Post-war middle-class heritage in a Milanese house museum

L’eredità borghese del dopoguerra in una casa museo Milanese Post-war middle class heritage in a Milanese house museum

Master of Science Thesis by Liu Yun-Yu

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Supervisor: Prof.ssa Laura Daglio Co-supervisor: Prof.ssa Gaia Caramellino Co-supervisor: Prof.ssa Lola Ottolini

00 INDEX

00. Abstract and Introduction

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01. Building Post-war Italy 1.1 "La Ricostruzione": Post-war Reconstruction In Italy 1.2 The American Influence

6 7

02. New ways of living for urban middle class. The domestic space in the media 2.1 The Introduction of Television 2.1.1 Carosello 2.2 Post-war Cinema 2.2.1 Italian Melodrama And Its Gender Representation 2.3 Pop-songs 2.4 Periodicals And Its Influence On Domestics Space 2.4.1 Domestic Style 2.4.2 Electronica Appliances 2.4.3 Elite Design and Professional's Suggestions For Women Magazine Readers 03. Towards a new domestic space. Representation from architectural periodicals 3.1 Kitchen 3.2 Tinello 3.3 Salotto 3.4 Living Room 3.4.1 L'angolo Pranzo 3.4.2 Trendy And Affordable Furniture 3.4.3 Multifunctional Furniture 3.5 Anti-camera 3.6 Bathroom 3.7 Bedrooms 3.7.1 Master Bedroom 3.7.2 Lavandino 3.7.3 Children's Room

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11 13

14 16 18 19 23 27 30 35 36 38 39 42 43 56 58 59 61 62 64 66

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04. A Case Study: An Ordinary Middle-Class Condominium In Milan, Viale Gran Sasso 23 4.1 A Photo Survey 4.2 The Urban Context 4.3 The Materials 4.4 Original Apartment Design 4.5 Original Ground Floor Design

66 80 84 85 86

05. The Design Proposal: Viale Gran Sasso 23 5.1 Scope and Focus 5.2 Observations and Objectives 5.3 Final Alternative and Public Strategy 5.4 Renovation of Ground Floor: A House Museum

92 93 96 102 104

06. Viale Gran Sasso 23: A Museum of Post-war Middle-class Italy 6.1 Maps of Ground Floor 6.2 Plan 6.3 Section 6.4 Gallery 1 6.5 Gallery 2 6.6 Galley 3

113 118 120 122 144 170

07. Conclusion

190

00 ABSTRACT

The post-war period in Italy was characterized by both civil and industrial reconstructions of the artifacts lost during the war. One of the first measures taken by the government was to provide people home, jobs, to restore the national identity. In the late 1950s, the nation experienced economic growth, together with social and cultural changes which transformed the way of living of different demographic groups. A particularly interesting group is the middle class, which embodies the societal shift to consumerism. Nowadays, middle-class residential buildings represent an important resource when observing the domestic change of the postwar period. The Middle classes' desires, interests, and culture have transformed the taste of society.

This work analyzes the domestic design trend of the middle class and its reflections on the social landscape, economic situation, political atmosphere, as well as the role of women in the society. The research includes different media resources such as music, cinema, television programs, and periodicals. The professional architectural magazines presented the elite lifestyle of the upper class which plays a crucial role as well because the non-architectural magazines that are popular among the housewives picked up their topics quickly, and propagated the idea to the middle-class in the country.

An ordinary post-war building in Milan was selected as a case study. The building embodies the classical middle-class residence and serves as a museum itself. Based on the historical archives and urbanistic analysis, this work proposes to transform the ground floor into a house museum. The curation and set up of the museum are designed based on the aforementioned research. Different design strategies are applied to present different aspects for visitors to have a full understanding of the period. Among other advantages, it is shown how the museum could enhance the greenery and offer common facilities to the community and residents. Moreover, the history of the apartment would merge with the house museum and evolve into a unique experience for the visitors.

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01 BUILDING POST- WAR ITALY

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01 1. 1 "La Ricostruzione": Post- War Reconstruction in Italy The year from the end of the Second World War 1945 to the 1950s until the ecnonomic boom, was called “La Ricostruzione” in Italy. The period was characterized by the civil and industrial works of reconstruction of the artifacts lost during the war, which numerous people become homesless and unemployed. As a result, the first measure taken by the government was to provide people home, jobs and reform the national idendity. In the following years, the end of the war did not mean the unification of the country. The Italian government was characterised by a division between the Communist, the Socialist Parties (PCI and PSI) and Christian Democracy (DC). Price and unemployment rose rapidly. The structure of Italian industry was characterized either by small companies, or a concentration of production in major north- west cities, which was limited geographically, and the whole nation’s economy was depend largely on those regions.1 Change of Family Structure Italian life revolves around family. Family is so central to Italian culture that two sections of the Italian Amendment are dedicated to it. While Italy participated in war and later in the postwar economic boom, Italy’s dominant notion of family life began to undergo a great transformation beyond just family structure. The consequences of an increasingly modern Italy on family meant that the family system too had to modernize to adapt and survive socially and economically. The social structures within families were altered greatly by migration, urban issues, changes in the labor system, and external changes in tourism and mass consumption. Although they struggled to maintain family stability and traditional structure, in the end families were somehow able to find balance for these social changes.

In April 1946, at the first congress of the D C, Gonella made a statement

An invisible and silent atomic bomb has destroyed the family unit. [...] the women present should understand this better than the men, to try and defend the family from inside the family. The state with its wars will tear away from you your husband or your brother, and atheist education or the corruption of the streets will steal the soul of your child. The family is a fortress which cannot be defended from inside the fortress.2 For most women in the period, the desire to return to family life was, ‘much stronger than aspirations for radical change, which were felt only by those sectors of women who in some way had participated in moments of political struggle’.3 We may observe the emphases on political advertisement stressing ‘restoring the family to health and morality’ as the main spirit of the time.4 Notably, Post-war Christian Democrats held that women should enjoy equal civil, legal, and political rights. At the same time, restoration of the family did mean: that control of education should be returned to parents; that motherhood and childhood should enjoy special protection by the state; and that heads-of-households should receive a “family wage,” so that mothers might be empowered to remain home with their children.5

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1 Paolo Scrivano. (2013) Building Transatlantic Italy: Architectural Dialogues with Postwar America. (Ashgate Studies in Architecture Series.) Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate Publishing Co., 2013.

2 Gonella. ‘La D.e. per la nuova Costituzione’, p. 43.

3 G. Chianese, Storia sociale della donna in Italia, 1980, p. 102.

4 Oddone, ‘Ricostruzione morale’, p. 17.

5 Allan.C (2007) Europe and the Christian Democracy Movement: A Once and Future Hope?, Family Research Council, Washington, D.C. p.105

01 Privatization of Family Two main programs of the American actions are UNRRA-CASAS and INA Casa plan, which takes the building typologies from the pre-war period that still retains traditional domestic space and without specific public facilities design. However, the new features are the sanitation and small cooking units within the apartments. Social life shifts from public to private.

Some villages even maintained a common bread oven in the public square. No doubt these housing programs not only responded to urgent postwar needs but also served a cultural desire that had evolved little from the 1930s.1 During the Allied invasion of 1943-5, Italy had had its first direct experience of the American way of life - violent in many ways, but also incandescent with its bonhomie, benevolence, and Jazz.2 In particular, the American way of life was one of the most popular topics.

The average family in Italy became more private and nuclear oriented, as we can see for example from the architectural magazine Domus, which constantly focus on American designers such as Hermann Miller and Charles Eames’ design on furniture and space, with household products manufactured in the United States, or countries that were also within the Marshall Plan. Even though architectural magazines such as Domus, Casabella..etc might seem far from the ordinary life, however, the ideas of achieving a personal aesthetic of an ideal home, or the American single-family house and lifestyle (fig.1), were soon picked up by daily women magazines such as Eva, Grazia, Gioia..etc, that became widely and popularly accepted by the public, especially among the middle- or lower-middle-class women audience.

However, even though the single-family house seems a desire, the post-war public construction is mainly condominiums due to the rapid increase in the urbanization process. The repetition of condominiums was built and had created new neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city.

Economic Boom in the 50s and the Consumerism Market After the reconstruction years of the country, in 1955 Havard business review indicated that Italy came after Britain and Germany in domestic consumption in Europe. Mass production for mass markets, both internal and external, produced an unprecedented level of prosperity.

Italy’s industry had reached a sufficient level of technological development.3 Marshall Plan played a key factor in the growth of Italian economic growth. American machines and skills were imported, which benefit numerous firms (for example Candy, FIAT, Olivetti typewriter, and plastic materials). We may assume the consumerism market and mass production are linked to economic growth. It may also be seen as a tool for the Americans as a cold war weapon4, as the western European countries grow strong economically, the resistance to communist power increased.

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1 Paolo Scrivano. (2013) Building Transatlantic Italy: Architectural Dialogues with Postwar America . (Ashgate Studies in Architecture Series.) Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate Publishing Co., 2013.

2 Paul Ginsborg, 1989; A History of Contemporary. Italy Socity and Politics, Crainz, 1996,2003 3 Paolo Scrivano. (2013) Building Transatlantic Italy: Architectural Dialogues with Postwar America . (Ashgate Studies in Architecture Series.) Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate Publishing Co., 2013.

4 ibid.

01

FIgure 1.

FIgure 2.

Pages from architectural journal Domus and women magazine Grazia, which shows some part of the content focus on the leisure time in American way, and the trend of having a summer holiday house, or transform your space into a relax and enjoying home.

Figure 1.

La Holiday House Americana Domus, n.ยบ 265 (December 1951) Figure 2.

La Casa In Estate Grazia, n.ยบ 625 (February 1953)

FIgure 3.

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1 La Holiday House Americana, Domus nr.265 December 1951 2 La casa In Estate, Grazia nr.625, February 1953 3 "Relax", Domus nr.246 May 1950

Figure 3.

American Relax Domus, n.ยบ 246 (May 1950)

01 Emergence of Electronic Appliances One of the most successful industry during the economic boom of Italy was the domestic electric appliances. Many of the companies established in the period became well known and profitable afterwards. A classic example was Candy - a washing machine manifacturer. Besides washing machines, fridges and dishwashers are also among one of the most produced electronic appliances in Italy which successfully open the economic for the country. Machines were regarded a new and important role for thh new domestic life whcih the housewife can be away from major tasks, and as a result, the comfort of daily life has been improved. It is regarded also a transition in the role of women in the family, which majority are housewives, they were no longer regarded as “angel of the hearth� but modern house manager with the help not by the maids but the modern electric appliances, which was also a way promoting the consumerism society and mass production. "she

has always dreamed of a house, her home, she has dreamed it for herself, but also for her husband, so that when he returns from work he can find a serene and welcoming environment around him. With the construction of this skyscraper it could be said that a woman's everlasting dream is fulfilled. But for now the skyscraper is und alone. We just have to wait for the happy time in which every woman will have for herself an apartment like the one they overlook (or are about to open) in Piazza della Repubblica, Milan."1

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1  Gioia 1964 pp.74-77

02 NEW WAYS OF LIVING FOR URBAN MIDDLE CLASS. THE DOMESTIC SPACE IN THE MEDIA

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02 2.1 The Introduction of Television From different media, we can have a glimpse of how ordinary life for Italians are, or how they wish their life could be. Television in Italy was introduced in 1939, when the first experimental broadcasts began. However, during World War II in 1940 all transmissions were interrupted, and were resumed after the end of the conflict, on January 3, 1954. As a result, television plays a crucial role in the post-war Italy, even though at the beginning not everybody could afford to own one in their home and most of the time people gather in bars to watch TV together, however, not only the information delivered from the TV influence people’s everyday life, but also how to organize the domestic space to accomodate TV became a topic.

We can see many illustration on magazines of Radio Corriere, which features how TV has impacted people’s daily life, as well as issues in magazines discussing how to set up the TV in the living space. (figure 1-3)1 In 1954 the state-owned holding company Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI) became the sole shareholder and IRI – now renamed RAI—Radiotelevisione italiana to reflect its extended responsibilities – finally began a regular television service.2 The objectives of the broadcaster were pursued through a multi-layered strategy involving government policies. the family home. the RAI’s main effort was intended to promote the sale of television subscriptions and TV sets, by reassuring Italian citizens that the TV set was a harmless device that could add to the comforts of a truly modern home in the social context of the post-war economic boom10, just like other technical conveniences (from refrigerators to washing machines).

FIgure 3.

FIgure 1.

Radiocorriere, a weekly “house organ” magazine published by the RAI

FIgure 2.

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1 Radio Corriere 1957 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAI#cite_note-11

FIgure 1. Radio Corriere 1957 Figure 2. Radio Corriere 1957 “Happy new year eveybody, reader friends, in the serenity of your homes” Figure 3. Radio Corriere 1956 January

02 In this respect, the consumer-electronics brands and vendors were strong allies: in order to maximize revenue from television sales, they strongly promoted domestic viewing on as individual a level as possible. The second problem was the need to provide practical instructions and advice on how to integrate the TV set into the home environment, from both a cultural and a technical standpoint (fitting the necessary electrical hardware, fixing the aerial, and learning to tune the set).1

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

12 1 

Paul Ginsborg, 1989; A History of Contemporary. Italy Socity and Politics, Crainz, 1996, 2003

Figure 1. Radio Corriere 1956 January Figure 2. “Finally! A more beautiful television and occupies less space�

Grazia 1958

02 2.1.1 Carosello and Its Reflection On The Society Television, and within it Carosello , should be considered a privileged observatory for their role in changes in consumption and customs, it is an important source for us to understand the great transformation of Italy to an industrial urban society.

We might wonder why an advertisement program became so popular? Until the mid-1950s, most of the Italians in the 50s are farmers and low percentage of population has attended more than elementary schools or never been to schools, as a result, Carosello became an interesting, easy way to deliver the information and advertisement to the public, compare to the TV episodes at the moment which were indeed high-tongued and boring.

In a country that in the post-war period moved on foot, by bicycle or by train, motorization began with scooters, with the brilliant invention of the Vespa in 1946, by Piaggio; then, to put the Italians on four wheels were the small cars produced from the mid-50s in the new Fiat Mirafiori plant: first the 600, then the 500. Another brilliant Italian invention, that of the chemist Giulio Natta (for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1963), allowed Montecatini to produce industrially Moplen, the new synthetic fiber that filled Italian homes with plastic furnishings.1

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1

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Figure 1-2. Carosello - Moplen “Quando la moglie non c’è - bagnetto” Figure 3. Carosello - Fiat 500 pubblicità originale Figure 4. Carosello - Royal Aron TV Paul Ginsborg, 1989; A History of Contemporary. Italy Socity and Politics, Crainz, 1996, 200

02 2.2 Post-War Cinema And Its Relfection On Society Neorealism Films Following years after the war, there was a cultural affirmation of neorealist cinema. Neorealism did not appeal to all Italian families, also because it was held politically on the left, but he had great success abroad: It was inconceivable for the cinema of “white phones” represent something unpleasant, elements such as poverty, conflict, death, war seen in its atrocities. The neorealist films «explored social issues with a new language, above all with reference to the most disadvantaged classes of war-torn Italy “ (Fonzari 2009, 171), they had a moral purpose, distinguishing themselves also from production American cinema and wanting to convey new values. The neorealist school acknowledged the merit of having first wanted to contribute to the Reconstruction, spreadingamong the Italian families the values of freedom, peace and democracy. In the characters of neorealist films, mainly male, there was representation of a crisis that concerned not only the cultural sphere, but also individual identity and national, to which the still cluttered city space served as a background of rubble: the environment of the street, most often preferred by neorealist directors, he had the task of dramatically recording the devastation the war had brought to the country in every aspect (Fonzari 2009, 172).

Bellissima 1951 Luchino Visconti 14

Miracolo a Milano 1951

by Vittorio De Sica 15

02 2.2.1 Italian Melodrama And Its Gender Representation Melodrama received a much more success and popularity than neorealism films by the public in the period, due to its exaggerated emotion, tension or excitement. The golden era of the genre, is shaped by a preoccupation with the patriarchal family and especially with motherhood and childhood. Melodrama was regarded as the postwar desire for stability in the private sphere of everyday family life which fits the catholic ideologies. Domestic bliss is presented as the only goal for women. In the words of the Church, which wieldedimmense influence in all areas of Italian life during this period (in its affiliation with the postwar government led by the Christian Democrats, its role as arbiter of social and moral values, its provision offamily welfare and its powers of film censorship), the ideal film should represent woman ‘dedicated to the home and its intimacy, because she knows that is where her entire happiness lies’.1 We can observe again that at the period, most of the media were regulated by the Christian Democrats. They strongly emphasized on traditional family value, that reflects the desire of a country after the war, along with bringing up the role of women, who were strictly shaped as housewives, however in a more "modern" way - with the assistance of invention of electronic device, who can focus on manage the house and children's education elegantly - and as promotion tool for the upcoming consumerism and mass production era.

Catene 1949

by Raffaello Matarazzo

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1 Günsberg M. (2005) Domestic Bliss: Desire and the Family in Melodrama. In: Italian Cinema. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230510463_2

02 Fotoromanzi Fotoromanzi were purely Italian inventions, after World War II, the photo novel taught many Italian girls to read. The heroines were always poor and romantic, but courageous and determined, to give hope, and sometimes illusions, to simple people who needed dreams. The story of photo novels is not so much the story of how we were or how we are, but of how we dreamed and how we dream.1

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1  Ermanno Detti, "Le carte rosa. Il libro prende in esame l'evoluzione del fotoromanzo nel linguaggio, nei contenuti e nell'immagine.

02 2.3 Pop-Songs And Its Reflection On Society The post-war period could be described as “ran ahead but looked back”, which means the huge transformation in industries and constructions, but at the same time look back to the past in mentality. Many pre-war songs were relaunched, but also the new ones recalled in the whole atmosphere of the thirties, indeed they exasperated the rhetorical tones and the pathetic themes. 1948-58 was the time of the restoration of traditional values, in the name of melodic song, almost always tear-jerking. It should be emphasized that among the many features of continuity with the fascist regime there was the relationship between political power, communication and mass culture, in our case music. In fact in the post-war , the song was “of the State”: public radio station (Eiar, now Rai) and its record company, Cetra, ruled it, exactly as it did during fascism. . Government control - that is, in fact, of the DC according to the moral guidelines of the Church - from 1954 extended from radio to television, born in that year. the Cetra, exactly as it was during fascism. Government control - that is, in fact, of the DC according to the moral guidelines of the Church - from 1954 extended from radio to television, born in that year. For this reason the song, together with the radio and the newborn television (subject to similar controls), are the most revealing forms of mass culture of the change in the cultural climate that occurred from the 50s to the 60s.

Three type of song catagories Terre lontane e lavoro In “ Lands far away and work “ we inserted and examined those songs that refer to work, even in different areas and distant from ours, but known and danced by us. In some dominate those dear themes linked to the figure of the emigrant: the desire to make a fortune, the nostalgic memory of the land left, the meeting on the place of Love. In others the image of the hard work of the countryside is lightened by poetic figures of peasants or passionate love encounters.

Amore In “ Love “ there are delineated the themes of the drive, of the instinct of the heart, which makes us suffer or rejoice, which can leave regrets, when the circumstances of life could not make it grow, which makes it insecure and which can even lead to ‘hate.

