallow storage and carefully placed furniture to preserve openness while still giving each part of the home a distinct purpose.
The most convincing design decision is moving the kitchen into the middle of the apartment. Keeping the fridge and freezer separated at opposite ends avoids the bulky visual effect of a conventional appliance tower, while eliminating upper cabinets helps the kitchen read more like furniture within the living space. A long display shelf, thin ceramic surfaces and the concealed cooking storage behind the feature wall reinforce that approach without pretending the kitchen does not need substantial practical capacity.
That same balance between usefulness and appearance continues throughout the apartment. The rotating television and shelving unit works as storage, entertainment furniture and a partial room divider, while the desk incorporates concealed work supplies without being designed to disappear entirely. Even small difficulties become opportunities for custom solutions, from the split entrance cabinetry designed around an awkward handle to narrow bedside shelving and the 13-centimetre-deep mirrored storage unit in the bedroom.
The hotel influence is more than an aesthetic slogan. Marble thresholds emphasize transitions, fluted timber details recur between rooms, lighting is treated as part of the architecture, and the bedroom includes the chair, side table and integrated wardrobe language associated with a compact suite. Mirrors are repeatedly used to create perceived depth, while the full-height pocket doors and continuous visual palette reduce the sense that the apartment has been chopped into a collection of tiny rooms.
The terrace may be the clearest demonstration of how much the renovation gains from thinking beyond the apartment's internal footprint. Raising the interior floor to strengthen the visual connection outside, adding large glazing, positioning plants beyond the balustrade and introducing narrow mirrors all aim to extend the apparent depth of the space. Automated shading and concealed mechanical equipment also keep the outdoor area functional rather than allowing it to become merely decorative.
Importantly, the home does not pursue compactness through maximum multifunctionality at every opportunity. Mungini explicitly rejects a sofa bed in favor of a conventional sofa that performs one job well, an unusually useful reminder that small-space design can become compromised when every object is forced to transform. Personal belongings, inherited artwork, childhood CDs, vintage chairs and individually chosen decorative pieces also prevent the finished apartment from feeling like an anonymous showroom, despite the highly controlled aesthetic.
The presentation is strongest when Mungini explains the specific constraint that produced a particular solution. Discussions of appliance placement, reduced wardrobe depth, concealed plumbing, towel storage and the enlarged shower make the tour genuinely informative for viewers interested in compact interiors. The sponsored section describing the floor-plan software is considerably more promotional than the rest, however, and temporarily interrupts the otherwise natural progression through the home.
Some choices are also highly dependent on the owner's habits and budget rather than broadly transferable principles. Glass-front wardrobes demand consistent tidiness, extensive custom fabrication is unlikely to be practical for everyone, and premium fixtures, automated systems and designer furnishings contribute substantially to the boutique-hotel effect. Even so, the apartment offers plenty of adaptable ideas because its most successful lessons concern proportion, sight lines, storage depth and visual continuity rather than simply expensive objects.
Pros
- Clever relocation of the kitchen creates a more open layout while preserving substantial appliance and storage capacity.
- Custom furniture repeatedly solves specific spatial constraints instead of merely adding decorative novelty.
- Consistent use of mirrors, pocket doors, low cabinetry and continuous materials makes the apartment feel visually larger.
- The terrace is treated as a genuine extension of the living area through glazing, aligned floor levels, planting and shading.
- Personal objects and inherited pieces keep the carefully styled interior from becoming impersonal.
- Explanations frequently connect individual design decisions to the practical problem they were intended to solve.
Cons
- The extended sponsored floor-plan segment interrupts an otherwise fluid and personal apartment tour.
- Several solutions depend on custom fabrication, premium fixtures or designer products that may be difficult to replicate on a modest budget.
- Glass wardrobes and open displays work especially well for a very tidy owner but may be less practical for many households.
- The tour occasionally focuses more on individual product and brand details than on broader design principles.
A remarkably disciplined renovation shows how a genuinely small home can feel generous without sacrificing storage, personality or everyday function. Its most useful ideas come from careful proportions and thoughtful responses to constraints rather than luxury finishes alone, although the amount of custom work makes the finished result easier to admire than to reproduce exactly.
