TL;DR
Get business pricing on your home office setup
- Business-only prices and quantity discounts
- Tax-exempt purchasing
- Multiple users, one account, clear invoices
Livingetc profiled a Milan apartment designed by Gaia Venuti for real estate entrepreneur Veronica Lafleur. Its burgundy, ochre and lavender-gray palette, tactile finishes and steel furnishings were planned to make the home both a personal fresh start and a workplace.
Interior designer Gaia Venuti has created a Milan apartment for real estate entrepreneur Veronica Lafleur that functions as both her private home and a workplace for her business, BetterCallVero. In a Livingetc feature, the pair describe how saturated colors, tactile finishes and contrasting metals were used to give the space a distinct identity and reflect Lafleur’s planned fresh start.
The project began with a pair of Cornaro sofas by Carlo Scarpa for Cassina, upholstered in blue velvet with burgundy lacquered frames. Venuti told Livingetc that the contrast between soft fabric and dark lacquer shaped the palette and character of the rest of the apartment. She described the sofas as the home’s “genetic code.”
Rather than treating each room as an isolated design, Venuti said she planned a sequence of visual and emotional shifts. The apartment combines burgundy cabinetry, dark marble and terrazzo flooring with rooms in colors including ochre and lavender-gray. In the bedroom, chartreuse linen and a silver faux-leather headboard add further contrast, while the owner said she wanted the room to convey “peace, energy, and positivity.”
The apartment also accommodates Lafleur’s professional life. A work area overlooking the garden has natural cork walls, which Venuti said soften the space and absorb light and noise. She paired the warm cork with metal furniture, describing the contrast of “cold steel next to the lived-in cork” as a way to make the interior feel three-dimensional. Livingetc credited the project to GaiaHomeProject and photography to Monica Spezia/Living Inside.
A Home Designed for Work and Rest
The apartment illustrates how a residential interior can be designed around more than appearance: it has to support different parts of its owner’s day. Lafleur uses the property as a private residence, creative studio and meeting space for BetterCallVero, making the relationship between home and work a central feature of the project.
Its design also offers a specific example of using strong color without applying it uniformly. Venuti told Livingetc that she uses intense color as an accent or to define particular architectural volumes, while balancing it with changes in texture and finish. For readers considering colorful interiors, the reported approach emphasizes proportion and material contrast, rather than relying on a single bold shade throughout.
Products Worth Considering
Blueair Blue Pure 211i Max Air Purifier for Large Rooms
Bose Lifestyle Ultra Wireless Home Speaker, White Smoke
Levoit Core 600S-P Smart Air Purifier for Large Rooms
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
A Fresh Start in Milan
Lafleur told Livingetc that she chose not to bring items from her previous home into the apartment. She said the decision reflected a new personal and professional phase and a wish for the space to represent “a complete fresh start.” The source does not give the apartment’s address, size, renovation timeline or cost.
The collaboration began during the closing of a retail property deal, according to the feature. Lafleur recalled noticing Venuti’s unexpected color combinations, which led to the design partnership. The project was then developed around the sofas, with Venuti describing the home as a sequence of discoveries rather than a set of disconnected rooms.
“I wanted this space to represent a complete fresh start, both personally and professionally.”
— Veronica Lafleur, homeowner
Project Details Not Reported
Livingetc’s feature describes the design and the owner’s intentions, but does not report the apartment’s location within Milan, floor area, purchase or renovation cost, or construction schedule. It also does not specify whether every described space was newly renovated or whether any structural work took place. No independent assessment of the project or its performance as a workplace is included.
The statements about how the colors and materials affect mood are attributed to Lafleur and Venuti and reflect their views; the feature does not present them as measured outcomes. It is also unclear whether the apartment is open to visitors or used for business meetings on a regular schedule.
No Further Project Milestone Listed
The source presents the apartment as a completed interior project and does not announce further renovation work, a public opening or a new development tied to the property. No next project milestone is identified. The immediate next step for readers seeking more detail is the Livingetc feature and its credited photography; any future changes to the apartment or its use have not been reported.
Key Questions
Who designed the Milan apartment?
Gaia Venuti, who works under the name GaiaHomeProject, designed the apartment for Veronica Lafleur, according to Livingetc.
What is the apartment used for?
It is Lafleur’s private home and also serves as a creative studio and meeting space for her real estate business, BetterCallVero.
What inspired the apartment’s color scheme?
The design started with blue velvet and burgundy lacquer Cornaro sofas by Carlo Scarpa for Cassina. Venuti said their contrast informed the wider palette and material choices.
Which materials and colors feature in the design?
The feature describes burgundy cabinetry, dark marble, terrazzo, ochre walls, natural cork, steel furniture and a bedroom palette of lavender-gray, chartreuse and silver.
How much did the apartment renovation cost?
The cost is not reported in the Livingetc feature. It also does not give the apartment’s size or a renovation timeline.
Source: livingetc.com