Rapporti sociali e personaggi particolari In “ Social relationships and particular characters “, the songs highlight a rigid and severe society where the roles between males and females are well defined and rigid, as evidenced by the texts about the parent’s relationship to the child, of the worker towards the his employer.

The same society does not lack the sarcastic irony towards those characters, who, then as today, came out of conventional moral schemes, like “La bella Gigogin”

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https://digilander.libero.it/scuolafontaneto/gusti_e_sapori/gusti/canzoni.htm

2.4 Periodicals And Its Influence On Post-War Domestic Space 2.4.1 Domestic Space From Women Magazines It was in the mid-1950s that popular media outlets began to incresingly take into consideration the models propagated by events and publications of this kind, making their images accessible to a larger audience, mass circulatio npublications further contributed to render these themes widely accepted.1

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1  Paolo Scrivano, Building Transatlantic Italy: Architectural Dialogues with Postwar America, Routledge; 1st Edition, December 2, 2013,p.201

02 Comparison between architectural periodicals with women magazines Through women magazines, we could observe the domestic trend for the housewives in the period. One of the most popular issues is to "update" the old fashioned styled space into a modern one, by some tips that were suggested. Readers are often offered advice on how to reconcile classic furnishings with a new home: "when furnishing your home, do not be afraid to mix styles [because] it is precisely the measured contrast between old and new things that [...] it gives the home warmth and personality ". It is also advisable not to give up" the purchase of a very modern armchair or lamp for fear that they 'clash' with the rest of the furniture".1

"La Vecchia Sala Cambia Aspetto" Grazia 1958 December nr.932 "If you have a room that has tired you out for its old-fashioned decor and its banal and impersonal aspect, look for a formula to make it more pleasant and welcoming, more lively and modern. Sometimes it doesn't take much: a colored wall, a fireplace or just a few curtains. [...] It is necessary to unveil and modernize with the help of other colors, other furniture and other arrangements. After the transformation it is like this The room doesn't look the same anymore The bottom of the wall was painted in bright blue, contrasting with the white background and panels. The stove has been removed, the fireplace has been repainted and the furniture has been replaced with newer and more functional ones."

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1  ÂŤAnnabellaÂť, Accostiamo l'antico al moderno, , n. 43, 1965, pp. 114-115

02

Sapore antico comodita moderna Grazia 1957 November nr.873 " If you have an ancient fireplace that is not too big, you can create a system of the kind we illustrate. That is, setting it in a modern way without altering its pleasant old "flavor". Use the entire wall on which the fireplace is placed as a library, and restore it with taste and a certain imagination, so that it truly becomes the center of greatest appeal of the environment. The wall should be made of wood and a series of small compartments for books will open in it. A mirror, a quadro that you wish to enhance, will break down any danger of monotony in the nicest way. At the base of the fireplace (about ten cm from the ground), a sturdy stone slab will run along the entire wall that can serve as a seat and as a support surface for the wood. "

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Grazia 1958 January nr.884

02 Apartment Layout Even in the management of the same type of dwelling, the exponents of the various social classes demonstrate their own peculiarities. In fact, in the post-war social housing, which were initially occupied by both the middle-class and the workers, the attitude of the middle classes and that of the working classes differs in certain respects. If the middle classes in fact find themselves in the model of the designers of a house consisting of a small kitchen, dedicated exclusively to food preparation, dining room and living room in a single room, two or more bedrooms and a bathroom; working-class families are generally frustrated with not being able to eat in the kitchen.1 We can observe the transformation of apartment layout in the post war period, the more traditional layout includes salotto and sala pranzo, which devotes to guests, the "modern" apartment usually includes a more fluid space includes a big living room contains dining space. For example "Il primo nido", however both of them has a post war apartment feature which include a private bathroom inside the apartment.2

"Il Primo Nido" Grazia 1953 An example of post-war modern middle class domestic space - Soggiorno + L'angolo Pranzo: living room with a dining space - Cucina: kitchen with a small table to eat - Bagno: private bathroom in the apartment - Camera: Bedroom - L'ingresso: the entrance is no longer a individual space but part of the living room 22

1  Marzio Barbagli, David I Kertzer., Storia della famiglia in Europa. Il Novecento, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2005, p. 90.

2  IL primo nido, Grazia 1953

02 We can also observe that many studies regarding apartment for nuclear family, newly wed couple, or studio for single person.

"A studio for an architect" Domus 1952 nr.266

"Accommodation for young couple" Domus 1952 nr.266 23

02 2.4.2 Electronic Appliances in women magazines We can see numerous and different electronic appliances in magazine, which delivered the messages to housewives such as “Here is a vision of fairyland: but it is not a fairy tale, it is reality, an extraordinary reality for today’s woman. The housewife (sad name that made us imagine young brides always struggling with the broom, the dishcloth, the crescent to chop vegetables and to escape the pitfalls of cooking) has become a fresh and serene lady who spends many hours a day like this, in an armchair, reading, resting, listening to the radio or knitting quietly: so much the ‘ménage’ goes on It looks like a miracle: the miracle of electricity. Vegetable peeler, whisk, sewing machines, washing machine, vacuum cleaner have decided that the woman will no longer be the maid of her house, but really the lady “.1 Those messages shows the "freedom" and "modernity" of the modern housewives.

"Eliminate useless tiredness with the new vacum machine San Giorgio" Eva 1958

"Finally the ladies have a kitchen specially designed for them, cooking is no longer a necessity, it becomes a refined pleasure" Grazia 1958

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1

«Gioia» Grande concorso caccia all’errore!, , n. 42, 1964, pp. 74-77.

02 We can also see many "competitions" advertisement for the electronic appliances from different brands held, for the winner to receive their products, the methods were usually simple, such as cut and collect the paper and send to their office. An interesting example the magazine «Eva» launched the “Eva-FIAT competition” in 1958 for the readers of« Gioia »”, they must fill in a form to be sent to the editorial office of the magazine, answering YES or NO to three pre-formulated questions. The questions may be like: “Is success in life due to luck or not?” or “can a marriage be happy if the woman is over five years old?” and again “at seventeen can a girl go out alone in the evening?”1 Evidently this is a survey on the customs of Italians disguised as a competition with prizes.

Figure 1. Concorso EVA- NECCHI Eva 1958 Figure 2. Concorso EVA- FIAT Eva 1958 Figure 3. Concorso Braun Grazia 1957

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1

Le domande che scottano, «Gioia», n. 16, 1958, pp. 8-9.

02 The convenience electronic appliances has brought, have changed absolutely the lifestyle.

The refrigerator allow housewives not to have to go shopping every day. Gas ranges with oven means they no longer have to go out to bring bread to bake in the oven. The washing machine comes with the sink with time setting. The spread of the washing machine is presented in the press and advertising as a new female “liberation”. The possibility of doing without service personnel, the contribution of household appliances and the saving of physical effort would have had to lead to a new domestic frontier of “civilization” and “progress” .1 In a magazine of the time we can read that “once upon a time the skill of the cook depended above all on long experience. Today, however, even the less experienced bride can become in a few weeks a perfect hostess [...] appliances are faithful servants, who manage to save a lot of effort “.2 Below are some examples of advertisement posters we can find in women magazine <<Grazia>> 1958.

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1 Enrica Asquer, La “Signora Candy” e la sua lavatrice. Storia di un’intesa perfetta nell’Italia degli anni Sessanta, “Genesis”, V, n. 1, 2006, p. 99.

2 Bravissime in casa con queste novità, «Grazia», n. 844, 1957, p. 76.

02 The Television Television in the house was not common at the beginning of the years, indeed people gather in bars or cafe to watch television together. Even though it was not common, we can still see the discussion on how to tranform your old fashioned home into a modern one whcih accomodate a space adequite for the television. Along with the economic boom and introduction of different electronic appliance into domestic space, housewives therefore regarded spend more and more time at home. The reasons for going out are steadily diminishing. This reduction of spaces and moments of sociality, especially for women, leads to a closure in the private sector, which, combined with urbanization, which may break family and friends relationships, often leads to a situation of isolation. To combat this loneliness, the woman seeks comfort during the day “in the radio that is always on and when it is evening she watches television, windows onto a world from which she is still separated” .1 Even though it might not be exactly the situation at the years of 50s, however it is an ideal image of how a modern domestic space and the lifestyle a housewive certainly suppose to achieve.

"Fate Attenzione al televisore" Grazia 1957 November nr.873 "Pay attention to the television. The solution proposed in the drawing opposite is particularly suitable for environments where there is television. In fact, the small cabinet and the television screen represent two centers of attraction with respect to those who are seated: it is therefore good to make them coincide to avoid unnecessary dispersions. The fireplace, of a rustic type, made of bricks, will house the television set (above) and firewood (below) in the two compartments. A properly spaced shelf will form a nice shelf for books with the brick top. The wooden plank on which the television rests will protrude slightly from the «facade». Given the rustic character of the fireplace, it must be inserted in a modern taste environment. A row of prints will be the only ornament on the wall in which it opens.

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1 Maria Chiara Liguori, Donne e consumi nell'Italia degli anni cinquanta, "Italia contemporanea", n. 205, 1996, pp. 680-681.

02 2.4.3 Elite design and professional's suggestions for women magazine readers In the women magazines, we see articles examined the role of the architect becomes more and more meaningful and his professional figure undergoes a great growth in prestige and at the same time in popularity. This could be an example of how the architects of the time wanted to make the new Italian house, but hardly a true representation of the houses of the time. In the boom years, through a greater consumption capacity, the home becomes the showcase of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic possibilities and the professional success achieved. The objects that furnish it and the style used are one of the main business cards of the family. However, it is not enough to flaunt oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealth through objects, it is also necessary to know the latest styles and innovations in design. The promotion of certain products is more an attempt to support Italian design. As a result, we can observe elite design usually appeared in professional architectural periodics, as well as appeared in women magazines.

"Giunco vimini paglia nella casa d'estate" Grazia 1953 May nr.637 Suggestions and introduction on chairs' selection to summer house by the architect L.C. Olivieri. We can see the selections from famous designers to elevate the taste of the readers. 1

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1 "Giunco vimini paglia nella casa d'estate", Grazia 1953 May nr.637

02 We can as well observe columns regarding competitions of different layout proposed by architects to an empty space in the apartment. The winner will be selected by voted from the readers.

Concorso between proposals from architects for domestic space "This place, we spend most of our days and which brings us together for meals, deserves a particular study [...] You have to think that the mother wants a corner to work and one to keep accounts, that the father, returning home, likes a vermouth, and that evenings with or without friends - a good radio - gramophone company. Then we need to think of the books that are not cast or randomly and that perhaps hold a beautiful picture worthy of being placed in the right light and in the right value. [...] The four sketches that make up the second stage of our great Furniture Competition show you how this place lends itself to the most varied interpretations. Being a room born of our modern needs and habits, almost all of our designers solve the furniture according to the most modern canons, but there are those who are always attached to tradition and who know how to adapt old furniture and furnishings to today's needs."

The readers will choose their favorite, indicating the number on the coupon (to be kept until the end of the competition) and will succinctly express their opinion.1

29

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; <<Grazia>> 1953 nr.620 p.32,33

03 Towards a new domestic space.

Representation from architectural periodicals

30

03 3.1 The New Kitchen The kitchens in the Italian house of the fifties and sixties is still the place of the family reunion around the rituality of the canteen.1 In the 1950s, the home had its vital center in the kitchen.

In fact, as the houses equipped with heating are still scarce, the "economic stove" makes this room the most livable. Here the family eat, study, meet and talk. Only a few families used to eat in the dining room or in what is called the "dining room". For special occasions, and only for those, there is the "good living room".2 1945 Marco Zanuso, published a book with La Cucina as title in series of quaderni di domus, he approach the issue of remark that only in recent times the kitchen is considered a "service room" not a living room. In his opinion, the problem of modernization of the kitchen can be traced back to practical questions like gygiene or running water availability. And he stated that radical solutions is needed. In this articles, the urge to illustrate exa,ples of "good design" tended to prevail over a discussion of potential implications of mass projection.3 In the magazines of the early 1950s we already encounter reports on the "new" kitchen. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator, and worktops and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a microwave oven, a dishwasher, and other electric appliances. The main functions of a kitchen are to store, prepare and cook food (and to complete related tasks such as dishwashing). The room or area may also be used for dining for small meals, entertaining and laundry.

It is advisable to create full-height kitchens in order to make the most of the space and to have a more hygienic environment by eliminating those areas that are difficult to clean daily.4 Materials such as formica, linoneum which are easily cleaned, stainless steel sink also for hygeine reason.

In addition, module units and system shelves which allows efficient arrangement of the space are characteristics of the new kitchen.

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1 Maurizio Vitta, Dell'abitare, Einaudi, Torino, 2008, p. 160.

2 Laura Minestroni, Casa dolce casa. Storia dello spazio domestico tra pubblicità e società, Franco Angeli, Milano, 1996, p. 19.

3 Paolo Scrivano, Building Transatlantic Italy: Architectural Dialogues with Postwar America, Routledge; 1st Edition, December 2, 2013,p.191 4 Grazia, 1953, nr.620

GRAZIA 1953 nr.620 A. four-burner gas cooker with hood mask the white lacquered door B. Linoleum covering of the entire surface of the kitchen worktop C. Folding top covering the washing machine D. small refrigerator, indispensable for the nest E. worktop suitable for all dishes F. Space intended for a table for breakfast and for the bride's housework G. Wall-mounted folding ironing board. during breakfast it can also be used for other uses, for example dishes can be laid

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American kitchen as an ideal kitchen During the 50s, American ideas concern kitchen design wielded a growing influence over italian architectural culture. Domus played a centrak role, with time new ideas about layout, function and look expanded more broadly and came eventually to be remarkably widespread. Modular components, "soluzionia a parete" (the kitchen that totally assemble along wall) and built in cabinets become familiar to italians.1 New materials (plastic, rasins) kitchen design fostered a chromatic revolution. See Cucine Americane a Colori 1958 by Gorlich. Moplen, the name chose to commercialize polypropylene I nend of 1950s become familiar brand In Domus 1955 number 307, an article introducing Karson American kitchen (with modular elements, produced in Italy and sold by Picowa), "the large roll of paper to dry your hands while preparing meals; the red and green enamelled iron pots, the plastic jug on the sink. Above the table, which has a yellow Formica top, the beautiful green enamel coffee pot (Fonderie Emaillère), and a series of beautifully designed plastic objects by Kartell: the citrus press, the lemon squeezer, the transparent plastic, the colored plastic cup, double-walled, to keep the drink cool, the cylindrical container in white plastic for liquids, the German fruit holder, in bakelized wood."2

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1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Paolo Scrivano, Building Transatlantic Italy: Architectural Dialogues with Postwar America, Routledge; 1st Edition, December 2, 2013,p.197 2â&#x20AC;&#x192; Karson American Kitchen Domus 1955 nr.307

03 The colorful kitchen Starting in the 1920s, that revolutionary wind began to blow in Europe that would radically change the way of conceiving the home. The Frankfurter Küche will be the European answer to the American theories on the Taylorization of domestic work. The arrangement of the furniture becomes much more functional, the surfaces more easily washable. "The cold-white-kitchen-chemical has gone out of fashion: this room is once again intimate, warm, welcoming and, moreover, sensationally colored".1 Domus 1955 nr.307 Plastic kitchen accessories "The kitchen equipment enriches day by day with the appearance of new different tools in plastic material, such as cooking, which become light, elastic and unbreakable. The plastic material has contributed to the return of color in the kitchen equipment and the color now spreads also to the enamelled utensils, which appear in series of new colors, to the rubber equipment, such as these new colored mats, produced at the Picowa da Paranova shop, and to the furniture itself, which gradually come out of the traditional white lacquer, As today it happens that the containers contain tableware, for the beauty of their shape, color, finish, this happens that the kitchen environment gradually takes over the characters, colors and materials of a room to be lived in. All the examples photographed in these pages can be found in Milan."

Domus 1955 Advertisement of Kartell

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1 New look anche per la cucina, «Annabella», n. 48, 1956, p. 36.

03

Grazia 1953 May nr.637 Described a perfect skyscrapper apartment for the modern housewices' desire with purely automatic electronice device helping her managing housetask and provide her husband a comfort home. "[...] refrigerator, oven that automatically controls the cleaning times, washing and drying machine, washing machine, shredding machine, etc. But it is not finished: in every room - automatically controlled electric logos; electric alarm clock, adjustable at will [...] swimming pool with sand, diving board, real trees; central plant that sucks up dust, another central plant that collects and incinerates waste, more for signaling and (automatic) extinguishing of fires, antenna for radio and television reception ... she has always dreamed of a house, her home, she has dreamed it for herself, but also for her husband, so that when he returns from work he can find a serene and welcoming environment around him. With the construction of this skyscraper it could be said that a woman's everlasting dream is fulfilled. But for now the skyscraper is und alone. We just have to wait for the happy time in which every woman will have for herself an apartment like the one they overlook (or are about to open) in Piazza della Repubblica, Milan."

"Here is an example of a U-shaped kitchen built in a single piece: the compartments are rationally designed to contain every utensil needed by the housewife."1

35

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Grazia 1953 May nr.637

03 25 - Modular furniture in porcelain steel (American system) and top in colored linoleum. Each cabinet is designed to hold pots, dishes, cleaning accessories, etc.

The lighting of the environment is obtained with metal reflectors placed above the worktops and on the stove.

Flip-down table with swivel chair.1 26 Modern House Project S. A .: A large piece of furniture on the free wall encloses the environment. The cabinet is made up of two whole lateral bodies and two overlapping central ones divided by a marble-covered top. The electric cooker and sink form a single element in stainless steel; an electric extractor replaces the hood. White lacquer with profiles and drawers in natural larch. Floor and walls tiled in blue.

27 Sketch by Lelia Reverberi: To make the most of space, the elements are suspended, recessed or foldable. The upper cabinet on the left wall incorporates the hood and the lower one the stove and sink. The tip-up table is surmounted by another suspended unit with sliding doors in white opaline, intended for pottery. In the corners and under the windows, furniture for cooking pots and utensils. Porcelain tile floor.

28 Sketch of the Arch. Maria C. Manca di Villahermosa: The wardrobes along the walls. The one above the gas cooker hides the hood. The table is made up of a stainless steel top that covers the low cabinets (0.92 m from the ground) and continues under the window,

Module units and system shelves which allows efficient arrangement of the space are characteristics of the new kitchen. A competition among different architects proposed the best arrangement for a kitchen sapce. A common feature is the focus on efficiently use of the space, and the materials creates a hygiene cooking environment.

Starting from the 1950s and 1960s, the kitchen, from a small room, sometimes consisting only of a kitchenette, gradually expands to embrace the entire living area. The chores that took place in the kitchen are now part of a process of greater integration between the rooms that brings the "stove room" back to the center of the house, but with different roles. From here will begin the process that led a room once isolated from the rest of the house, destined to carry out exclusively activities related to food, to enter more and more in relation with the rest of the house, until it reaches those open spaces with an Anglo-Saxon style that only in recent years do they seem to be starting to take hold in the Italian housing culture as well.

36

1 Elenco dei premi ((Grazia)) 1953

03 3.2 The "Tinello" - a small space where family eat and spend time together Tinello is a word that no longer exists because it corresponds to a small room with a table and chairs where you can eat, but which is not a real dining room and certainly not a living room. In today's apartments at most, there are a living room and a dining room or a hall where the dining table is also placed. Sometimes the living room connected to dining area which can be accessed directly from the front door.

