In the beating heart of Brera, where design becomes storytelling and spaces transform into canvases for weaving visions, the Brera Design Apartment is ready to unveil a new chapter in its history. On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2025, the studio Zanellato/Bortotto presents “Orizzonti,” a project born out of the theme “Connected Worlds” proposed by the Fuorisalone, exploring new frontiers between tradition and innovation.

“Orizzonti” is not just an installation, but a true narrative experience that traverses art, memory, and cinema, turning the apartment’s rooms into settings where the tangible merges with the imaginary. Daniele Bortotto and Giorgia Zanellato, with the consultancy of Nathalie Borgeaud, create a path that invites visitors to rethink the very concept of space, suggesting a new perspective from which to observe the world—more fluid and permeable.

The title of the project is already a statement of intent: the horizon, a line of boundary and a promise of discovery, is here explored in its many declinations. It is an element that has guided navigators and inspired artists, a reference point that suggests endless possibilities. “The horizon becomes a point of reflection and an invitation to explore what lies beyond a boundary, to connect with other worlds and dimensions,” explain the designers.

Their vision takes shape through a continuous dialogue between materials, colors, and cultural suggestions. Every room of the apartment is conceived as a fragment of a story, a microcosm that reflects a piece of the world. Fields, tidal flats, mists, deserts, starry skies, and volcanic landscapes: each room is a chapter that points to a specific inner and aesthetic geography.

The entrance opens to “Fields”, a space inspired by the photographs of Luigi Ghirri, where light and color evoke the rural Italian landscapes. Handcrafted ceramic surfaces, craquelé glazes, and Nomad fabrics from Fischbacher 1819 create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, while the delicate light of the Sottile lamp by Davide Groppi guides the visitor through the journey. A tribute to the strength of craftsmanship that continues to tell stories in the present.

The dining room transforms into “Tidal Flats,” a homage to the Venetian lagoon and the seascapes painted by Virgilio Guidi. Here, color takes center stage, with walls painted in gradient hues using Sikkens glazes, and a large travertine table by Ethimo. The oriental weavings of the armchairs and the Sardinian pibiones rug interact with the Barene ceramic collection from Botteganove, which translates the mutability of Venetian water and light into ceramics, offering a reflection on the fluidity between past and present.

In the living room, the atmosphere becomes more ethereal with “Caìgo”, the mist that envelops and transforms the space. A long wooden shelf holds artworks and sculptures, while Vela sofas by Saba Italia, upholstered in wool, seem to float on a hand-knotted rug by CC-Tapis. The heart of the room is a Marble Marbling coffee table in grigio carnico manufactured by Delsavio 1910, paired with Cipollino marble walls that amplify the sense of depth and mystery. The interplay of natural materials evokes the dialogue between the natural and designed dimensions, recalling the beauty that emerges from every contradiction.

The bedroom is “Desert”, a journey into the silent vastness of Namibia. The warm tones of the FENIX® lacquered wood paneling blend with the wood and wrought iron of the Bolzan bed, while the embroidered fabrics and Radici carpet provide a sense of intimacy and protection. Here, the refinement of materials is felt in the meeting of mineral and organic elements, a bond between man and nature that becomes visual poetry.

The corridor, titled “Space,” is a tunnel of light and color that evokes a sunset seen from an airplane. The deep blue of the walls is illuminated with changing reflections, while Samsung’s The Frame screens display images of distant horizons. The interaction between the digital and the analog, between technology and vision, creates a synthesis between the dreamlike and the real.

The bathroom is “Volcano”: a tribute to the lunar landscapes of Etna, with mosaics by Botteganove and pigments made from volcanic powders that transform the room into a sensory and tactile experience. Every element is designed to immerse the viewer in an almost primordial experience, a ritual of deep connection with the earth.

“Orizzonti” is not just a journey through environments and suggestions, but also an exploration of matter and its infinite possibilities. The choice of materials and surfaces is the result of in-depth research on artisanal craftsmanship and traditional techniques, reinterpreted in a contemporary key. The collaboration with excellent companies shapes this vision: Agape’s refined bathroom solutions, Lunardelli Venezia’s masterful wood craftsmanship, and Wall&Decò’s evocative wallcoverings define atmospheres that blend past and present. The innovative resin applications by Rezina, the sophisticated textures of Moroso’s furniture, and the chromatic depth of Sikkens glazes complete an ecosystem where design becomes a language of connection and transformation.

The blending of past and future, the analog and digital, memory and innovation, is the thread that runs through the entire project. “Orizzonti” is not limited to being a temporary installation, but becomes a design manifesto that enriches the history of the Brera Design Apartment, suggesting new ways of inhabiting space.

With “Orizzonti,” Zanellato/Bortotto offer a poetic reflection on design as a tool for connecting different worlds. Their rooms are not just environments to explore, but true scenarios that challenge those who pass through them, urging them to look beyond the boundaries of the visible. In an era where distances shorten and boundaries are redefined, “Orizzonti” reminds us that the most fascinating journey is the one that takes us to discover new ways of seeing, inhabiting, and imagining the world. And it is precisely in this open gaze towards the future that design finds its most authentic dimension.

Partners: AGAPE; DAVIDE GROPPI; DELSAVIO 1910; ETHIMO; FENIX®; FISCHBACHER 1819; LUNARDELLI VENEZIA; MOROSO; REZINA; SABA; SIKKENS; WALL&;DECÒ.