DARSENA LIVING COLIVING | MILAN

Living together, living alone. At the same time.

Coliving in Milan is not a trend. is not a trend. It is a concrete response to how cities work today, to how people move through them, to how the concept of home changes when mobility becomes a permanent condition of contemporary life.

For Darsena Living, Kervis SGR commissioned us to design the coliving units of a building entirely dedicated to Build to Rent in Porta Ticinese, Milan. The project, completed in 2023, transformed a historic building into a new model of shared urban living.

The design challenge was precise: create apartments where different people could share a space without giving up their private sphere. Where coexistence was facilitated by design, not imposed by necessity.

The concept

Each coliving unit is an apartment with three private bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom, and a large shared living area with a fully equipped kitchen.

This structure is not accidental. It is the result of a precise analysis of how coexistence works between adults who do not know each other: the kitchen and living room become the territory of the community, the bedrooms become the territory of the individual. The boundary between the two must be clear, physical, perceptible.

We designed this boundary with care. The living area is open, bright and welcoming, designed to encourage encounter without forcing it. The bedrooms are autonomous, complete and private, designed to guarantee retreat without isolation.

The design choices

The colour palette of Darsena Living coliving is dominated by sage green, a tone that creates calm without coldness, continuity without monotony. It is a colour that works well in shared spaces because it belongs to no one in particular, yet creates a recognisable identity.

The open plan living area with kitchen is the social heart of the apartment. The table with yellow chairs introduces a note of warmth and lightness, breaking the risk of uniformity that often characterises spaces designed for rental. The round mirror is a recurring element, a design gesture that creates visual continuity between the different units of the building.

The private bedrooms each have their own contained personality, with dark blue ceramic floor tiles that introduce a note of character without heaviness. The bed with upholstered headboard, the spherical lamp, the integrated storage system: every element is chosen to guarantee real comfort for someone living in that space for months, not nights.

The corridors are designed to be inhabited, not just crossed. The continuity of sage green and the sequence of doors create a rhythm that gives the apartment a sense of order and coherence.

Build to Rent and coliving in Milan

Darsena Living is one of the first large-scale Build to Rent projects in Italy, in one of Milan’s most vibrant neighbourhoods. The coliving addresses young professionals, university students and relocating workers, anyone who needs a real home in a city where finding one is difficult.

For Kervis SGR, the project needed to work on two levels simultaneously: attract residents and guarantee long-term investment performance. Durable materials, integrated storage solutions, finishes that resist intensive use without losing visual appeal: every design choice takes both needs into account.

Client: Kervis SGR Interior Design and Creative Direction: Valentina Elmiger, VANDA Designers Year: 2023 Typology: Coliving, Build to Rent Location: Porta Ticinese, Milan