Lieto un appartamento di tre locali, GRAZIE 1957 nr.830 "American-style furniture, in wood or color lacquered, and line the refrigerator with a washable Scottish fabric. The round table and light chairs by Chiavari will give the room a lace of salottiero flavor. The kitchenette communicates with the tinello and opens onto the service terrace."1

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1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Lieto un appartamento di tre locali, GRAZIE 1957 nr.830

03 3.3 The Salotto The disappearance of the salotto is part of a domestic revolution that also distorts the role of women. The landlady no longer has to limit herself to receiving guests, but must take care of the housework herself, follow the children and look after her husband. For the established middle classes, on the contrary, the good living room had to be put aside as a demonstration of a status now no longer unattainable.1 The conquest of the living room also symbolizes social redemption for the new middle class clerks and marks access to the reassuring anonymity of the middle class.2 Eva 1957 number 11: “Ah, here I want to have fun. Didn’t you say your husband has a furniture factory? here he can really show off his power." The room always remains the "exhibition" room, the one that the family uses for the public representation of themselves. Magazines in the 1950s did not really discuss about it anymore, but when they did, it was about how to emphasize and decorate this room in a special and elegant way to show the taste of the family. However, later the "salotto" has been replaced by modern living room, and gradually blend with the dinning space and kithen.

A very elegant salotto EVA 1958 nr.23 "Above: It is the same environment seen from another point. The oval table could be used for a lunch for two. Below: In this large room there are decorated walls, sculptures, a fireplace: elements that are absolutely different in terms of age and style. And yet everything serves to accommodate the large sofas with one-colored or large-flowered fabrics, the game table next to the fireplace, armchairs, cushions, everything that can be pleasing to the eye of those who stop there: friends! - In all these rooms the floor is covered with pale carpet."3

38

1 Enrica Asquer, Domesticità italiane: discorsi, conflitti, memorie dagli anni del boom, in Scarpellini Emanuela (a cura di), I consumi della vita quotidiana, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2013, p. 106.

2 Maristella Casciato, L'abitazione e gli spazi domestici, in Melograni Piero, La famiglia italiana dall'Ottocento ad oggi, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 1988, p. 576.

3 Un salotto molto elegante, <<EVA>>,1958

03

Un piccolo castello, Grazia 1957

39

Per l'arredamento degli ambienti in cui vivete, Grazia 1957

03 3.4 Soggiorno: The living room In the women magazines in 1950s, we can see the pages related to "soggiorno" which is living room and also "soggiorno- pranzo" which means a space consisted dining space and liviving room space constitutes the heart of the house. The previous "tinello" "salotto" "sala pranzo" have transformed into a larger living room within which all the other functions are located as organically connected centers with respect to a greater center. "You have to think that the mother wants a corner to work and one to keep the accounts, that the father, returning, likes a vermou: h, and that evenings with dinners or without are more pleasant if a good radio- friends gramophone keeps us company. Then we must think of the books that are not arranged in bulk or randomly and that perhaps we possess a beautiful picture worthy of being placed in the right light and in the right value."1 The dining area will be smaller than that reserved for the living room and will be reduced to occupy only a corner or a wall, it leaves much more space for sofa area, home bar, television, music and games..etc. "The 'living room', as it is now commonly said, is the main room of the bourgeois house of today [...] It is the room that brought together the usual living room and the 'good living room' of our grandmothers, the study and the game room of the past and, often, also the dining room ".2 In Grazia 1958 December nr.932 p.89, how to arrange a dining space and a living room into a normal sized space was discussed in the issue, and several options in different condition were listed. The occasions can be solely for dining, or solely a relax night with family, or an occasion of a meeting space. We can see that now the living room is regarded as a mixture of where all the activities happen, and the core of the house.

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1 Secondo Grande Concorso Grazia Casa Moderna <<Grazia>>, n.620, 1953 2 Soggiorno centro della casa, «Grazia», n. 684, 1954, p. 36.

03 3.4.1 L'angolo pranzo- merge of diningin space into living room The articulation of the rooms constitutes the rigid scheme of the house traditionally conceived. The architects propose greater agility in the distribution of the rooms and a much more organic concept of the house. This must have its own active center of reference around which family life gravitates; the living room, as it is designed and built today, constitutes the heart of the house. This leads to a different distribution of the rooms in relation to their functionality with respect to the living room and to the creation of furnishings that use this criterion. Consequently, the function of dining is increasingly assimilated to the living room and the house tends to transform itself into a larger living room within which all the other functions are located as organically connected centers with respect to a greater center.1 In Secondo Grande Concorso Grazia Casa Moderna <<Grazia>>, n.620 2, 1953, we can see comments such as "The room is divided in two by the large corner sofa in chintz and plain linen. The buffet furniture in the lunch corner is intended for service. "

In Secondo Grande Concorso Grazia Casa Moderna <<Grazia>>, n.620 2, 1953

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1â&#x20AC;&#x192;

Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957

03 The dining area will be smaller than the one reserved for the living room and will be reduced to occupy only a corner or a wall, leaving free space for the elements that rightfully belong to the living room: conversation group, bar, television, music and gloco. A long-threaded carpet or a brightly colored carpet under the table will serve not only to introduce a note of color, but to define the space occupied by the area, without resorting, if the area of â&#x20AC;&#x2039;â&#x20AC;&#x2039;the room is minimal, to dividing elements. In Eva 1957 nr.17, we can see a column "two environments in one space" regarding how to create two ambience by one shelf. The piece of furniture intended for the lunch service must offer a support surface useful for changing the parties. We recommend less bulky furniture, placed side by side or suspended from the wall and equipped with shelf, sliding doors, folding doors. Finally, remember the importance of the light factor. The dining group will have its lampacla, above the table and low enough so as to aboracciae the whole area by closing it in circles of warm and soothing light. The lamp can have an arm protruding from the wall with downscaling, ceiling or wall lamps. Another small lamp placed on the table makes the environment much more intimate. The lighting must also contribute to subdivide the areas: the corner of the dining room, must be illuminated with its own lights.1 Grazia 1958 March nr.891, "In the dining room, a striped curtain will have a lively chromatic effect. Notice the prints of the same size hanging on the wall in a single row. Always in direct light an original chandelier in the shape of an "onion". (figure 2)

figure 1

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1â&#x20AC;&#x192;

Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957

figure 2

03 Using tiles to distinguish the space We can also see in architectural magazines the introduction of using different tiles in a space in order to distinguish different functions. An example in Domus 1955 nr.305, we see an apartment using different tiles, carpet and bookshelf to create different corner in the apartment. (figure 1). Another way we can see common in magazines is by using movable panels. For example in Domus 1956. (fugure 2)

figure 1

43

figure 2

03 3.4.2 Trendy and affordable furniture Even if these furnishing elements will never enter most Italian homes, remaining niche and elite products, it must be taken into account that at the time, thanks to the innovations of industrial techniques, they were relatively not too expensive.

Grazia 1953 "I sei segreti del soggiorno" describe the tips of decorating or updating the taste of your living room with affortable furniture. "At first glance it would seem very expensive furnished: one of those luxurious American movie rooms! Yet it is a completely normal furniture.

But the interior designer was skilled and managed to achieve a perfect fusion of the elements.

We will reveal the tricks of this accommodation: following our suggestions, your stay can become as beautiful and welcoming as this one."1

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1â&#x20AC;&#x192;

I sei segreti del soggiorno, Grazia 1953

03 3.4.3 Multi-function furniture for creating a pleasant living room The false imitations of the antique are abandoned, the heavy and complicated forms, the furnishings without character and without purpose and are replaced with furniture with simple lines, with agill shapes, which do not clutter the room. By this we intend to refer not only to furniture that fully responds to the many needs of those who use and practice the living room but that can at the same can perform multifunctions, A single wardrobe can be used as a bookcase, with radio and bar and, if suitably equipped with a folding top, also as a desk. A game table can be used for lunch; a sofa will turn into a bed for the night. A living room can be created with few furnishings, and yet it appears more pleasant and welcoming than other living rooms where that characteristic and personal note that harmonises even the most diverse pieces of furniture has been lacking. May this be a comfort to all those who do not have very large rooms and who have to create a house within the limits of a small apartment.1 Per rendere pratico e lieto un appartamento di tre locali: Il soggiorno (Grazia 1957 April) "The large sofa bed, where the son sleeps, forms a corner with a side table and two armchairs of the type known as "Television". The shelves for the books incorporate the bar. The antique furniture contrasts nicely with the modernity of the whole Âť, which functions as a desk: today it is possible to buy furniture made with antique woods on classic models at affordable prices, which have nothing in common with the usual imitations. A large carpet completes the decor of the room."2

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1â&#x20AC;&#x192; 2â&#x20AC;&#x192;

Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957 Per rendere pratico e lieto un appartamento di tre locali, Grazia 1957 April

03 Below are examples of multi-functions furniture we can find in the magazines.

Figure 1. Bookshelf-table "For the husband, if he does not have an explicit profession that needs a real studio, you can adopt a folding-door desk incorporated in the living room bookcase, It will have internal drawers, departments for wrapping , a small socket lamp and, nearby, padded." (EVA 1958 nr.44) Figure 2. Desk- sofa - bar unit "Arrangement of the same "zeta" group, whose short sides are formed by the two sofas divided by the bar unit and the desk-shelf." (Grazia 1953 February nr.630) Figure 3. Mobile bar " In a house of not particularly grandiose dimensions, avoid adopting that pre-surtuous piece of furniture which is the so-called e mobile bar, as it is an isolated element, and more than most of the bar-furniture that are on the market are of very questionable taste. "(Grazia 1957 December nr.880) Figure 4. Shelf- table unit, openable panel on the shelf can be used as a lunch table.

46

03 10 idea offered for you by architect (Grazia 1958 January nr.881) In this column we can see many modern furniture were selected to present for the modern house. "These ten objects were chosen from the latest innovations and the most recent interpretations of various elements of the furnishings. Some, of a practical nature, but always studied according to a principle of functional elegance, will help you to solve many domestic problems, such as those of space, transport and washing. Others will suggest some original “coquetry” to make a corner of the house more intimate and welcoming, a new reason to introduce a romantic note of “color” even in the most decidedly modern environment."

For example, number 5, the foldable armchair which has washable cover fabric "This very recent model of armchair solves the pro- washing. In fact, by folding the metal legs and the backrest, it is possible to reduce the transport problem and the size of a suitcase. The cover is easily removable." or number 7, the sofa-bed, which could be transformed to bed with a surface . Number 8, the extendable table, which could be adapted to different size due to condition.

Number 9 "Practical and rational sofa, designed for modern furnishings, which will be easy to disassemble and transport..1

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1 L;'architetto vi offre idee" , Grazia

1958 January nr.881

03 Extendable tables are often proposed for the dining room with a view to the multifunctionality of the living area, which must be transformed if necessary from a dining room, to a living room, to a relaxation area, but which also provides for the reception of guests. There is a lot of emphasis on simplicity that must characterize the furnishings of the living room, that room which is now the heart of the house. A few pieces of furniture are enough, the important thing is that there is the imprint of the inhabitant also because "two identical pieces of furniture located in two different furnishings never give the same impression". What is important is the harmony of the whole, the new room must be "stripped of any conventional overload and rich in 'tones'".1 Lo stesso locale di prima (Grazia 1958 January nr.929) "The table can be round, rectangular, oval, square. Its dimensions vary according to the space available or different family needs. For two young spouses a small table next to the wall is recommended; for a large family a rectangular or round table equipped with extensions to be extended if necessary. Around the table you can arrange simple chairs, armchairs, stools or small benches. The use of the bench as a seat for dining allows practical and original solutions, including the corner arrangement to make the most of the space and replace the common chairs.

Furniture intended for the lunch service must offer a support surface useful for changing dishes. We recommend space-saving furniture, placed side by side or suspended from the wall and equipped with shelves, sliding doors, hinged doors."

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1 Nel soggiorno ideale: pochi mobili molta semplicità, «Gioia», n. 7, 1954, p. 30.

03 Fabric choice of furniture It is a space devoted to family life so we can see the emphazie on funishing in practical and functional way. Teak and less valuable woods offer a more modern touch than using solid wood, ed sofas and armchairs also began to be covered with practical and washable fabrics, thanks also to the invasion of synthetic fibers in the houses of the time.1 A new idea of ergonomic and relaxing furniture takes the place of old unused furniture covered by cellophane, thanks also to the new padding materials such as polyurethane foam. Thus we are witnessing "a gradual liberation of bodies from the imperatives of composure".2 Grazia 1957 March, "Sofa in this ultra-modern corner, used as a living room, the carpet with a red background and a gray border takes up the dominant tones of the environment: the gray of the textured cotton fabric that covers the sofa bed and the red pillows. [...] The color adaptability of oriental rugs allows them from one environment to another without fear of altering their character." (figure 2)

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1 Enrica Asquer, Storia intima dei ceti medi. Una capitale e una periferia nell'Italia del miracolo economico, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2011, p. 52.â&#x20AC;&#x192; 2â&#x20AC;&#x192; Ibid p. 53.

03 Systemetic furniture The systemetic furniture with different functions hidden are presented as well, for example in we can see different proposals for a service space.

"The rest of the walls are equipped with wardrobes and two folding beds for the maids. Above the beds there are still wardrobes and, below, fre drawers. By eliminating one of the beds, the free part will constitute closet from top to bottom. The linoleum floor. The two parts of the wardrobe on the left wall a large ivory-colored lacquered wardrobe that will contain the household linen and possibly also clothes, while the one on the right will hide a washbasin for wardrobe use, ironing, cleaning and sewing. In the middle, the extendable table, equipped with a galvanized folding drawer that will contain the linen to be ironed. On the back wall another cabinet comprising: drawers, lockers and bed for the service person."1

50

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Secondo grande concoso Grazia-Casa Moderna, Grazia 1953

03 Carpet Carpet is defenitely an important element to highlight your house. We can see many columns focus on how to select the right patten of carpet for each ambience. "In all ages, carpets have been a sign of wealth for the home that adorns them. The variety of fabrics, the vividness of the colors, the unlimited imagination of the designs make it a precious resource also for modern furnishing."1 (Grazia 1957 March) Define each functional space in a large space "A long-thread carpet or a brightly colored carpet under the table will serve not only to introduce a note of color, but to define the space occupied by the area, without resorting, if the area of ​​ the room is minimal, to dividing elements. These are indicated only if there is a certain breath between one area and another or if the room is shaped in such a way as to offer the inspiration.

The furniture that make up the e corner respect the same agility of environmental conception."

(Grazia 1957 March)2

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1 I tappeti persiani che fanno riccai la casa, Grazia 1957 March 2 Scegliamo un tapperi, Grazia 1957 March

03 Lightening The light factor. The criterion of a room divided into one or more zones excludes any type of central lighting or requires as many light sources as there are "zones". Thus also the dining group will have its lamp, above the table and sufficiently low in order to embrace the whole area, closing it in circles of warm and soothing light.1 Grazia 1957 April nr.842 "The dining room chandelier has to cast a warm light on the table. Keep it rather low on the table, and protect the light bulbs, which naked "would dazzle the eye, with a diffuser-casing. The normal" abat-jour "is always excellent, of which there are very modern and nice versions, in raffia, synthetic fabrics, etc." (fugure 1). Some examples: lightenign in plastic and glass material. (figure 2: Grazia 1957 march)2 Group of ceiling lamps with bell-shaped diffuser in colored glass and plastic cord. (figure 3: forma e colore)

fugure 1

fugure 2

fugure 3 52

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957 2â&#x20AC;&#x192; Lieto un appartamento di tre locali, Grazia 1957 March

03 The writing desk We can see columns discussing about how to select the desk and create a working corner in the house. "a desk you must choose" in Grazia 1957 Arpil says "A writing corner is useful for everyone: [...] The desk can remain a completely isolated piece of furniture in an environment, and can instead create a real corner of its own, with some other "piece" of furniture that matches it. [...] Due to its functionality it can be placed in any environment: a living room, a spacious anteroom, a corner of the bedroom. Two desks with a modern line, ideal in a small study. The first, in natural-colored walnut, has the top partially covered in Formica, the second has, inserted on one side, a small bookcase with two shelves. Accompany them with a chair or armchair made of foam rubber and metal frame."(fugure 1).1 Grazia 1957 March: "The desk in the study corner of your living room should be placed so that the light from the window comes from the left: preferably, indeed, from the left and "a little forward" from the desk. In this way you will have an illumination without annoying shadows, and you will complete it with a comfortable joint lamp.".(figure 2)2

53

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; La scrivania che dovete scegliere, Grazia 1957 April 2â&#x20AC;&#x192; Facili errori facili remidi, Grazia 1957 March

03 Bar Hvaing a mini bar in the living room is a strong suggestion, the need for space is practically minimal. The living room has become the place where major time family or guests will spend.

"Everyone can have a bar at home where they can gather friends and offer, together with a drink, the diversion of an original and fun corner. The importance of it is therefore not just practical. The bar in the house also indicates a willingness to hospitality, company and helps to underline the comfortable and welcoming character of our stay. " It can be an isolated element but it can also be incorporated into another piece of furniture: shelving and bookcases are particularly suitable to accommodate the bar. A small department with a folding door or a niche in the wall can replace the presence of a real piece of furniture in the absence of space. In a corner that enjoys the lucky presence of a fireplace, ideal adaptations are possible for a small bar with very original combinations. Whatever the furniture, the layout of the room, the tasteful details of the staff, however everything must harmonize with the environment as a whole to create a welcoming and cordial atmosphere in the most elegant way.1

54

1â&#x20AC;&#x192;fColori

e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957

03 Curtain The window sometimes is an unpleasant interruption, a not always desired parenthesis that breaks the uniform surface of a wall. The problem then arises of "dressing" the window, of creating for it a dress that matches the face of an environment. In the effort to make the environment more and more adherent to the needs of modern life, the fabrics reveal themselves, in the forms of their current conception, an element of great importance and also present characteristics such as to be considered among the most modern and lively means of furniture. 1

EVA 1958 nr.45 Curtains in organdies would go to the windows, rich and finished with fringes, with the game to be able to move them towards the corners to leave the view of the balcony that I would imagine beautiful. If, on the other hand, you will make the curtain in Rhodia veil or other transparent fabric, you will not need curtains, and therefore a rich mnanthana that starts from the ceiling.

GRAZIA 1958 December nr.929 The color of curtain is selected in accordance to the interior design. "The colors are always the same: yellow, blue and white return in the decorative elements of the whole room."

During the day, the girls can comfortably write and study in two separate corners, on either side of the window-balcony. The curtain is opened, allowing light to filter through the transparent curtains. In the evening, the small desks are closed. The rich cretonne curtains slide behind the valance, covering the whole wall because two curtains in the same fabric drop down from above to hide the panels with butterflies.

