Those colors The color story on this apartment renovation in Milan is ravishing. Designed by Turin-based Marcante-Testa studio, the 150-square-meter, or 1,615-square-foot residence combines classic architecture with vintage-contemporary decor to create a home that is at once modern and timeless.

Called Le Temps Retrouvé, or time regained, in a nod to the final volume of Marcel Proust?s famous novel, the flat features herringbone floors and Parisian-style French doors that open on to balcony, but it?s the use of color?whether on painted walls, wallpapered sections, and in furniture choices?that catapults the home into new territory.

In the open-plan living area, wallpaper patterned with hedges from Cole and Son?s Fornasetti II collection adorns the walls, while a section of the floor has been painted a complementary minty green. A custom-made green console with Vienna-straw screen divides the lounge from the dining area, which flows into a kitchen of light blue, black, and pale green hues.
Moving from the common areas to the bedrooms, one finds sections of the hallway papered in a jaunty pattern of colorful cones against a white background, while one of the bedrooms features a dark floral wallpaper. Whicker headboards add a touch of further whimsy. The bathroom, too, is awash in striking colors of salmon, mint green, and dark blue. Despite the bold scheme, no room feels too heavy-handed. Take a look. ...