A palazzo apartment
The parquet was taken back to its first colour and the fireplace kept. Drawings climb the wall around a single mirror, and the study beyond is painted dark so the plants hold the light.
Interior designer · Milan
Elena Vasari
I choose the painting before the paint.
About
I trained as an architect in Venice and opened Vasari Atelier in Milan in 2011. I take a few rooms a year. The painting goes up first; the walls, the light and the furniture are decided around it.
- Studio
- Vasari Atelier
- Since
- 2011
- Work
- Residential & hospitality
- Works in
- Italy, Switzerland, London
Selected work
Casa sul Lago
A villa on the water, closed for a decade. The frescoes were cleaned, not repainted, and every room was left to look at the lake.
Placed through the house
The breakfast room
One table, old wood panelling, and the morning sun left to cross the wall. That wall was kept for a single work from the house.
Picks
Pick of the month · October 2026
Water Lily Pond
Claude Monet, 1900
Hang it low, across from where people sit. By late afternoon the whole room takes on the colour of the pond.
Pick of all time
Young Woman with a Water Pitcher
Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1662
The painting every room I have made has been trying to become.
Artists championed
Claude MonetHe taught me that a wall can hold weather.
Vincent van GoghNothing in a room argues with him.
Georges SeuratI hang him where people sit still.
Enquiries
Taking projects from spring 2027.
Elena receives a sourcing fee from the house on works placed through Elena. The price is the same, and the artist keeps 77%.
Photographs and works shown are placeholders.