55

1â&#x20AC;&#x192;

Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957

03 Plants Plante and flowers undoubtedly represent the most decorative element of the house. Even in the most unhappy and sacrificed corner a plant will always bring a serene note, it will make it more pleasant and welcoming, it will revive it. In the creation of the living room it is essential to consider the different moments of life and prepare a * corner for each one of them ", notes the area suitably equipped for the various needs.1

56

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Quasi un giardino, Grazia 1953

03 Decorative elements In Grazie 1958 December nr.932- Where to place? How to arrange them? illustrate how to place photos with correct frame in the house "When you have beautiful prints, you need to know not only to choose the frame that enhances them, but also the environment to which they best match. In each drawing you will find the environment in which to place them and the arrangement according to which to hang them on the wall. To us the most suitable rooms seemed to be the antechamber, the living room, the dining room and the staircase, but this does not mean that you cannot add to these other proposals, for example a corner of a roof room or a real and pro studio." (figure 1)1 (figure 2)2

(figure 1)

57

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Un dono di Grazia alle abbonate, Grazia 1958 December nr.932 2â&#x20AC;&#x192; Se avete bisogno di scegliere uni specchio, Grazia 1958

03 3.5 Anti-camera The idea of antichamber has changed due to the change of layout in the domestic space. L'anricamera <<Grazia>> 1957 April nr.842 "In America, for example, this space has come to disappeared. Often it represents a useless waste of space. At one time the antechamber had a very precise function: it was an environment of "representation", which had to introduce the guest worthily, immediately offering him the sense of magnificence of the house: the patrician palace at first, the large and illustrated the most practical and easy-to-implement solutions for all those people who, having an old-style anteroom, want to make the most of it. A piece of furniture, a simple curtain can be used when placed. But today it is reduced to having a connecting function between the "day" part of an apartment and the "night" part."1 We can also see introduction of selection on hangers for coat in the anteroom, for example in Grazia 1957 November an issue called "a different hanger than usual".2

Instead of having a useless space, the modern anticamera can be also just a space divided simply by a funiture., to have a more direct interaction with the core of house - living room, or with all the rooms.

58

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; L'anticamera, Grazia 1957 April nr.842 2â&#x20AC;&#x192; Un attacapanni diverso del solito, Grazia 1957 November

03 The current conception of furniture considers the entrance under different aspects: as a place of rapid passage to the different areas of the house or as part of the same large living area from which it can be divided by a door-wall, or as a large vestibule which also functions as a meeting place. The furnishing of the entrance freed itself from the fixed rules that required clearly visible coat hangers and umbrella stands, chairs or a waiting sofa, a mirror. To prevent the unsightly view of hanging garments, the coat hanger is hidden in special compartments closed by mats, Venetian blinds, pocket doors; or you can create a wardrobe with sliding or folding doors, which also has a decorative function. The umbrella stand is still loved to give the importance of an element of the environment which, creating volume in the room, has a well-defined function in the harmony of the whole, large entrances, created with functions of vestibule, allow imagination and variety in the furnishings: here we can find the carpet, the curtain, the painting or even the conversation corner.1 For example the l'armadio-Libreria Unit.

Many articles have been discussing about how to create an anteroom in a small apartment, here we can some furniture has been proposed, that designed not to interfere with the walls, but simply place it to create two different space. An example proposed in Grazia 1957 January illustrating l'armadio- libreria (wardrobe- bookcase) "A piece of furniture was placed that prevents the view from the entrance door. A multifunction shelf can be placed between the anticamera and living room which searves as a place to hang paintings, bookshelf, sofa for living room and hang coats for anticamera."2

Grazia 1957 January

59

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], 2â&#x20AC;&#x192; Qualche volta e un lusso, Grazia 1957 January

Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957

03 3.6 The Bathroom In pre-war period, most of the toilets were outside the house, often in the courtyard, shared with several families, with the building boom of the 1950s and 1960s, these began to be integrated into the new homes. An apartment, even if modest, is not considered complete, comfortable and above all "civil" if it is not equipped with at least the essential sanitary facilities.1 The new bathroom will thereafter begin to be a central prerogative in the construction of new homes. We can not see much discussion of bathroom in women magazines, however we can see different advertisement of the ceramic bathtube and basin. (see chapter 3), and also in architectural book we could see well decorated examples of bathroom, indicating that hygiene, innovation and technology have come into force in this part of the house that traditionally remained in the background, both in importance and development. It becomes a brighter and more airy place where even artificial lighting finds its perfect destination. Bathtubs are becoming more and more ergonomic and predisposed to relaxation and not just to simple personal hygiene. The bathroom is therefore furnished just like the other rooms, an example in Grazia 1957 we can see "An Pink and light blue neon lights. A large mirror, lit from below, occupies the entire bathroom wall" (fugure 1)

60

1â&#x20AC;&#x192;

1

2

3

figure 1. Grazia 1957 figure 2. Forma e colore figure 3,4. Advertisement of tap and buttons for 4 hot/cold switch

Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957

03 3.7 The Bedrooms 3.7.1 The Master Bedroom The master bedroom is a well-articulated space in the bed, dressing room, toilet, subsequently representing three free moments. The creation of a separate area or corner for the dressing room and the wardrobes of the traditional furnishings, has revolutionized the concept of the bedroom. The changing room area, created in the bedroom, is that intimate and cozy area for a lady who can change her clothes, take care of her dressing table, spend an hour of rest or conversing with a friend, You don't need a large apartment or bedroom. Two armchairs, a low magazine rack table, the radiogram unit or the bookshelf will allow the lady to create an intimate corner for receiving friends, reading, working and listening to the radio.1 If in certain columns of the 1950s there is still talk of "style" furniture for the bedroom. An example in Grazia 1957 November "The bedroom must express the personality of the woman who lives there. Even if it has not been completely furnished by her, something a lamp, a painting, an ornament that she has desired and chosen, will serve to give her an unmistakable character, a particular tone that distinguishes her from any other." "A corner-sitting room in the bedroom is the aspiration of every corner. The expression of one's femininity is not difficult. All that was needed was a flowery carpet, two armchairs lined with pastell satin and finished with a fringe border, a small table.".2

61

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; 2â&#x20AC;&#x192;

Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957 La camera romantica, Grazia 1957 November

03 1957 Grazia April nr.842 "If the room is narrow and deep, do not place the dresser or wardrobe in front of the bed: the large wall unit, which includes the bed and shelves in a niche, offers a better solution. In the head of the bed, fitted with a cover, you can store the linen and pillows.

Next to the window, in good light, a small, elegant desk-chest of drawers will look good. This will leave enough space to move around."1

1958 Grazia March nr.891 "If

the room is narrow and deep, do not place the dresser or wardrobe in front of the bed: the large wall unit, which includes the bed and shelves in a niche, offers a better solution. In the head of the bed, fitted with a cover, you can store the linen and pillows.

Next to the window, in good light, a small, elegant desk-chest of drawers will look good. This will leave enough space to move around."2

62

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Per rendere pratico e lieto appartamento di tre locali, Grazia 1957 April nr,842 2â&#x20AC;&#x192; Grazia 1958 March nr.891

03 3.7.2 Lavandino, the dressing space We can see a big difference in the design of the dressing space inside the bedroom in architectural magazine and women magazine. From women magazine we can see the style is still more antique and traditional. In Grazia 1957 January " the little girl must be pretty A gift for the 18-year-old And here we are at the centerpiece of our three suggestions: a great gift for a little girl who turns eighteen. Yet to transform a corner of his room into this very elegant "toilet", it didn't take much. White lacquered the wooden wall; cover the part indicated in the photo with a slightly nineteenth-century taste paper: the striped and flower motif is one of the most refined. On the wall a mantica mirror, with a large oval frame of dark wood, and equally dark will be the delightful Napoleon-style chair." (figure 1)1. Another example "Old Nineteenth Century This solution, deliberately a bit "antiquated" in tone, is even simpler than the previous one. If there is no difficulty in execution, however, it requires a lot of effort on your part in combining the various details. This time there is no sink, but there remains, to simulate it, the majolica basin with its jug, of nineteenth-century taste and with lateral shelving function that are transformed, at the bottom, into two only decorative, Here too there are comfortable compartments, closed by doors."(figure 2)2

figure 1

63

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Camera della raggazzina dev'essere graziosa, Grazia 1957 January 2â&#x20AC;&#x192;ibid.

figure 2

03 3.7.3 Children's room According to Barbagli and Kertzer, in the 1950s and 1960s, the middle classes tried to offer their children individual rooms so as to autonomously develop a character and gender identity.1 It is important to provide the children a space to sleep, do homeworks and play with friends. We can see in 1957 Grazia December nr.880 two pages regarding a project "The bedroom and the study are always brought together in a single room, which must be as welcoming and cheerful as a sitting room. It is not difficult to obtain this result, with simple furnishings, with a fresh and modern tone, based on a play of spring colors and on light wood furniture, with a linear structure. In these pages, we show you a practical example of the way in which the room of two little sisters can be furnished. The elements that compose it are studied rationally and it will be easy for you to make them even with a modest expense." It is also advisable, since it is not always possible to move house when children grow in age or number, to provide, from the outset, a rational arrangement with practical, modular furniture, which allows different arrangements of the same room according to the variation of the needs and necessities There is talk of changing children's bedrooms as they get older. "If two or more children live in a room, it is necessary to create private and intimate corners for each of them, so that everyone feels, both in bed and at the study table, isolated and independent".2

64

1 Marzio Barbagli, David I Kertzer., Storia della famiglia in Europa. Il Novecento, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2005, p.

82 2 Una bella stanza per ragazzi deve avere sei qualità, «Annabella», n. 11, 1962, pp. 58-59.

03 1957 Grazia April nr.842 A column related to the space saving design for children's room "The children's room, especially if it is long and narrow, presents serious space problems during the day. - within and within the thickness of the cabinet. The openings on the bottom allow the air to be exchanged when the cabinet is closed, and also serve to revive the wall, which otherwise would be too smooth and compact. A high cone protects the baby's movements, and a ladder allows access to the upper bed. The wardrobe, partly with doors and partly with drawers, has three doors in washable material on which children can freely draw with chalk. The other doors and the table top are covered in brightly colored plastic."1

65

1â&#x20AC;&#x192; Operazione Spazio, Grazia 1957April nr,842

3.8 Terrace

GRAZIE 1953 nr. 637

66

03

METHODOLOGIES

67

1. BACKGROUND

THE POST-WAR PERIOD

REGENERATING

Italy undergoes urbanization phenomenon, condominiums built in the post-war period is a huge heritage, more than 10 millions private homes where about 36% Italian families live.

The regenerating of existi necessary task to meet th contemporary living style requires physical and func

1945

Residential building constructed Milan

68

1959

1

New room

THE MIDDLE-CLASS

ing buildings is a he diverse demands of es. The transformation ctional upgrade.

1960

1969

The newborn Middle classes who acquire wealth and power in those years, and their houses had a decisive part in the process of the postwar urban growth. The ideal Middle class models of home life was imported from the United States.

1977

ms constructed Milan Advertisement campaign FIAT 600, c.1957

69

2. TARGET

Ordinary post-war middle-class condomunium

FOCUS: GROUND FLOOR & COURTYARD are the intermediate space which plays important role for the quality of the building and challenge when regeneration comes. Common problems of those two spaces have emerged by time. Sometimes they are left degraded and abandoned, which is an issue when it coms to upgrading buildings.

SCOPE

SCOPE How can we improve the use of How can we improve the relation between private and public spaces in residential buildings? Could we transform ground floor? common space of a residential building into a space for the neighborhood?

What are the tools to design the What are the tools to design the barrier between private and semi-public space and how do we implement them into barrier between intermediate wide range of projects? space, and implement them into wide range of projects?

70

71

METHODOLOGY 1: COLLECTING INFORMATION

Step 1. Urban History Analysis

Step 2. Bibliography Research Italy:TheNewDomesticLandscape Achievements and Problems of Italian Design

<r .



. ,

' t 

t ' * ik.

72

-

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Step 3. Case Study Archive Survey

Step 4. Case Study Photography Survey

73

METHODOLOGY 2: PROJECT APPRAISAL DISTANCE BETWEEN OBSERVATION: distance BUILDINGS of courtyard Objective 2: Replace ground floor apartment into public facilities.

OBSERVATION & OBJECTIVE Ground floor Function Objective 1: Increase common space area

Courtyard Distance Objective 2: Relocate ground floor apar

12m

Lack of well maintained greenary Objective 3: Adding greenary and avoid noisy activities

Quality of Intermediate space Objective 4: Enhance quality also pri intermediate space

Private property

Personal space

74

Private

Intermediate

Pu

GOVERNMENT SOURCE

rtment

REFERENCE & POTENTIAL ACTORS

At a distance of about 35 meters horizontally, one way Potentiality ofcan beneighborhood Ongoing House museums/ cultural project communication conducted in a loud voice. STAKEHOLDERS DISTANCE BETWEEN BUILDINGS analysis by Comune Milano (PGT in Milan At a distance about 22-25 m, one can accurately decode Milano) facial expression and dominant emotions while they can exchange a short message.

Within the range of 7 meters, all the senses can be used to CULTURAL the details.This level is the significant threshold SPORT experience for designing the courtyard in terms of establishing GREENcommunication AREA and exchanging the most intense feelings.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION the distance decreases down from 7 meters to 3.7m, HEALTHWhen CARE user can get more detailed view and an opportunity to UNIVERSITY RELATED establish an articulated conversation.

INSTITUTION SOCIAL HOUSING

“Life between buildings” (Gehl, 2010)

ivacy of

DISTANCE BETWEEN RESOURCE: PGT MILANO BUILDINGS

NEIGHBORHOOD: LORETO POTENTIAL: HEALTH CARE SPORT POPULATION TYPE: 18-34 (21.9%) 65+ (17.6%)

DISTANCE BETWEEN RESOURCE: PGT MILANO BUILDINGS

ublic NEIGHBORHOOD: BUENOS ALRES VENEZIA POTENTIAL: CULTURA SPORT GREEN AREA PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION POPULATION TYPE: 0-17 (17.8%) 18-34 (17.8%) 65+ (23.2%)

75

METHODOLOGY 2: PROJECT APPRAISAL Final Proposal

A MUSEUM OF

context

POST-WAR ITALY HERITAGE university related

Museum

institution / organization

stu

Outdoor Exhibition Space

greenary

Secret Garden cultural

Co-working Office

Bookshop Cafe Community Space

76

Scenerio Construction

government

non-profit organization

udents private /public actors

Politecnico di Milano

urban furniture

museum

bookshop

77

green area

co-working

outdoor exhibition

office

METHODOLOGY 3: EXHIBITION CURATING An integration of personal learning process

Women Magazines 1950-1960 Grazia/ Gioia/ Eva/ Anna Bella

Architecture Journals 1950-1960 Domus/ Casabella

Italy:TheNewDomesticLandscape Achievements and Problems of Italian Design

<r .

The Museum of Modern Art, New York



. ,

' t 

t

-

' * ik.

Exhibition Archive/ Bibliography 1950-1970 Treinnale Milano 1951-1960/ Italy At Work: Her Renaissance in Design Toda The New Domestic Landscape MoMA 1972/ Colori e forme della casa d’ogg

78

Weekly Listings 1950-1960 Radio Corriere

ay 1950/ Italy: gi, Como 1957

79

Post-war history study

80

04 AN ORDINARY MIDDLE-CLASS APARTMENT IN MILAN Viale Gran Sasso 23, Milan, Italy

81

4.2 Urban Context The buildings are located in between Piola metro station and Loreto metro station in Milano which in the neighborhood called citta studi, where situated outside the previous spanish wall ring of Milan in Italy.

The neighborhood was part of the extention after 1912, from the maps attached (figure.01) we could see the initial form of the block. From maps in figure 02 to 04, are the transformation of the block right after the end of second world war in 1946 until after in 1965, when the building was construcuted (1959). Through the growning of the city and adding of different buildings around the neighborhood and the block, during the design phase of the project, the main consideration is high density residential complex. From figure 06, we could see a map with calculation of the peripheral buildings that surround the project. The goal was to provide a porject that fits the hygeine standard for the habitants however also ensure highly density apartment units. As a result, the project consists with two buildings, one is bigger and the other one is smaller which is hidden behind the big one which faces Via Gran Sasso.

The architect also designed the wing of the building with different height in order to provide sufficient sunlight to the apartments.

Milano

1912 (brown) 1934 (grey)

1946

1956

1965

1980 Milano

82

04 LORETO

VI

AL

E

GR

AN

SA

SS

LIMA

O

PIOLA VIALE ABRUZZI

POLITECNICO DI MILANO

PT.VENEZIA VIA

LE

TU

NI

SIA

CASE STUDY CULTURAL SPORT TRANSPORTATION ADMINISTRATIVE HOSPITAL

Two buildings.

SOCIAL RESIDENCE

street-aligned condominium with courtyard

INSTITUTION UNIVERSITY

Year of construction : 1959 Location : Viale Gran Sasso 23, Milano, Italia Arch : Antonio Scoccimarro

(source: https://geoportale.comune.milano.itsit/mappe)

83

1980-1994, CTR 25000, Lombardia: Carta Tecnica Regionale, foglio B6I / 1980-1994, CTR 25000, Lombardia: Regional Base Map, tile B6I

asso

POST-WAR CONDOMINIUM CHARACTERISTIC - HIGH DENSITY

Vial

an S e Gr

6 5 4 3 2 1 G

B 6 5 4 3 2 1 G

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 G

4 3 2 1

G

12m

Axonometry originally designed by Cesare Scoccimarro. (source: Antonio Scoccimarro)

The project is composed with two buildings that are connected with a bridge. Under the bridge in between the buildings, there is the space (-1.55m) for cars to enter their garage at the basement.

84

Courtyard -1

04

1.55m: entrance of garage

Calculation of courtyard space of projects and surrounding buildings. (source: 1958, Cittadella archive Milano)

85

POST-WAR CONDOMINIUM CHARACTERISTIC - HIGH DENSITY Apartment size: medium or big Layout: clear functional division Bathroom: yes Living room + dining space: yes

Bathroom Balcony Soggiorno- Pranzo

120 sqm

120 sqm

2 bedrooms

2 bedrooms

120 sqm

175 sqm

2 bedrooms

4 bedrooms

170 sqm

4 bedrooms

86

195 sqm

4 bedrooms

POST-WAR CONDOMINIUM CHARACTERISTIC - COURTYARD & GROUND FLOOR FUNCTION

Courtyard + Garage (-1.55m)

Commercial Apartments Storage Stairs/Lifts

-1.55 m space to enter garage

bridge

12m -1.55 m

+1 m

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

87

Ground floor: Shops, Storage, Apartments

POST-WAR CONDOMINIUM CHARACTERISTIC - COMMON MATERIALS

Details on Facade & Windows

88

Facade: klinker brick Windows: wood & single glazing Widowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shade: coated with metal Balcony Slab: white granite Entrace: white & black granite Lobby: different marble walls and wood panels

Details on Lobby & Entrance

89

04 Main Entrance

concierge desk

pillar steps to reach +1m

90

04 Main Entrance

Original entrance design (source: Antonio Scoccimarro)

Original entrance design (source: Antonio Scoccimarro)

91

04 Lobby Handrail Details

92

04 Entrance Details

93

04

The project is located in plot that is a continuous row in between two other buildings. At the back of the main building, there is another smaller one, which shows the high density of the buildings in this block.

Year of construction : 1959 Location : Viale Gran Sasso 23, Milano, Italia Arch : Cesare Scoccimarro, Antonio Scoccimarro

94

Window flashing are iron Window frames are in painted white wood

Wall of balconies were designed as terranova bianco plaster, however now it is light green shade for window is coated with metal

Balcony slabs are in white granite stone.

