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A Livingetc report features a Milan apartment designed by Gaia Venuti for real estate entrepreneur Veronica Lafleur. Built around burgundy-and-blue Carlo Scarpa sofas, the home pairs strong colors with materials such as cork, marble, terrazzo and steel, and also serves as Lafleur’s workplace.
Livingetc has profiled a Milan apartment designed by Gaia Venuti for real estate entrepreneur Veronica Lafleur, showing how a palette of burgundy, blue, ochre and lavender-gray is combined with materials including cork, marble, terrazzo and steel. The residence also functions as Lafleur’s creative studio and business meeting space, making the design relevant to both her home life and work.
The project began with a pair of Cornaro sofas by Carlo Scarpa for Cassina, upholstered in blue velvet with burgundy lacquered frames. Venuti, who works under the name GaiaHomeProject, told Livingetc that the contrast between the soft upholstery and firm, dark structure helped establish the apartment’s direction. She described the sofas as “the genetic code of the entire home.”
Rather than treating each room as a separate scheme, Venuti said she planned for emotional transitions and visual flow through the apartment. Burgundy cabinetry, dark marble and terrazzo flooring extend the contrast of color and texture. In one room, ochre walls are changed by diagonal afternoon light; in the bedroom, lavender-gray walls sit alongside chartreuse linen and a silver faux-leather headboard.
The home’s work area looks over a garden and has walls clad in natural cork, which Venuti said absorbs light and sound. She paired the warm surface with bold metal furniture, including steel. Lafleur told Livingetc that she brought nothing from her previous home, describing the apartment as a personal and professional fresh start. The report presents the design and the residents’ comments; it does not provide independent measurements or technical assessments of the space.
A Home That Also Hosts Work
The apartment is not presented solely as a private retreat. Lafleur uses it as her creative studio, workplace and meeting space for her real estate business, BetterCallVero. That dual role gives the material choices a practical dimension: the cork-lined work area is described as absorbing noise and light, while metal furnishings provide a contrasting surface and appearance.
The report also offers a specific example of how a homeowner’s preferences can shape a design. The scheme starts from furniture Lafleur and Venuti both considered expressive, then carries its colors and contrasts across the home. Venuti’s stated approach is to use strong color in accents or defined architectural volumes, rather than applying it uniformly. For readers interested in interiors, the project shows the designer’s process and the owner’s stated aims, without claiming that one approach suits every home.
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From Chance Meeting to Design
According to the Livingetc report, Lafleur and Venuti first met during the closing of a retail property deal. Lafleur recalled noticing Venuti’s unusual color combinations and said the encounter led to their collaboration. Venuti is a Milan-based interior designer known in the report for a distinctive use of color.
Lafleur said she deliberately left belongings from her former home behind because the move coincided with a new professional phase. The apartment’s design was therefore intended to express a fresh start, as well as to make the space feel restorative and personal. The source does not give the apartment’s address, size, renovation schedule or cost.
““I wanted this space to represent a complete fresh start, both personally and professionally.””
— Veronica Lafleur, homeowner, speaking to Livingetc
Project Details Not Disclosed
The Livingetc story is an interior-design profile based on interviews and images, not a technical project record. It does not state when the apartment was completed, how large it is, what the renovation cost, or whether structural work was involved. The report also offers no independent evaluation of the cork’s acoustic or light-absorbing performance.
Descriptions of the apartment’s emotional effect and the designer’s interpretation of Lafleur’s personality are attributed views, not independently verifiable findings. The source does not say whether the apartment is open to visitors or whether Venuti and Lafleur have worked together on other projects.
No Further Project Plans Reported
The source describes the completed interior and Lafleur’s current use of the apartment, but does not announce a launch, public viewing or later project milestone. For now, the reported development is the publication of the home tour. Any further information about the property, its renovation or future work by Venuti would need to come from the designer, homeowner or a subsequent report.
Key Questions
Who designed the Milan apartment?
Gaia Venuti, a Milan-based interior designer who works under the name GaiaHomeProject, designed the apartment for Veronica Lafleur.
What was the starting point for the design?
Venuti said the project began with a pair of blue velvet and burgundy lacquer Cornaro sofas designed by Carlo Scarpa for Cassina.
Does Lafleur use the apartment as a workplace?
Yes. The Livingetc report says the apartment serves as Lafleur’s home, creative studio, workplace and meeting space for her real estate business, BetterCallVero.
What materials feature in the apartment?
The report describes natural cork, dark marble, terrazzo, lacquer, velvet and steel, used alongside vivid colors such as burgundy and ochre.
When was the apartment completed, and what did it cost?
The source does not give a completion date or renovation budget. Those details are not reported in the Livingetc profile.
Source: livingetc.com
