TL;DR
Get home appliances delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Livingetc has profiled a Milan apartment designed by Gaia Venuti for real estate entrepreneur Veronica Lafleur. The home combines saturated colors, tactile materials and cool metal finishes, and also serves as Lafleur’s residence, creative studio and business meeting space.
Livingetc has published a tour of a Milan apartment designed by Gaia Venuti for real estate entrepreneur Veronica Lafleur, showing how a palette of burgundy, ochre, lavender-gray and chartreuse was paired with cork, marble, terrazzo and metal. The apartment is both Lafleur’s home and a creative studio and meeting space for her real estate business, BetterCallVero.
The design took its cue from 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 helped shape the rest of the interior. She described the sofas as the home’s “genetic code,” a starting point for its colors and materials.
Rather than treating each room as a separate scheme, Venuti said she planned for emotional transitions and visual flow through the apartment. Burgundy cabinetry and dark marble sit alongside terrazzo flooring, while an ochre-yellow room changes in appearance as afternoon light crosses its walls. The bedroom combines lavender-gray walls, chartreuse linen and a silver faux-leather headboard.
The home’s work area looks onto a garden and has natural cork walls, selected for their warm texture and ability to absorb light and sound. Venuti contrasted the cork with metal furniture, including steel elements. Lafleur said she brought nothing from her previous home, describing the decision as part of a personal and professional fresh start.
A Home That Also Hosts Work
The project illustrates a practical tension in homes that double as workplaces: the rooms need to support meetings and focused work while still feeling personal and restorative. Lafleur’s apartment has a business function as well as a domestic one, and its garden-facing studio area uses cork and metal to create a distinct material character without separating it from the rest of the home.
The design also offers a specific example of how strong color can be used without covering every surface. Venuti said she applies intense hues as accents or to define architectural volumes, with texture and proportion helping keep the palette legible. That approach is visible in the combination of burgundy, ochre and chartreuse with darker stone, velvet, cork and steel. The report documents a particular client-designer collaboration; it does not establish broader claims about the cost, performance or popularity of these choices.
Products Worth Considering

Blueair Blue Pure 511i Max Smart Air Purifier

Arlo Pro Wireless Security Camera, 2K HDR, 6th Generation, 4-Camera Kit

Levoit Vital 100S-P Air Purifier with Washable Pre-Filter
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The Sofas Set the Palette
According to Livingetc, Lafleur and Venuti met during the closing of a retail property deal. Lafleur recalled noticing the designer’s unusual color combinations and later asked her to develop the apartment’s interiors. Venuti works under the name GaiaHomeProject, and the magazine presents the home as a portrait of Lafleur’s preferences rather than a standardized decorating scheme.
The design began with the Scarpa sofas, then expanded into an approach focused on how people move through and feel in a space. Lafleur said she wanted a complete fresh start and chose not to reuse items from her prior home. She also said she wanted the apartment to bring peace, energy and positivity, while reflecting who she is. The published material does not provide the apartment’s address, dimensions, renovation budget or construction timeline.
““The sofas aren’t just furniture — they were the genetic code of the entire home.””
— Gaia Venuti, interior designer, quoted by Livingetc
Project Details Not Published
The Livingetc feature describes the design and includes statements from Lafleur and Venuti, but it does not give the apartment’s location beyond Milan, its size, budget, purchase or renovation dates, or the length of the project. It also does not provide independent assessments of how the design works for day-to-day business use or whether the selected materials meet particular acoustic or durability targets.
The article is a home tour, not a report on a newly announced building project or a measured evaluation of interior-design trends. Its descriptions of the owner’s personality and the emotional effects of color are presented through the homeowner’s and designer’s accounts; the source does not establish them as objective findings.
No Further Project Milestone Given
The source does not announce a next construction stage, public opening or follow-up event. The apartment is presented as Lafleur’s home and working space, with the published feature documenting its completed design. No additional dates or plans are provided in the report.
Readers seeking more detail would need information beyond the Livingetc tour, including project specifications or further comments from Lafleur and Venuti. The article itself points readers toward Livingetc’s other home tours and interiors coverage but does not identify a scheduled update about this apartment.
Key Questions
Who designed the Milan apartment?
Gaia Venuti, working under GaiaHomeProject, designed the apartment for homeowner Veronica Lafleur, according to Livingetc.
What inspired the apartment’s design?
A pair of Carlo Scarpa Cornaro sofas for Cassina, with blue velvet upholstery and burgundy lacquered frames, served as the design starting point, Venuti told Livingetc.
What is the apartment used for?
It serves as Lafleur’s private residence, as well as a creative studio and meeting space for her real estate business, BetterCallVero.
Which colors and materials feature in the home?
The reported palette includes burgundy, ochre, lavender-gray and chartreuse. Materials include cork, velvet, dark marble, terrazzo and metal.
Are the apartment’s size and renovation cost known?
No. The Livingetc feature does not state the apartment’s dimensions, renovation budget or project timeline.
Source: livingetc.com