4.3 The Materials Material used for facade is one material cladding which is the Klinker. (12cm x 12cm or 10cm x 10cm) in dark brown. The klinker coating was a luxury material and used in high class buildings and condominium, because it is long lasting and not easy to break, it was not necessary to paint it often and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get dirty like plaster, but at the end they found out it increase the humidity for the interior. The tiles are detaching and the martar are crumbled after awhile, and Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expensive to renovate. Kinker bricks are denser, heavier and more irregular than standard bricks. They are water resistance and durable but have heavier thermal conductivity than more porous red bricks, so it has less insulation to climate controlled strucutres. They are widely admired in arts and crafts period.

Other material we can observed in original deisgn is the shading of window, which is coated with metal. However, the wall of balconies were designed with terranova bianco plaster, but nowadays it is painted in light green. Balcony slabs are in white granite stone. Patterned glass were designed for triple glass window, but we could not this feature anymore. Window frames are in painted white wood which is same as designed, and as well as window flashing that are made with iron.

Pillars besides the shops are white granite, same as the design for the main entrance. Frame to open and close the door are made in iron, and interior stairs are designed with verde issorie marble and white marble stone. The skirting of the marble wall in main entrance are made with black marble. In addition, the location of the lights are designed as well.

95

One material cladding which is the Klinker. (12cm x 12cm or 10cm x 10cm) in dark brown.

The klinker coating was a luxury material and used in high class buildings and condominium, because it's long lasting and not easy to break, it was not necessary to paint it often and doesn't get dirty like plaster, but at the end they found out it increase the humidity for the interior. The tiles are detaching and the martar are crumbled after awhile, and It's expensive to renovate.

Kinker bricks are denser, heavier and more irregular than standard bricks. They are water resistance and durable but have heavier thermal conductivity than more porous red bricks, so it has less insulation to climate controlled strucutres. They are widely admired in arts and crafts period.

96

4.4 Original Apartment Design The way of arranging the bigger apartment is by placing rooms on both side of the faรงade, which with a corridor space in between. With this arrangement, all the rooms have natural light and ventilation. There are four apartments in this building and they are all above 100 square meter in size. (125/170/175/195 sqm). Each of the apartment has two bathrooms. In addition, two apartments share two lift that one lift for the service (kitchen), another lift leads to the common hall of the apartment. Another feature of the building is bal conies. Each apartment has at least two balconies. From the first to fourth floor the apartments are bigger. From the fifth floor, the apartments are smaller (135/145 sqm). Depends on the size of the apartment, each could habitate from three to six people.

Each floor lives maximum twenty people.

The general arrangement of the smaller building is also by placing rooms facing one of the faรงade that is looking toward the courtyard. As a result, all the rooms have access to natural light and ventilation. There are two apartments in this building and both of them are 120 sqm in size. Each apartment has two bedroom and could host maximum three people. In addition, each apartment has one bathroom and two and half balconies. Another plan has been discovered that there are also the arrangement for three apartments for each floor in this building.

The way of arranging the bigger apartment is by placing rooms on both side of the faรงade, which with a corridor space in between. With this arrangement, all the rooms have natural light and ventilation. There are four apartments in this building and they are all above 100 square meter in size. (125/170/175/195 sqm). Each of the apartment has two bathrooms. In addition, two apartments share two lift that one lift for the service (kitchen), another lift leads to the common hall of the apartment. Another feature of the building is bal conies.

Each apartment has at least two balconies. From the first to fourth floor the apartments are bigger.

125 sqm

2 bedrooms

170 sqm

4 bedrooms

120 sqm

2 bedrooms

175 sqm

4 bedrooms

195 sqm

4 bedrooms

120 sqm

2 bedrooms

balcony

97

04 4.5 Original Ground Floor Design There is no common facilities such as playground, shared space..etc for the habitants, only some trees and small garden in between the buildings around the empty space for garage. The bigger building is nine floors and the smaller one is seven floors. They both have basement space for garage, which is opened to the empty space that is 1.55 meter below under the bridge which connects the two buildings.

The courtyard is used as the circulation space for garages.

The parking space are too small for cars nowadays to enter.

Ground floor functions are commercial, storage, apartments

-1.55 m

-1.55 m space to enter garage

+1 m

1

98

2

3

4

5

6

7

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

Commercial Apartments Storage Stairs/Lifts

04 The bigger building has nine floors with a rooftop storage space, which potentially could be re-designed into other functions. The smaller builidng has flat roof with private terrace. the common -1.55m area is the space for car circulation for parking.

33 m 26 m

2.9 m

11 Section AA

99

COMMERCIAL SPACE The ground floor commercial space along the street has lost its original commercial location and popularity, the maintainane and organization of the commercial space is lack of management.

100

04

04

THE â&#x20AC;&#x153;LUXURYâ&#x20AC;? LOBBY The lobby is a space to emphasize the value of the buliding, they are usually elevated. The entrance are in glass in order to show off the luxirious of interior. The lightings are Azucena production.

The walls are in expensive materials such as different marbles and wood.

Wall white marble/ wood panels Baseboard zuccolino black marble Stairs verde issorie marble Seat marble Lighting Azucena production

The seat in front of the lift is in precious material- marble which is durable, and easy to maintain.

101

Lighting in Azucena Production by Luigi Caccia Dominioni

04

102

CORRIDOR

Corridor is a semi-circulation space, it is also an important space to emphasize the value of the buiding. The walls are in dark wood panels.

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04

COURTYARD & BRIDGE

The bridge is the connection between two buildings, under it is the courtyard that used as space to enter garage.

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04

04

105

04

106

04

Klinker is a typical material for Middle Classes buildings 107

04

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04

109

04

110

04

111

04

112

113

04

05 DESIGN PROPOSAL Viale Gran Sasso 23, Milan, Italy

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05 5.1 Scope Scope 1: How can we improve the relation between private and public spaces in residential buildings?

Scope 2: Could we transform common space of a residential building into a space also for the neighborhood?

Scope 3: What are the tools to design the barrier between private and semi-public space and how do we implement them into wide range of projects?

Focus Focus of the project based on initial observation and impressions. After a detailed research of the site and original design drawings, there are three main part of the building that are considered to be modified in the project.

First, the garage circulation space- it is a space that is -1.55m from the ground and used only for circulation of the cars. Parts of it is used for garbage collection, which is not a very interesting and pleasant space for the view of the inner side of the buildings. Second, ground floor space arrangement- There are two apartments in the ground floor. There is less light and the openings are facing courtyard which will create direct eye contact with the public space (less than 15 meters). In addition, there is no common facilities for the residents. Third, the rooftop space -the rooftop has several storage space and two terrace that could be a potential for residential or common facilities purpose.

FOCUS OF THE PROJECT

C

A. Garage space-

it is a space that is -1.55m from the ground and used only for circulation of the cars. Parts are used for garbage collection, which is not a very interesting and pleasant space for the view of the inner side of the buildings.

B. Ground floor- There are two apartments B

B A

in the ground floor. There is less light and the openings are facing courtyard which will create direct eye contact with the public space. There is no common facilities for the residents.

C. Rooftop space -The rooftop has several storage space and could be a potential for residential or common facilities purpose.

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05 5.2 Observations and Objectives Following the first initial propose of focus of the transformation about the project, six objects will be listed according to physical observation of the building.

Observation 1: function of ground floor Objective 1: Increase common space area and activities for the residents and neighborhood.

First, to Increase common space area and activities for the residents and neighborhood. The reason is because there are no existing social space or common facilities for the residents and neighborhood. There are commercial activities on the ground floor facing Viale Gran Sasso, but mainly commercial shops instead of facilities that could be shared with the neighborhood. (fig.01) Observation 2: distance of courtyard Objective 2: Replace ground floor apartment into public facilities.

Second, replace ground floor apartment into public or common facilities. The distance between two buildings is around 12 meteres. When the distance decreases down from 7 meters to 3.7m, user can get more detailed view and an opportunity to establish an articulated conversation. At a distance about 22-25 m, one can accurately decode facial expression and dominant emotions while they can exchange a short message. As a result, the ground floor here is not suitable for placing apartment, due to eye contact and lack of private sense of the inhabitants. The suggested solution is to add common facilities on the ground floor and add additional residential units on the rooftop for those two owners.

Observation 3: lack of greenary Objective 3: Adding natural sound and green elements to the courtyard, and avoid having activities that brings noise to the residents.

Third, adding natural sound and green elements to the courtyard, and avoid having activities that brings noise to the residents. “Adding natural sounds such as birdsong and presence of vegetation positively affected perceptions of a ventilation noise-contaminated residential environment” (Gunnarsson,2012). There are two green area in the ground floor, however, they are not easy to access and also being used as private courtyard for the people who live in the ground floor. The propose is to add extra green area in the ground floor in order to provide more attractive and charming courtyard for the inhabitants. (fig.02)

116

“Life between Buildings” by Gehl, 2010 Hedblom M, Knez I, OdeSang Å, Gunnarsson B. 2017 Evaluation ofnatural sounds in urban greenery: potentialimpact for urban nature preservation.

05

01

02

Observation 4: common space circulation and light Objective 4: Create better circulation path and entrance for the building at the back Fourth, to create better circulation path and entrance for the building at the back. The current condition for the entrance of the smaller building is that there is an indirect path to the main hall and at the same time very dark space for the common space. The solution could be relocate the walls of the interior arrangement, in order to create more direct, smooth entrance for the building at the back, and as well create space that is more open to allow light to enter. (figure 03) Observation 5: common space circulation and light Objective 5: Enable lighter entrance area and better quality common space Fifth, enable lighter entrance area and better quality common space. Same as objective fourth, some other places in the ground floor are as well very dark during the day.

The objective is to find a solution withint the arrangement and circulation of the interior space on the ground floor, in order to have more open and lighter space. (figure 04) Observations 6: Intermediate space Objective 6: Enhance quality of intermediate space (semi-public & semi-private) and still respect the privacy needs of residents.

Sixth, enhance the quality of intermediate space (semi-public & semi-private) and still respect the privacy needs of residents. What we aim for is creating a hierarchical system of communal spaces, ranging from the living room to the neighborhood scale, that will form these limits where public and private meet. These spaces are related with residents and neighbors,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Life between Buildingsâ&#x20AC;? by Gehl, 2010

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05 connecting indoor and outdoor by consisting shades of private and public character. (Gehl, 2011).When encountering the transition between areas described by discrete degrees of accessibility and avoiding an abrupt division between public and private spaces, the notion of the ‘intermediate’ is utilized. This kind of ‘transitional’ spaces, known as thresholds, are accessible to both spheres. They are underlining the nature of the ‘limit’. (Psillidis,2006). Territory is defined as the continuous effort of an individual or a group for control over a particular physical space. Territoriality offers feelings of distinctiveness, privacy and a sense of personal identity. Furthermore, it can act as an instigator of aggressiveness or a stabilizer to prevent aggression.(Bell,1996). In the existing state of the project, the intermediate space which refers to such as corridor, courtyard, are used solely for those functions, and people are not welling to stay too long in those space. How we could improve the quiality of the intermediate space is one of the main focus in this project, and as well as, how to make sure the habitants still feel a sense of security even though some of the private and intermediate space are tranformed into public space also to the neighborhood. (fogure.06)

04

03

OBSERVATION: Intermediate space Objective 6: Enhance quality of intermediate space (semi-public & semi-private) and still respect the privacy needs of residents.

05

Garage spa

Private Property

Private

Intermediate

Public

Personal Space

What we aim for is creating a hierarchical system of communal spaces, ranging from the living room to the neighborhood scale, that will form these limits where public and private meet. These spaces are related with residents and neighbors, connecting indoor and outdoor by consisting shades of private and public character.

(Gehl, 2011).

When encountering the transition between areas described by discrete degrees of accessibility and avoiding an abrupt division between public and private spaces, the notion of the ‘intermediate’ is utilized. This kind of ‘transitional’ spaces, known as thresholds, are accessible to both spheres.

They are underlining the nature of the ‘limit’ .

(Psillidis,2006) Territory is defined as the continuous effort of an individual or a group for control over a particular physical space. Territoriality offers feelings of distinctiveness, privacy and a sense of personal identity. Furthermore, it can act as an instigator of aggressiveness or a stabilizer to prevent aggression.

(Bell,1996)

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Psillidis, A., 2006, The Dipole Public - Private: Classic Approaches Bell, P. A, Fisher, J. D. and Baum, A., 1996. Environmental psychology, 4th edition. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.

-1.55m from the for circulation of for garbage colle very interesting a the view of the in buildings.

Ground floo

There are two ap floor. There is les are facing courty direct eye contac

Rooftop spa

several storage s potential for resi facilities purpose

05 Low-intensity contact provides opportunities of being able to meet, see and hear others, to experience others functioning in daily life. This is important for satisfying the human need for contact, serving the lower degree of interaction. “This could serve in everyday life as a contact in a modest level, a possble initial point that could lead to contact in other levels, a possibility for maintaining contacts in the neighbourhood, a source of information about the close social worls and a source of stimulation (Gehl, 2011). This could a useful tool while designing intermediate space which generate low intensity contact which provides a sense of involvement and safety as well.

5.3 Alternatives From the PGT information of Milan government, we could obtain the information regarding the potentials of the area from a public actor’s point of view. The potentials alternatives listed are cultural, sport, green area, public transportation, health care, university related facilities, institution, and social housing.

Combined the potential alternatives provided by the local government with the objectives generated from observations of the building. The most suitable alternatives are cultural, university related facilities, and institution for the ground floor transformation. The reasons are, first, most of the space in the ground floor are around the courtyard, which is a quite space. As a reasult, adding activities or faciliteis that will postentially create noise is not considered.

-private) and still respect the privacy needs of residents.

Garage

Private Property

Private

Intermediate

Public

Personal Space

What we aim for is creating a hierarchical system of communal spaces, ranging from the living room to the neighborhood scale, that will form these limits where public and private meet. These spaces are related with residents and neighbors, connecting indoor and outdoor by consisting shades of private and public character.

(Gehl, 2011).

When encountering the transition between areas described by discrete degrees of accessibility and avoiding an abrupt division between public and private spaces, the notion of the ‘intermediate’ is utilized. This kind of ‘transitional’ spaces, known as thresholds, are accessible to both spheres.

They are underlining the nature of the ‘limit’ .

LEVELS (Psillidis,2006) OF PRIVACY - ON THE BORDERS OF PUBLIC, SEMI PUBLIC, PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL

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LIFE: ELIF EKIM ; PINELOPI VASILAKI Göteborg : Chalmers tekniska högskola, 2015.

Territory is defined as the continuous effort of an individual or a group for control over a particular physical space. Territoriality offers feelings of

-1.55m fro for circula for garbag very intere the view o buildings.

Ground

There are floor. The are facing direct eye

Roofto

several sto potential f facilities p

05

PGT MILANO DISTANCE BETWEEN RESOURCE: PGT MILANO BUILDINGS

NEIGHBORHOOD: BUENOS ALRES VENEZIA POTENTIAL: CULTURA SPORT GREEN AREA PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION POPULATION TYPE: 0-17 (17.8%) 18-34 (17.8%) 65+ (23.2%)

DISTANCE BETWEEN RESOURCE: PGT MILANO BUILDINGS

NEIGHBORHOOD: LORETO POTENTIAL: HEALTH CARE SPORT POPULATION TYPE: 18-34 (21.9%) 65+ (17.6%)

DISTANCE BETWEEN RESOURCE: PGT MILANO BUILDINGS

NEIGHBORHOOD: CITTA STUDI POTENTIAL: UNIVERSITY RELATED INSTITUTION HEALTH CARE SPORT SOCIAL HOUSING POPULATION TYPE: 18-34 (17.8 %) 65+ (25.7%)

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05 Second, according to reaserch of the ongoing project in Milan, we can see that there are projects such as “Case Museo” which means museum house, or “Storie Case Milanese” which is a project of the Adolfo Pini Foundation curated by Rosanna Pavoni who - through the digital platform storiemilanesi.org - circulates 16 museum houses, artist’s studios, architects ‘and designers’ studios. A virtual instrument that, in reality, accompanies the traveler in an unprecedented urban journey to look at the city, its neighborhoods, its most symbolic places with the sensitive eyes of those citizens who have left a heritage of culture, knowledge and beauty. Both projects are organized by non-profit organizations, donation and public actor such as Comune di Milano and Milano Province Government, and Lombardia regional office. It is a collaboration between artists, architects and families that are welling to donate their properties for the public with intermediate organization that organize the rearrangement of the space and with public actor support such as regional or national government.

The winning alternative is related to cultural event, which is a small house museum on the ground floor exhibiting the ordinary life in the ordinary post-war building on Via Gran Sasso 23, with other facilities such as archives, bookshop, co-working space and cafe.

POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES (comune di Milano) Cultural Sport Green Area Public Transportation Health Care University Related Institution

OBJECTIVES Objective 1: Increase common space area and activities for the residents and neighborhood.

Objective 2: Replace ground floor apartment into public facilities.

Objective 3: Adding natural sound and green elements to the courtyard, and avoid having activities that brings noise to the residents.

Objective 4: Create better circulation path and entrance for the building at the back.

Objective 5: Enable more light to the entrance area and better quality common space.

Objective 6: Enhance quality of intermediate space (semi-public & semi-private) and still respect the privacy needs of residents.

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05 Reference: Storie Milanesi Fondazione A.Pini Storie Milanesi is a project of the Adolfo Pini Foundation curated by Rosanna Pavoni who through the digital platform storiemilanesi.org - circulates 16 museum houses, artist’s studios, architects ‘and designers’ studios. A virtual instrument that, in reality, accompanies the traveler in an unprecedented urban journey to look at the city, its neighborhoods, its most symbolic places with the sensitive eyes of those citizens who have left a heritage of culture, knowledge and beauty .

DISTANCE BETWEEN REFERENCES: STORIEBUILDINGS MILANESI

Storie Milanesi is a project of Rosanna Pavoni who - throug circulates 16 museum houses https://vivimilano.corr designers' studios. A virtual in ei/casa-museo-poldi-p the traveler in an unpreceden neighborhoods, its most sym those citizens who have left a beauty .

Storie Milanesi is a project of the Adolfo Pini Foundation curated by Rosanna Pavoni who - through the digital platform storiemilanesi.org circulates 16 museum houses, artist's studios, architects 'and designers' studios. A virtual instrument that, in reality, accompanies the traveler in an unprecedented urban journey to look at the city, its neighborhoods, its most symbolic places with the sensitive eyes of those citizens who have left a heritage of culture, knowledge and beauty .

122

05 Reference: Case Museo di Comune Milano Explore the heart of the city City tours to discover the museum houses of Milan Real cities, living cities have a body, a soul, a heart. The body is the path of the streets, squares, buildings that time, history and men have outlined. The soul is what the city offers to those who pass by and those who live in its streets: the profound identity of a place made of stones, atmospheres and people. The heart is what makes the city alive, which makes it grow and change.

This walk from house to house, through a fascinating area of â&#x20AC;&#x2039;â&#x20AC;&#x2039;Milan, introduces us to the city in a new way. Not only masterpieces of art, architecture, tradition, but also many stories, the different stories of buildings, streets, gardens, shops and trades. To really meet the city, and perhaps to love it even more. It is an invitation to enter our homes, and to enter our city together.

DISTANCE BETWEEN REFERENCES: CASE MUSEO BUILDINGS AL MILANO

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https://percorsi.casemuseo.it/

05 References: House Museum In Milan, Italy

Spazio Tadini

Fracesco Massina Museum

Corbellini Wassermann House

Fondazione Adolfo Pini

Alik Cavaliere Art Centre

<http://www.storiemilanesi.org/personaggio/emilio-tadini/>

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Corrente Foundation

05 5.3 Final Alternative and Public Strategy The general framework of renovation typology in the project are as follows. The scale will be remained in building scale, and mainly interior tranformation of the space. The impact of the transformation will be in social landscape, whcih will provide social interaction and services to the neighborhood and the residents. The objects are mainly tranformation of functions and as weel as energy upgrading. There will be slightly change of gross floor area in terms of adding more green space and rooftop apartments. The actors are both private and public which involved non profit organizations that are interested in renovation and preservation, as well as individulas and public sectors. The duration will be permenant, however the interior should be kept as flexible as possible for future modification. There will be multi-phases process according to the planning between the organizations and the government.

On the ground floor, where the space facing Viale Gran Sasso will be placed with function that can be a bit more active and also needed by the neighborhood. There are co-working space and a library/bookshop with a small classroom that can constantly collaborate courses with the art gallery such as painting and knitting classes. There are both mezzanine space in these two fuctions, which provide with openings toward the inner courtyard, that gives an non direct interaction between the internal courtyard with the external facilities. Second, art gallery and its office are placed around the courtyard whcih gives a shared common view toward the added green element. By arrange in this way, we also distinguish the visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; route with the residents route, that create a bit more privacy for the inhabitants. Art works and urban furniture could be placed in the intermediate space such as courtyard and corridors which contunues the exhibition from the art gallery.

A HOUSE MUSESUM

co-working space

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office

gallery

secretgarden

outdoor exhibition space

bookshop

community space

DESIGN PROPOSAL: Design method

DEMOLITION

The design proposal for physical upgrade 1. Demolition of partition walls 2. Add a platform for new garden besides bridge 3. Replace internal facade with glass windows

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FRAMEWORK OF THE RENOVATION TYPOLOGY VARIABLES

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5.4 Design proposal based on objectives From previous analysis, the decision of hosting a house museum presenting the post-war domestic space of Italy have been decided. Based on the analysis (chaper) several renovation has been decided. Below we can understand the difference of previous condition and design proposal. Differences include functional changes, adding greenary space and a circulation path in the whole ground floor.

Original Design 1959

1. Increase public space

Public Space

128

Design Proposal

2. Increase greenary space

Gardens

3. More interna

better light and ai

05

Museum Visitors Residents Private Space Private Space (Apartments) Public Space Gardens

al openings

ir ventilation

4. Less fragmented space

better quality of ground floor space

5. Privacy for residents Low intensity contact Different circulation route for visitors & residents. A satisfy needs of contact by eye-contacting between the visitors and habitants, without having to direct interact with them.

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05 Key decision on renovation of ground floor 1. Openess of internal facade to the internal garden.

2. Different access path for habitants abd visitors.

3. A new lobby for the building at the back.

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BEFORE

BEF

AFTER

AF

Openess of internal facade facing internal courtyard

D d

The original internal facade are mainly plain walls and lack of light and air ventilation, by open almost all of them, we provide sufficient light for gallery space and create delight atmosphere.

E ce re

05

FORE

BEFORE

FTER

AFTER

Different circulation path for residents and visitors.

A new lobby for the smaller building at the back.

Enhance quality of intermediate spae (semi-public & semi-private) and still espect the privacy needs of residents.

The previous condition of the lobby was narrow and dark. By renovating it, we could provide better space for the gallary and also the value of the building itself.

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ROOFTOP LOFT The two apartment in the ground floor has been moved to the unused space on the rooftop, which provides two apartment unit, with two bedrooms, and a garden in each apartment.

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05

133

AXONOMETRY From the axonometry of the design proposal, we can see the relocated rooftop apartment, and the new garden added near the bridge.

Relocated rooftop apartment

Added platform for secret garden besides the bridge

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135

06 THE HOUSE MUSEUM Viale Gran Sasso 23, Milan, Italy

136

4

1

1 1 4

3

4

3 2 1

2

1 Gallery 2 Co-working Office

3 Bookshop cafe

Community space

4 Secret garden

Outdoor exhibition

Includes a museum with gardens. Besides museum, one space is for gallery staff as office and opened to public with co-working space, Another space is museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bookshop cafe and a room for community space for the residents.

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06 2

1

3 Viale Gran Sasso

VISITING ROUTE

CASA

MUSEO

TEMPORARY EXHIBITION FULL EXHIBITION

D O P O G U E R R A IT A L I A 1945-1960 GALLERY 1: SWIM WITH TIME An introduction on the post-war Italy GALLERY 2: LET'S VISIT A NEIGHBOR An exhibition space designed to represent the domestic space of post-war Italy GALLERY 3: TEMPORARY EXHIBITION A Temporart exhibition space, which currently exhibits the photographs of advertisement from architectrue periodicals

06

Viale Gran Sasso

RESIDENTS' ROUTE THE ROUTES FOR HABITANTS IN THE GROUND FLOOR ARE SEPARATED FROM MUSEUM VISITORS.

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06

Viale Gran Sasso

GARDENS GARDENS OF THE MUSEUM _ 140 SQM GARDENS FOR RESIDENTS & MUSEUM VISITORS_ 110 SQM

140

06

COMMON AREA

OFFICE

CO-WORKING

BOOKSHOP/ CAFE

Viale Gran Sasso

PUBLIC FACILITIES BOOKSHOP & TICKET OFFICE / CAFE / WC _ 135 SQM CO-WORKING / OFFICE OF GALLERY STAFF _ 110 SQM

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WC

GALLERY 2 I J K L M O P Q R S

Soggiorno: Living Room Dining Space Plastic Kitchen Accessories Cucina: Kitchen Children's Room Electronic Appliances and Housewives Anti-camera: Anteroom Bathroom Multi-functional Furniture Master Bedroom L'avandino: Dressing Space

O

M I J

K

E

D F

G

B C

H

GALLERY 1 A Introduction B Timeline C Periodicals & Domestic Space D Radio and Pop-Songs E Television F Fotoromanzi G Cinema and Carosello H Comics

142

A

GALLERY 3

P

R

A Ceramic Pozzi B Fulget Floor C Runnymede Gomma Pavement D AGA Gomma Pavement E VIPLA Chlorovinyl Resin Pavement F Linoneum Pavement G Formica Laminated Plastic H Plastiriv-Mel plastic panels I Kirsch Modernfold J Fede Cheti Fabric

S L Q

A

B

C D

E F

G H

I J

143 Gran Sasso Viale

SECTION

ENTRANCE TO PARKING

ENTRANCE TO FULL EXHIBITION

CURRENT CONDITION

144

CO-WORKING SPACE

LO

06

BOOKSHOP COMMUNITY SPACE CAFE

POST WAR ITALY 1950-1960 ARCHITECTURE DESIGN LIFE

OBBY

ENTRANCE TO TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

145

GALLERY 1

SWIM WITH TIME The main feature of this exhibition space is by using interesting archive materials to provide the visitors a general understanding of the social atmosphere, political environment, and domestic space in the post-war period.

SWIM WITH TIME

The exhibition room is an introduction to the exhibitionwhich features the domestic life of Italy in the post-war INTRODUCTION peiord from 1950-1960.PERIODICALS The exhibition features a curved semi transparent fabric for presenting the collection of TIMELINE specific movies from the period.

On the wall exhibits a timeline describes the important events regarding TELEVISION design, lifestyle and taste during the time. On the other FOTOROMANZI wall exhibit some collections of the photography.

CINEMA COMICS

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POSTWAR ITALY 1950-1960 ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN AND LIFE An ordinary middle class building in Milan A story about the ordinary life

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EXHIBITION CURATING 1. Ordinary culture through media (periodicals, advertisement, cinema, tv programs, music) 2. A peronal learning process SET-UP DESIGN Archive and media display Replicate of typical rooms Material display

GALLERY 1: SWIM WITH TIME An introduction to the general background of the post-war Italy.

GALLERY 2: LET'S VISIT A NEIGHNOR A house visit tour. Different ambiance of replicated rooms are created.

GALLERY 3: TEMPORARY EXHIBITION Hosting an exhibition of photography from advertisement in architecture periodcals.

148

Pavoni espresso machine Ponti

FOTOROMANZI

new type of bus Renzo Zavanella

Isett car 1948

Fotoromanzi were purely Italian inventions, after World War II, the photo novel taught many Italian girls to read. The heroines were always poor and romantic, but courageous and determined, to give hope, and sometimes illusions, to simple people who needed dreams. The story of photo novels is not so much the story of how we were or how we are, but of how we dreamed and how we dream.

Cisitalia 1948 Pinin Farina

A. and P. G. Castiglioni. San Luca armchair.

Gavina. 1960

Gino Colombini. Plastic colander. Kartell.

44. Dante Giacosa. Fiat 500 automobile.

1959

Kexikon 80

Gallery 1: an introduction

Gallery 2: replicated typical rooms

CERAMIC POZZI

LINOLEUM

P LAS T I C

CHLOROVINYL RESIN

FORMICA

Gallery 3: temporary exhibition space

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CURATING METHOD: GALLERY 1 SOURCE post-war culture

The curating materials are a selection of archives such as advertisement, tv program, cinema, comics, fotoromanzi, music, architecture journals, women magazines that closely related to the ordinary life.

Carosello

Architecture Journals

150

Cinema

Comics

Fotoromanzi

Women Magazines

151

Music

Weekly Listing Magazine

METHOD 1 - COMPARISON A good method is to compare the architectural periodicals such as domus to women magazines, in women magazines the domestic space are focused on how to update the old-fashioned home, since most of the readers weren’t able to afford.

((La vecchia “sala” cambia aspetto)) Grazia 1958 December nr.932

"Do not be afraid to mix styles beca and new things that it gives the hom

152

((Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;angolo per la musica e il pranzo)) Domus 1955 nr.308 p.20-21

ause it is the contrast between old me warmth and personalityâ&#x20AC;?

- ((Annabella)) n.43 1965 pp,114-115

153

METHOD 2: DIFFERENT COLUMNS

Specific columns in women magazines and weekly listing

“Casa d’oggi” & “L’architetto Risponda” Women magazines as mediator between architects and housewives. A process of “negotiation” between different actors, which meets the needs of the new consumerism market.

“Arredamento”: Architects’ suggestions In the boom years, through a greater consumption capacity, the home becomes the showcase of one’s economic possibilities, Women magazines caught up with latest design and architects’ opinion on interiors

154

“It is not eno through obje know the lat in design.”

ough to flaunt oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealth ects, it is also necessary to test styles and innovations

155

METHOD 3- MESSAGES FROM ELECTRONIC ADVERTISEMENT Women’s liberation had slowed down even the increased access to public life. With the new emphasis on house-based living and consumption, most women become full-time housewives.

We might see advertisement such as “freedom” of modern housewives by the help of electronic device, but their responsibility was to care for children and looking after the needs of a husband.

“The miracle of electricity. The hou serene lady who spends many hou ing, resting, listening to the radio o electricity.”

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(Concorso Eva-Fiat) EVA 1958 November

usewife has become a fresh and urs a day in an armchair, reador knitting quietly: the miracle of - ((Gioia)) n.42 1964 pp.74-77

157

SET-UP DESIGN

ELECTRONICS electronics

music

POST WAR MUSIC

TIMELINE

women PERIODICALS magazines

FOTOROMANZI

CINEMA & CAROSELLO

PAY ATTENTION TO THE TELEVISION!

Even though it was not common to own your television, we can still see the discussion on how t old fashioned home into a modern one whcih accomodate a space adequite for the television. A the economic boom and introduction of different electronic appliance into domestic space, ho therefore regarded spend more and more time at home. The reasons for going out are steadily d This reduction of spaces and moments of sociality, especially for women, leads to a closure in th sector, which, combined with urbanization, which may break family and friends relationships, ofte situation of isolation. To combat this loneliness, the woman seeks comfort during the day “in the r situ always on and when it is evening she watches television, windows onto a world from which sh separated” . Even though it might not be exactly the situation at the years of 50s, however it is an of how a modern domestic space and the lifestyle a housewive certainly suppose to achie

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COMICS

INTRODUCTION introduction

ELECTRONIC

ELECTRONICS

POST WAR MUSIC

TIMELINE

PERIODICALS

FOTOROMANZI fotoromanzi

cinema CINEMA & CAROSELLO carosello comics

COMICS

INTRODUCTION

TELEVISION

POST WAR MUSIC

FOTOROMANZI

timeline TIMELINE

CINEMA & CAROSELLO

PERIODICALS

COMICS

INTRODUCTION

158

POST- WAR ITALY 1945-1960

to tranform Along with ousewives diminishing. he private en leads to a radio that is he is still ideal image eve.

o eiusmod tempor isse ultrices gravida.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit unt ut labore et dolore commodo viverra amet, consectetur ore magna aliqua. Quis cenas accumsan lacus elit, sed do eiusmod suspendisse ultrices us vel facilisis.

LIBERATION!

POST-WAR MUSIC “ran ahead but looked back”, which means the huge transformation in industries and constructions, but at the same time look back to the past in mentality. Many pre-war songs were relaunched, but also the new ones recalled in the whole atmosphere of the thirties, indeed they exasperated the rhetorical tones and the pathetic themes. It should be emphasized that among the many features of continuity with the fascist regime there was the relationship between political power, communication and mass culture, in our case music. In fact in the post-war, the song was “of the State”: public radio station (Eiar, now Rai) and its record company, exactly as it did during fascism.

Government control of the DC according to the

Terre lontane e lavoro

Amore

In “ Lands far away and work “ we inserted and examined those songs that refer to work, even in different areas and distant from ours, but known and danced by us. In some dominate those dear themes linked to the figure of the emigrant: the desire to make a fortune, the nostalgic memory of the land left, the meeting on the place of Love. In others the image of the hard work of the countryside is lightened by poetic figures of peasants or passionate love encounters

In “ Love “ there are delineated the themes of the drive, of the instinct of the heart, which makes us suffer or rejoice, which can leave regrets, when the circumstances of life could not make it grow, which makes it insecure and which can even lead to ‘hate.

Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum dolor sit ipsum dolor sit amet,

“Here is a vision of fairyland: but it is not a fairy tale, it is reality, an extraordinary reality for today’s woman. The housewife has become a fresh and serene lady who spends many hours a day in an armchair, reading, resting, listening to the radio or knitting quietly: the miracle of electricity.”

Rapporti sociali e personaggi particolari In “ Social relationships and particular characters “, the songs highlight a rigid and severe society where the roles between males and females are well defined and rigid, as evidenced by the texts about the parent’s relationship to the child, of the worker towards the his employer. The same society does not lack the sarcastic irony towards those characters, who, then as today, came out of conventional moral schemes, like “La bella Gigogin”

Lorem ipsum dolor sit ipsum dolor sit amet, Lorem ipsum

- ((Gioia)) n.42 1964 pp.74-77

"When furnishing your home, do not be afraid to mix styles because it is precisely the measured contrast between old and new things that it gives the home warmth and personality "

“The home is ... the busines card of the family”

- ((Annabella)) n.43 1965 pp,114-115

it is not enough to flaunt one’s wealth through objects, it is also necessary to know the latest styles and innovations in design.

POST WAR RECONSTRUCTION

FAMILY’S STRUCURE

The year from the end of the Second World War 1945 to the 1950s until the ecnonomic boom, was called “La Ricostruzione” in Italy. The period was characterized by the civil and industrial works of reconstruction of the artifacts lost during the war, which numerous people become homesless and unemployed.

The consequences of an increasingly modern Italy on family meant that the family system too had to modernize to adapt and survive socially and economically. The social structures within families were altered greatly by migration, urban issues, changes in the labor system, and external changes in tourism and mass consumption.

WOMEN’S ROLE

AMERICAN’S INFLUENCE

An invisible and silent atomic bomb has destroyed the family unit. [...] the women present should understand this better than the men, to try and defend the family from inside the family. The state with its wars will tear away from you your husband or your brother, and atheist education or the corruption of the streets will steal the soul of your child. The family is a fortress which cannot be defended from inside the fortress.

In April 1946, at the first congress of the D C

During the Allied invasion of 1943-5, Italy had had its first direct experience of the American way of life - violent in many ways, but also incandescent with its bonhomie, benevolence and Jazz. In particular, the American way of life was one of the most polular topics.The average family in Italy became more private and nuclear oriented. Even though professional architectural magazines such as Domus, Casabella..etc might seem far from the ordinary life, however, the ideas of achieving a personal aesthetic of an ideal home, or the American single family house and lifestyle (fig.1), were soon picked up by daily women magazines

For most women in the period, the desire to return to family life was, ‘much stronger than aspirations for radical change, which were felt only by those sectors of women who in some way had participated in moments of political struggle’. We may observe the emphases on political advertisement stressing ‘restoring the family to health and morality’ as the main spirit of the time. Notably, Post-war Christian Democrats held that women should enjoy equal civil, legal, and political rights. At the same time, restoration of the family did mean: that control of education should be returned to parents; that motherhood and childhood should enjoy special protection by the state; and that heads-of-households should receive a “family wage,” so that mothers might be empowered to remain home with their children.

Lorem ipsum ipsum dolor sit amet, Lorem ipsum dolor sit

CONSUMERISM MARKET After the reconstruction years of the country, Mass production for mass markets, both internal and external, produced an unprecedented level of prosperity. In fact, Italy’s industry had reached a sufficient level of technological development. Marshall Plan played a key factor to the grow of Italian economic growth. American machines and skills were imported, which benefit numerous firms (for example Candy, FIAT, Olivetti typewritter and plastic mateirials). We may assume the consumerism market and mass production is linked to the economic growth. It may also be seen as a tool for the Americans as a cold war weapon, as the western european countries grow strong economically, the resistant to communist power increased.

CS

MUSIC

WOMEN MAGAZINES

INTRODUCTION

Pavoni espresso machine Ponti

FOTOROMANZI

new type of bus Renzo Zavanella

Isett car 1948

Fotoromanzi were purely Italian inventions, after World War II, the photo novel taught many Italian girls to read. The heroines were always poor and romantic, but courageous and determined, to give hope, and sometimes illusions, to simple people who needed dreams. The story of photo novels is not so much the story of how we were or how we are, but of how we dreamed and how we dream.

Cisitalia 1948 Pinin Farina

44. Dante Giacosa. Fiat 500 automobile.

1959

Kexikon 80

COMICS

159

A. and P. G. Castiglioni. San Luca armchair.

Gavina. 1960

Gino Colombini. Plastic colander. Kartell.

CINEMA

FOTOROMANZI

GALLERY 1 INTRODUCTION

POST- WAR ITALY 1945-1960

POST WAR RECONSTRUCTION

FAMILY’S STRUCURE

The year from the end of the Second World War 1945 to the 1950s until the ecnonomic boom, was called “La Ricostruzione” in Italy. The period was characterized by the civil and industrial works of reconstruction of the artifacts lost during the war, which numerous people become homesless and unemployed.

The consequences of an increasingly modern Italy on family meant that the family system too had to modernize to adapt and survive socially and economically. The social structures within families were altered greatly by migration, urban issues, changes in the labor system, and external changes in tourism and mass consumption.

WOMEN’S ROLE

AMERICAN’S INFLUENCE

An invisible and silent atomic bomb has destroyed the family unit. [...] the women present should understand this better than the men, to try and defend the family from inside the family. The state with its wars will tear away from you your husband or your brother, and atheist education or the corruption of the streets will steal the soul of your child. The family is a fortress which cannot be defended from inside the fortress.

In April 1946, at the first congress of the D C

During the Allied invasion of 1943-5, Italy had had its first direct experience of the American way of life - violent in many ways, but also incandescent with its bonhomie, benevolence and Jazz. In particular, the American way of life was one of the most polular topics.The average family in Italy became more private and nuclear oriented. Even though professional architectural magazines such as Domus, Casabella..etc might seem far from the ordinary life, however, the ideas of achieving a personal aesthetic of an ideal home, or the American single family house and lifestyle (fig.1), were soon picked up by daily women magazines

For most women in the period, the desire to return to family life was, ‘much stronger than aspirations for radical change, which were felt only by those sectors of women who in some way had participated in moments of political struggle’. We may observe the emphases on political advertisement stressing ‘restoring the family to health and morality’ as the main spirit of the time. Notably, Post-war Christian Democrats held that women should enjoy equal civil, legal, and political rights. At the same time, restoration of the family did mean: that control of education should be returned to parents; that motherhood and childhood should enjoy special protection by the state; and that heads-of-households should receive a “family wage,” so that mothers might be empowered to remain home with their children.

CONSUMERISM MARKET After the reconstruction years of the country, Mass production for mass markets, both internal and external, produced an unprecedented level of prosperity. In fact, Italy’s industry had reached a sufficient level of technological development. Marshall Plan played a key factor to the grow of Italian economic growth. American machines and skills were imported, which benefit numerous firms (for example Candy, FIAT, Olivetti typewritter and plastic mateirials). We may assume the consumerism market and mass production is linked to the economic growth. It may also be seen as a tool for the Americans as a cold war weapon, as the western european countries grow strong economically, the resistant to communist power increased.

INTRODUCTION TELEVISION

POST WAR MUSIC

TIMELINE

PERIODICALS

FOTOROMANZI

CINEMA & CAROSELLO

COMICS

INTRODUCTION

160

In the introduction section, five facts of the post-war society has been explained, in order to give the visitors a general idea of the background at the period.

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 1 INTRODUCTION

POST-WAR ITALY 1945-1960 POST WAR RECONSTRUCTION The year from the end of the Second World War 1945 to the 1950s until the ecnonomic boom, was called “La Ricostruzione” in Italy. The period was characterized by the civil and industrial works of reconstruction of the artifacts lost during the war, which numerous people become homesless and unemployed.

WOMEN’S ROLE

"An invisible and silent atomic bomb has destroyed the family unit. [...] the women present should understand this better than the men, to try and defend the family from inside the family. The state with its wars will tear away from you your husband or your brother, and atheist education or the corruption of the streets will steal the soul of your child. The family is a fortress which cannot be defended from inside the fortress."

In April 1946, at the first congress of the D C

CONSUMERISM MARKET After the reconstruction years of the country, Mass production for mass markets, both internal and external, produced an unprecedented level of prosperity. In fact, Italy’s industry had reached a sufficient level of technological development. Marshall Plan played a key factor to the grow of Italian economic growth. American machines and skills were imported, which benefit numerous firms (for example Candy, FIAT, Olivetti typewritter and plastic mateirials). We may assume the consumerism market and mass production is linked to the economic growth. It may also be seen as a tool for the Americans as a cold war weapon, as the western european countries grow strong economically, the resistant to communist power increased.

FAMILY’S STRUCTURE The consequences of an increasingly modern Italy on family meant that the family system too had to modernize to adapt and survive socially and economically. The social structures within families were altered greatly by migration, urban issues, changes in the labor system, and external changes in tourism and mass consumption.

AMERICAN’S INFLUENCE During the Allied invasion of 1943-5, Italy had had its first direct experience of the American way of life - violent in many ways, but also incandescent with its bonhomie, benevolence and Jazz. In particular, the American way of life was one of the most polular topics.The average family in Italy became more private and nuclear oriented. Even though professional architectural magazines such as Domus, Casabella..etc might seem far from the ordinary life, however, the ideas of achieving a personal aesthetic of an ideal home, or the American single family house and lifestyle (fig.1), were soon picked up by daily women magazines

161

GALLERY 1 PERIODICALS

LIBERATION! “Here is a vision of fairyland: but it is not a fairy tale, it is reality, an extraordinary reality for today’s woman. The housewife has become a fresh and serene lady who spends many hours a day in an armchair, reading, resting, listening to the radio or knitting quietly: the miracle of electricity.”

"When furnishing your home, do not be afraid to mix styles because it is precisely the measured contrast between old and new things that it gives the home warmth and personality " - ((Annabella)) n.43 1965 pp,114-115

- ((Gioia)) n.42 1964 pp.74-77

TELEVISION

POST WAR MUSIC

TIMELINE

PERIODICALS

FOTOROMANZI

CINEMA & CAROSELLO

COMICS IN PERIODICALS

INTRODUCTION

162

“The home is ... the busines card of the family”

it is not enough to flaunt one’s wealth through objects, it is also necessary to know the latest styles and innovations in design.

PERIODICALS In this section, selected content from periodicals have been exhibited, four paragraphs from different articles were selected to be presented on the curved wall, in order for visitors to have a quick idea on the mentality in different issues at the period.

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 1 PERIODICALS

WOMEN MAGAZINES

Women magazines are a key resource for us to understand the domestic life of middle class housewives. Selected archives includes Grazia, Eva, Gioia and Amica.

163

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 1 PERIODICALS

Grazia 1958 December nr.932 Grazia 1958 January nr.884

"When furnishing your home, do not be afraid to mix styles because it is precisely the measured contrast between old and new things that it gives the home warmth and personality " - ((Annabella)) n.43 1965 pp,114-115

164

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 1 PERIODICALS

<<Grazia>> 1953 nr.620

“The home is ... the business card of the family” “It is not enough to flaunt one’s wealth through objects, it is also necessary to know the latest styles and innovations in design.”

165

TELEVISION

POST WAR MUSIC

TIMELINE

PERIODICALS

FOTOROMANZI

CINEMA & CAROSELLO

COMICS IN PERIODICALS

INTRODUCTION

166

TIMELINE The timeline shows the great industrial designs from 1945 to 1960. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compare with the domestic space from women magazines in the nearby session and see if there is difference!

GALLERY 1 IMELINE

167

GALLERY 1 COMICS

TELEVISION

POST WAR MUSIC

TIMELINE

PERIODICALS

FOTOROMANZI

CINEMA & CAROSELLO

COMICS

INTRODUCTION

168

COMIC WALL Comics selected from Radio Corriere in the 50s were exhibited on the wall. In this section, the aim is through comics, we can observe different topics such as the isolations TV has brought to the people in their family, or relationship between parents and kids, and of course between couples. We could also see comics related to mobile and prefabricated housing, which reflect different aspects from the period in an interesting way.

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

Radio Corriere is a weekly print editions under the press of RAI. The illustrations shown above shows the emergence of electronic appliances casues a more isolation and privitization of the society and family. People's lifestyle has changed drastically.

169

GALLERY 1 COMICS

GALLERY 1 CINEMA

TELEVISION

POST WAR MUSIC

TIMELINE

PERIODICALS

FOTOROMANZI

CINEMA & CAROSELLO

COMICS

INTRODUCTION

170

CINEMA & CAROSELLO Different types of movies were popular among the country, in this section, selected movie clips will be displayed on the screen, includes Melodrama, Neorealism Films, and Carosello. At the same time enjoying the movies, visitors will also understand more about the desire and life of the period.

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 1 CINEMA

Bellissima 1951 Luchino Visconti

NEOREALISM FILMS POVERTY, CONFLICT, DEATH, WAR The neorealist films explored social issues with a new language, above all with reference to the most disadvantaged classes of war-torn Italy, they had a moral purpose, distinguishing themselves also from production American cinema and wanting to convey new values.

171

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

Carosello - Moplen “Quando la moglie non c’è - bagnetto” Carosello - Fiat 500 pubblicità originale Carosello - Royal Aron TV

CAROSELLO WHY AN ADVERTISEMENT PROGRAM BECAME SO POPULAR? Until the mid-1950s, most of the Italians in the 50s are farmers and low percentage of population has attended more than elementary schools or never been to schools, as a result, Carosello became an interesting, easy way to deliver the information and advertisement to the public, compare to the TV episodes at the moment which were indeed high-tongued and boring

172

GALLERY 1 CINEMA

Catene 1949

by Raffaello Matarazzo

ITALIAN MELODRAMA FILMS EXAGERATED EMOTION TENSION EXCITEMENT Melodrama was regarded as the postwar desire for stability in the private sphere of everyday family life which fits the catholic ideologies. The ideal film should represent woman â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dedicated to the home and its intimacy, because she knows that is where her entire happiness lies.

173

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

174

GALLERY 1 CINEMA

Bellissima 1951 Luchino Visconti

175

FOTOROMANZI Fotoromanzi were purely Italian inventions, after World War II, the photo novel taught many Italian girls to read. The heroines were always poor and romantic, but courageous and determined, to give hope, and sometimes illusions, to simple people who needed dreams. The story of photo novels is not so much the story of how we were or how we are, but of how we dreamed and how we dream.

TELEVISION

POST WAR MUSIC

TIMELINE

PERIODICALS

FOTOROMANZI

CINEMA & CAROSELLO

COMICS

INTRODUCTION

176

FOTOROMANZI The photo novel taught many Italian girls to read. The heroines were always poor and romantic, but courageous and determined, to give hope, and sometimes illusions, to simple people who needed dreams. By scan the QR code near the photos, visitors can view some of the archives of fotoromanzi.

177

PAY ATTENTION TO THE TELEVI

Even though it was not common to own your television, we can still see the disc old fashioned home into a modern one whcih accomodate a space adequite for the economic boom and introduction of different electronic appliance into do therefore regarded spend more and more time at home. The reasons for going o This reduction of spaces and moments of sociality, especially for women, leads sector, which, combined with urbanization, which may break family and friends re situation of isolation. To combat this loneliness, the woman seeks comfort during situ always on and when it is evening she watches television, windows onto a wor separated” . Even though it might not be exactly the situation at the years of 50s, of how a modern domestic space and the lifestyle a housewive certainly

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, conse incididunt ut labore et dolore magna a Risus commodo viverra maecenas acc amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed d magna aliqua. Quis ipsum suspend maecenas accumsan lacus vel facil adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor ipsum suspendisse ultrices gravida. Ri vel facilisis. Lorem ipsum dolor sit am tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore gravida. Risus commodo viverr

PAY ATTENTION TO THE TV! WHERE SHOUDL WE PLACE THE TV? “Pay attention to the television. The solution proposed in the drawing opposite is particularly suitable for environments where there is television” Grazia 1957 November nr.873

TELEVISION

POST WAR MUSIC

TIMELINE

PERIODICALS

FOTOROMANZI

CINEMA & CAROSELLO

COMICS

INTRODUCTION

178

TV & DOMESTIC SPACE This wall explains the visitors how the introduction of televisions into domestic space has changed the design. Archives related to interior design according to emergence of TV are selected and exhibited in this section.

ISION!

cussion on how to tranform r the television. Along with omestic space, housewives out are steadily diminishing. s to a closure in the private elationships, often leads to a g the day “in the radio that is rld from which she is still however it is an ideal image suppose to achieve.

POST-WAR MUSIC

ectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor aliqua. Quis ipsum suspendisse ultrices gravida. cumsan lacus vel facilisis. Lorem ipsum dolor sit do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore disse ultrices gravida. Risus commodo viverra lisis. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur r incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Quis isus commodo viverra maecenas accumsan lacus met, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod magna aliqua. Quis ipsum suspendisse ultrices ra maecenas accumsan lacus vel facilisis.

“ran ahead but looked back”, which means the huge transformation in industries and constructions, but at the same time look back to the past in mentality. Many pre-war songs were relaunched, but also the new ones recalled in the whole atmosphere of the thirties, indeed they exasperated the rhetorical tones and the pathetic themes. It should be emphasized that among the many features of continuity with the fascist regime there was the relationship between political power, communication and mass culture, in our case music. In fact in the post-war, the song was “of the State”: public radio station (Eiar, now Rai) and its record company, exactly as it did during fascism.

Government control of the DC according to the

Terre lontane e lavoro

Amore

In “ Lands far away and work “ we inserted and examined those songs that refer to work, even in different areas and distant from ours, but known and danced by us. In some dominate those dear themes linked to the figure of the emigrant: the desire to make a fortune, the nostalgic memory of the land left, the meeting on the place of Love. In others the image of the hard work of the countryside is lightened by poetic figures of peasants or passionate love encounters

In “ Love “ there are delineated the themes of the drive, of the instinct of the heart, which makes us suffer or rejoice, which can leave regrets, when the circumstances of life could not make it grow, which makes it insecure and which can even lead to ‘hate.

Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum dolor sit ipsum dolor sit amet,

TELEVISION

POST WAR MUSIC

TIMELINE

PERIODICALS

FOTOROMANZI

CINEMA & CAROSELLO

COMICS

INTRODUCTION

179

Lorem ipsum dolor sit ipsum dolor sit amet, Lorem ipsum

Rapporti sociali e personaggi particolari In “ Social relationships and particular characters “, the songs highlight a rigid and severe society where the roles between males and females are well defined and rigid, as evidenced by the texts about the parent’s relationship to the child, of the worker towards the his employer. The same society does not lack the sarcastic irony towards those characters, who, then as today, came out of conventional moral schemes, like “La bella Gigogin”

Lorem ipsum ipsum dolor sit amet, Lorem ipsum dolor sit

POST-WAR MUSIC Music presents different aspects, desire and culture of the period. Three catagories of music were selected. Selected songs can be listened by inserting number on the museum app.

Terre lontane e lavoro: work, dream and nostalgia Amore: suffer, regret and life Rapporti sociali e personaggi particolari

GALLERY 2

Viale Gran Sasso

LET'S VISIT A NEIGHBOR In this exhibition space, visitors will experience a house-visit tour.

LIVING ROOM KITCHEN DINING SPACE ANTI-CAMERA BATHROOM MASTER BEDROOM DRESSING SPACE

180

181

METHOD 1- CATAGORIZE THE ARTICLES CATAGORIZE THE ARTICLES IN WOMEN MAGAZINES EVA 1950-1960 GRAZIA 1950-1960

Il soggiorno Il salotto

182

Furnitures and decorative elements Il tinello Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;angolo Pranzo

la cucina

Il bagn

no

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;anticamera Camere da letto

183

Cameretta dei bambini

Lavandino

Terraze

METHOD 2: TITLES OF THE ARTICLES We see many titles focus on how to create different ambience in living room, the living room becomes one big room merge with functions such as dinging corner, entertaining space or even anteroom. Some rooms no longer appear in discussion because they are disappearing, such as salotto which is a good room used to host guests or tinello where family usually spend time.

salotto e pranzo

â&#x20AC;&#x153;due ambienti in solo lo

Anteroom becomes merging with living room by division of a shelf.

184

ocaleâ&#x20AC;?

not many issue regarding tinello

not many issue regarding salotto

Catch title from articles for example we see lots of title dressing how to create different ambience in living room, the living room becomes one big room merge with functions such as dinging corner, entertaining space or even anteroom. Some rooms no longer appear in discussion because they are disappearing, such as salotto which is a good room used to host guests or tinello where family usually spend time.

185

METHOD 3: COMPARISON IL SOGGIORNO: THE LIVING ROOM

carpet

186

curtain

lighting

FURNITURE SELECTION IN WOMEN MAGAZINES

pictures

mirrors

1. Multi-functional: to meet different situation 2. Simple shape & colorful 3. Easily-cleaned materials

CREATE DIFFERENT ENCE IN ONE SPACE

DOMUS

187

AMBI-

Different approach of women magazines (carpet, curtain.. etc) than Domus (different tiles, movable panel, furnitures)

METHOD 3: COMPARISON

Comparison between sketches from women magazines with Colori e Forme Nella Casa D’oggi to understand the colors, materials and difference between ordinary and elite deisgn.

LAVANDINO

WOMEN MAGAZINES

COLORI E FORME NELLA CASA D'OGGI [COMO], VILLA COMUNALE DELL'OLMO, 1957

188

L’ANGOLO PRANZO

SOGGIORNO

CAMERA

189

MOBILE BAR

TELEVISION

METHOD 3: COMPARISON

ADVERTISEMENT FROM WOMEN MAGAZINES AND DOMUS

DOMUS 1950-1960 From Domus we can see different advertisement of materials in the period which are not seen in the women magazines.

We don’t see much articles about bathroom in women magazines, from Domus’s articles and advertisement we have some more information regards the topic.

FULGET pavement FEDE CHETI fabric CERAMIC POZZI toilet RIV/ FORMICA plastic panel LINOLEUM pavement RUNNYMEDE/ AGA pavement

190

WOMEN MAGAZINE 1950-1960 Advertisement from women magazines are mostly electronic devices, materials of kitchen or radio, tv in the living room whcih target the housewives.

191

GALLERY 2 CURATING SOURCE

THE NEW KITCHEN IMAGE HAS BEEN DELIVERED TO WOMEN MAGAZINES

Domus 1955 number 307

Ar

192

Carosello Moplen

The new American kitchen with colorful plastic, and systemetic shelves to have a hygiene space, also that kitchen used only for working instead of eating, this idea has been promoted to women magazines, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see difference in styles when comparing with Domus. common materials: Formica Moplen Stainless steel Linoleum Rasin Plastic

rticles and advertisement in women magazines

193

Lorem Ipsum

LIVING ROOM IL SOGGIORNO

E F D

G

A B

7

6

H C

A- Living Room B- Dinning Space C- Kitchen D- Electronic Appliances E- Entrance and Hallway F- Bathroom G- Master Bedroom H- Multifunctional Furniture I- Lavandino in Room J- Children's Room

194

I J

The previous "tinello" "salotto" "sala pranzo" have transformed into a larger living room within which all the other functions are located as organically connected centers with respect to a greater center. Furniture selection is the key factor of transforming an old fashioned space into a modern living room.

GALLERY 2 LIVING ROOM

((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

SOFA BED WASHABLE FABRIC

ARMCHAIR WASHABLE FABRIC/ GOMMAPIUMA "LADY" BY MARCO ZANUSO FOR ARFLEX, 1951

BOOKSHELF/ WRITING DESK

TABLE with DISC PLAYER/ SMALL BAR

LIGHT

by Luigi Caccia Dominioni

LIGHT

by Luigi Caccia Dominioni

PAVEMENT FULGET

CARPET

195

GALLERY 2 LIVING ROOM

Carpet "A long-thread carpet or a brightly colored carpet under the table will serve not only to introduce a note of color, but to define the space occupied by the area, without resorting" (Grazia 1957 March)

Lightening The light factor. The criterion of a room divided into one or more zones excludes any type of central lighting or requires as many light sources as there are "zones".

The writing desk "A writing corner is useful for everyone: The desk can remain a completely isolated piece of furniture in an environment, and can instead create a real corner of its own, with some other "piece" of furniture that matches it. Due to its functionality it can be placed in any environment: a living room, a spacious anteroom, a corner of the bedroom" Grazia 1957 Arpil

Bar The living room has become the place where major time family or guests will spend. "Everyone can have a bar at home where they can gather friends and offer, together with a drink, the diversion of an original and fun corner

196

((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

Importance of funiture choice: Trendy, Functional and Affordable "A living room can be created with few furnishings, and yet it appears more pleasant and welcoming than other living rooms where that characteristic and personal note that harmonises even the most diverse pieces of furniture has been lacking."

The false imitations of the antique are abandoned, the heavy and complicated forms, the furnishings without character and without purpose and are replaced with furniture with simple lines, with agill shapes, which do not clutter the room. By this we intend to refer not only to furniture that fully responds to the many needs of those who use and practice the living room but that can at the same can perform multifunctions.

Fabric choice of furniture A new idea of ergonomic and relaxing furniture takes the place of old unused furniture covered by cellophane, thanks also to the new padding materials such as polyurethane foam. A pro-washing, easy to fold, transport and functional sofa bed is a fashion.

Grazia 1957 March

"These ten objects were chosen from the latest innovations and the most recent interpretations of various elements of the furnishings. Some, of a practical nature, but always studied according to a principle of functional elegance, will help you to solve many domestic problems, such as those of space, transport and washing. Others will suggest some original “coquetry” to make a corner of the house more intimate and welcoming, a new reason to introduce a romantic note of “color” even in the most decidedly modern environment."

10 idea offered for you by architect ((Grazia)) 1958 January nr.881

Foldable armchair in washable fabric

Sofa-bed in fabric

Extendable table to host different situations

Easily transported sofa

197

KITCHEN LA CUCINA

E F D

G

A B

7

6

H C

A- Living Room B- Dinning Space C- Kitchen D- Electronic Appliances E- Entrance and Hallway F- Bathroom G- Master Bedroom H- Multifunctional Furniture I- Lavandino in Room J- Children's Room

198

I J

A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped electronic appliance, helps refuce the work for housewives and also the space become only for preparing food and other minor tasks. The arrangement of the furniture becomes much more functional, the surfaces more easily washable.

GALLERY 2 KITCHEN

((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

STAINLESS STEEL SINK

FOUR BURNER GAS COOKER

FRIDGE

KITCHEN WORKTOP FORMICA WITH METAL BENDING AROUND PAVEMENT LINOLEUM

KITCHEN BACKSPLASH CERAMIC TILES MODULE CABINET FORMICA

199

GALLERY 2 KITCHEN

The Modern Kitchen A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator, and worktops and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a microwave oven, a dishwasher, and other electric appliances. The main functions of a kitchen are to store, prepare and cook food (and to complete related tasks such as dishwashing). The room or area may also be used for dining for small meals, entertaining and laundry.

It is advisable to create full-height kitchens in order to make the most of the space and to have a more hygienic environment. Materials such as formica, linoneum which are easily cleaned, stainless steel sink also for hygeine reason. In addition, module units and system shelves which allows efficient arrangement of the space are characteristics of the new kitchen.

THE FUNCTIONAL KITCHEN ((GRAZIA)) 1953 nr.620

A. four-burner gas cooker with hood mask the white lacquered door B. Linoleum covering of the entire surface of the kitchen worktop C. Folding top covering the washing machine D. small refrigerator, indispensable for the nest E. worktop suitable for all dishes F. Space intended for a table for breakfast and for the bride's housework G. Wall-mounted folding ironing board. during breakfast it can also be used for other uses, for example dishes can be laid

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((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

Advertisement for electronic appliances of modern kitchen

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((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

Materials of kitchen Starting in the 1920s, that revolutionary wind began to blow in Europe that would radically change the way of conceiving the home. The arrangement of the furniture becomes much more functional, the surfaces more easily washable. "The cold-white-kitchen-chemical has gone out of fashion: this room is once again intimate, warm, welcoming and, moreover, sensationally colored".1 In elite magazine Domus 1955 number 307, an article introducing Karson American kitchen (with modular elements, produced in Italy and sold by Picowa) "yellow Formica top, the beautiful green enamel coffee pot (Fonderie Emaillère), and a series of beautifully designed plastic objects by Kartell: the citrus press, the lemon squeezer, the transparent plastic, the colored plastic cup, double-walled, to keep the drink cool, the cylindrical container in white plastic for liquids, the German fruit holder, in bakelized wood."

202 1 New look anche per la cucina, «Annabella», n. 48, 1956, p. 36.

GALLERY 2 KITCHEN

The Modern Housewives "refrigerator, oven that automatically controls the cleaning times, washing and drying machine, washing machine, shredding machine, etc. But it is not finished: in every room - automatically controlled electric logos; electric alarm clock, adjustable at will [...] she has always dreamed of a house, her home, she has dreamed it for herself, but also for her husband, so that when he returns from work he can find a serene and welcoming environment around him."

"Here is an example of a U-shaped kitchen built in a single piece: the compartments are rationally designed to contain every utensil needed by the housewife."

Grazia 1953 May nr.637

Module units and system shelves which allows efficient arrangement of the space are characteristics of the new kitchen. A competition among different architects proposed the best arrangement for a kitchen sapce. A common feature is the focus on efficiently use of the space, and the materials creates a hygiene cooking environment.

Starting from the 1950s and 1960s, the kitchen, from a small room, sometimes consisting only of a kitchenette, gradually expands to embrace the entire living area.

203

L'ANGOLO PRANZO E F D

G

A B

7

6

H C

A- Living Room B- Dinning Space C- Kitchen D- Electronic Appliances E- Entrance and Hallway F- Bathroom G- Master Bedroom H- Multifunctional Furniture I- Lavandino in Room J- Children's Room

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I J

In this space, a dining space is presented .

Vingtage furniture, colors and lightening are selected from the period in order to give visitors an idea of the atmosphere.

A sliding door, a carpet or a light are common solutions to divide the dining area from the living room.

GALLERY 2 DINING

((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

DINING TABLE FORMICA, WOOD Extenable Table are often proposed for the dining room with a view to the multifunctionality of the living area, which must be transformed if necessary from a dining room, to a living room, to a relaxation area, but which also provides for the reception of guests.

CHAIRS "LEGGERA" PER CASSINA, 1951, GIO PONTI

VINTAGE WOOD SHELF

PLASTIC PRODUCTS KARTELL "The kitchen equipment enriches day by day with the appearance of new different tools in plastic material, such as cooking, which become light, elastic and unbreakable. The plastic material has contributed to the return of color in the kitchen equipment" ((Domus)) 19550

LAMPADA CIPOLLA PLASTIC & GLASS

SLIDING PARTITION PLASTIC

PAVEMENT PIASTRELLE FLOOR

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TINELLO, SALA PRANZO OR L’ANGOLO PRANZO?

Tinello

is a word that no longer exists because it corresponds to a small room with a table and chairs where you can eat, or a table insire the kitchen where used to be the “warm room” for the family.

Sala Pranzo

is a room used to host the guests, and in the 50s has gradually merged with tinello and salotto become the big living room

L’angolo Pranzo

The architects propose greater agility in the distribution of the rooms and a much more organic concept of the house. This must have its own active center of reference around which family life gravitates; the living room, as it is designed and built today, constitutes the heart of the house. This leads to a different distribution of the rooms in relation to their functionality with respect to the living room. the function of dining is increasingly assimilated to the living room and the house tends to transform itself into a larger living room within which all the other functions are located as organically connected centers with respect to a greater center. cente The dining area will be smaller than the one reserved for the living room and will be reduced to occupy only a corner or a wall, leaving free space for the elements that rightfully belong to the living room. A long-threaded carpet or a brightly colored carpet under the table will serve not only to introduce a note of color, but to define the space occupied by the area

“We recommend less bulky furniture, placed side by side or suspended from the wall and equipped with shelf, sliding doors, folding doors. Finally, remember the importance of the light factor. The dining group will have its lampacla, above the table and low enough so as to aboracciae the whole area by closing it in circles of warm and soothing light. The lamp can have an arm protruding from the wall with downscaling, ceiling or wall lamps. Another small lamp placed on the table makes the environment much more intimate. The lighting must also contribute to subdivide the areas: the corner of the dining room, must be illuminated with its own lights.” "two environments in one space" Eva 1957 nr.17

E F D

G

A B

7

6

H

I

TINELLO SALA PRANZO or L'ANGOLO PRANZO

J

C

A- Living Room B- Dinning Space C- Kitchen D- Electronic Appliances E- Entrance and Hallway F- Bathroom G- Master Bedroom H- Multifunctional Furniture I- Lavandino in Room J- Children's Room

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This panel explains the visitors the transformation of the place where family eat together in the house, and layout of the apartment due to more leisure activity at home in the living room.

((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

GALLERY 2 DINING

Tinello is a word that no longer exists because it corresponds to a small room with a table and chairs where you can eat, or a table insire the kitchen where used to be the “warm room” for the family.

Sala Pranzo is a room used to host the guests, and in the 50s has gradually merged with tinello and salotto become the big living room L’angolo Pranzo The architects propose greater agility in the distribution of the rooms and a much more organic concept of the house. This must have its own active center of reference around which family life gravitates; the living room, as it is designed and built today, constitutes the heart of the house. This leads to a different distribution of the rooms in relation to their functionality with respect to the living room. the function of dining is increasingly assimilated to the living room and the house tends to transform itself into a larger living room within which all the other functions are located as organically connected centers with respect to a greater center. The dining area will be smaller than the one reserved for the living room and will be reduced to occupy only a corner or a wall, leaving free space for the elements that rightfully belong to the living room. A long-threaded carpet or a brightly colored carpet under the table will serve not only to introduce a note of color, but to define the space occupied by the area “We recommend less bulky furniture, placed side by side or suspended from the wall and equipped with shelf, sliding doors, folding doors. Remember the importance of the light factor. The dining group will have its lampada, above the table and low enough so as to aboracciae the whole area by closing it in circles of warm and soothing light. Another small lamp placed on the table makes the environment much more intimate. The lighting must also contribute to subdivide the areas: the corner of the dining room, must be illuminated with its own lights.” "two environments in one space" Eva 1957 nr.17

Grazia 1957 nr.830 (left) Grazia 1958 nr.932 (right)

Grazia 1957 nr.987 207

L'ANTICAMERA ANTEROOM

E F D

G

A B

7

6

H C

A- Living Room B- Dinning Space C- Kitchen D- Electronic Appliances E- Entrance and Hallway F- Bathroom G- Master Bedroom H- Multifunctional Furniture I- Lavandino in Room J- Children's Room

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I J

The anteroom is no longer a closed space but a connecting function between the "day" part of an apartment and the "night" part. Tips to highlight your anteroom is adding small furnitures such as umbrella holder, a mirror, desk and a good light.

((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

GALLERY 2 DINING

Anti-camera "At one time the antechamber had a very precise function: it was an environment of "representation". Today it is reduced to having a connecting function between the "day" part of an apartment and the "night" part." The current conception of furniture considers the entrance under different aspects: as a place of rapid passage to the different areas of the house or as part of the same large living area from which it can be divided by a door-wall, or as a large vestibule which also functions as a meeting place

Instead of having a useless space, the modern anticamera can be also just a space divided simply by a funiture., to have a more direct interaction with the core of house - living room, or with all the rooms. <<Grazia>> 1957 April nr.842

The anteroom can be created by simply a piece of furniture dividing part of the living room <<Grazia>> 1957 January

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MASTER BEDROOM

E F D

G

A B

7

6

H C

A- Living Room B- Dinning Space C- Kitchen D- Electronic Appliances E- Entrance and Hallway F- Bathroom G- Master Bedroom H- Multifunctional Furniture I- Lavandino in Room J- Children's Room

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I J

You

don't need a large apartment or bedroom. Two armchairs, a low magazine rack table, the radiogram unit or the bookshelf will allow the lady to create an intimate corner for receiving friends, reading, working and listening to the radio.

The master bedroom is a well-articulated space in the bed, dressing room, toilet, subsequently representing three free moments. The creation of a separate area or corner for the dressing room and the wardrobes of the traditional furnishings, has revolutionized the concept of the bedroom. You don't need a large apartment or bedroom. Two armchairs, a low magazine rack table, the radiogram unit or the bookshelf will allow the lady to create an intimate corner for receiving friends, reading, working and listening to the radio.

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DRESSING SPACE L'AVANDINO

E F D

G

A B

I H C

A- Living Room B- Dinning Space C- Kitchen D- Electronic Appliances E- Entrance and Hallway F- Bathroom G- Master Bedroom H- Multifunctional Furniture I- Lavandino in Room J- Children's Room

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J

Two ceramic bathrooms are presented here by re-creating the advertisement from Ceramic Pozzi in Domus magazines.

GALLERY 2 DRESSING SPACE

((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

Lavandino, the dressing space The changing room area, created in the bedroom, is that intimate and cozy area for a lady who can change her clothes, take care of her dressing table, spend an hour of rest or conversing with a friend. We can see a big difference in the design of the dressing space inside the bedroom in architectural magazine and women magazine. From women magazine we can see the style is still more antique and traditional.

Grazia 1957 January

Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957 213

GALLERY 2 DINING

BATHROOM

E F D

G

A B

I H C

A- Living Room B- Dinning Space C- Kitchen D- Electronic Appliances E- Entrance and Hallway F- Bathroom G- Master Bedroom H- Multifunctional Furniture I- Lavandino in Room J- Children's Room

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J

Two ceramic bathrooms are presented here by re-creating the advertisement from Ceramic Pozzi in Domus magazines.

((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

REFERENCE: CERAMIC POZZI "Ultra-modern bathroom with suspended fixtures in GAVIT Vitreous-china and FIRE-CLAY corner bath-shower"

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GALLERY 2

E F D

G

A B

I H C

A- Living Room B- Dinning Space C- Kitchen D- Electronic Appliances E- Entrance and Hallway F- Bathroom G- Master Bedroom H- Multifunctional Furniture I- Lavandino in Room J- Children's Room

216

J

MULTI-FUNCTIONAL FURNITURE The transformation of domestic space provides people more and more leisure at home, as a result, multi-functional furniture which create several possibilities in the same place becomes a topic.

((MUSEUM BOOKLET CONTENT))

GALLERY 2

REFERENCE: LUSSANA Closet/ Beds/ Dining Space

OTEHR EXPAMPLES Figure 1. Bookshelf-table "For the husband, if he does not have an explicit profession that needs a real studio, you can adopt a folding-door desk incorporated in the living room bookcase, It will have internal drawers, departments for wrapping , a small socket lamp and, nearby, padded." (EVA 1958 nr.44) Figure 2. Desk- sofa - bar unit "Arrangement of the same "zeta" group, whose short sides are formed by the two sofas divided by the bar unit and the desk-shelf." (Grazia 1953 February nr.630)

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A TEMPORARY EXHIBITION The space is reserved for temporary exhibitions.

At the moment is the exhibition "Advertisement in Architectural Periodicals", features collected photographs from journals in the 1950s. Panels also demonstrate the materials for visitors to touch and feel the materials.

Ceramic Pozzi Fulget Floor Runnymede Gomma Pavement AGA Gomma Pavement VIPLA Chlorovinyl Resin Pavement Linoneum Pavement Formica Laminated Plastic Plastiriv-Mel plastic panels Fede Cheti Fabric

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CERAMIC POZZI

Viale Gran Sasso

P LAS T I C

LINOLEUM

219

CHLOROVINYL RESIN

FORMICA

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

CERAMIC POZZI Bathroom Fixtures "Ultra-modern bathroom with suspended fixtures in GAVIT Vitreous-china and FIRE-CLAY corner bath-shower"

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((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

221

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

Bathroom series consisting of "Colorado" shower tub in Fire Clay and "Gavit" vitreous China in Havana color, presented at the 1951 Milan Fair.

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

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GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

FULGET marble floors "Beautiful floor with sectioned cobblestones. The cut in the section of the stones gives their composition an abstract and purely graphic effect, of pure design, which at the same time the natural coloration and the internal spots and stains of the stones inimitable natural fragment."

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((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

RUNNYMEDE Gomma Per Pavimenti Rubber floor "Runnymede is the comfortable and rational rubber floor, scientifically studied for the needs of modern life. Silent & in step, those who are forced to take long stops or long journeys for their work do not tire and is recommended for schools, offices, ships, railway cars, clinics, hospitals. factories, private homes, everywhere Precious and practical also for covering stairs. The Runnymede floor is hygienic and does not require any special maintenance: soap and water are sufficient to keep it clean and bright, because the shiny beauty of Runnymede is due to a special manufacturing process. It has a practically eternal duration and is easy, economical to apply. The Runnymede floor has the beauty of fine marble, but it is very light and does not have the typical drawbacks of marble."

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((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

225

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

AGA Gomma Per Pavimenti Con Sottofondo Cellulare "They are applied without adhesives with the simple perimeter fixing."

Soft Aphonic Cheap Durable Practical Elegant

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GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

VIPLA Chlorovinyl resin pavement "Floors in your favorite shades. The use of chlorovinyl resin floors allows to achieve a new result in furnishing: the choice of the preferred color. Vipla floors come in a wide range of colors, both solid and marbled, and can, on request, be produced in various shades. They are therefore decidedly superior, combining to this very appreciable aesthetic advantage those that are their essential prerogatives: excellent resistance to aging and wear, superior to any other material; elasticity; unassailable from salt, acids, oils and fats; simplicity and cost-effectiveness of maintenance."

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((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

LINONEUM Pavement "all colors for all environments." "floors in your favorite shades. The use of chlorovinyl resin floors allows to achieve a new result in furnishing: the choice of the preferred color. Vipla floors come in a wide range of colors, both solid and marbled, and can, on request, be produced in various shades. They are therefore decidedly superior, combining to this very appreciable aesthetic advantage those that are their essential prerogatives: excellent resistance to aging and wear, superior to any other material; elasticity; unassailable from salt, acids, oils and fats; simplicity and cost-effectiveness of maintenance."

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((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

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GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

CERAMIC TILES

230

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

FORMICA Laminated plastic Plastic laminate panels are known worldwide as the best coatings. They combine exceptional qualities of resistance and durability with the variety of colors and clear and deep tones, the clarity and perfect smoothness of surfaces, the beauty of textures and designs.

Resistant to acids It is easy to use It is very long lasting It washes with water It does not burn It does not stain It does not fade It does not absorb It does not scratch and soap

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((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

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GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

"FORMICA- Resistant to acids It is easy to use It is very long lasting It washes with water It does not burn It does not stain It does not fade It does not absorb It does not scratch and soap - Plastic laminate panels are known worldwide as the best coatings. They combine exceptional qualities of resistance and durability with the variety of colors and clear and deep tones, the clarity and perfect smoothness of surfaces, the beauty of textures and designs."

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GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

PLASTIRIV-MEL Plastic pannels "The photograph represents an original and interesting application of the PLASIIRIV-MEL in the construction of an advertising stand. The two-colored floor, bright, smooth, resistant to scratches and washable, is made of PLASTIRIV-MEL and also of this new material are the multicolored wings that make up the backdrop of the stand. Due to its characteristics and properties, for the vast range of colors and designs in which it is supplied, PLASTIRIV-MEL offers architects and advertisers infinite application perspectives."

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((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

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GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

FEDE CHETI fabric

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GALLERY 3 ADVERTISEMENT

((EXHIBITED CONTENT))

KITCHEN FRANKIE- INGIENIKA American kitchen "Wonderful! A stainless steel kitchen!"

ATLANTIC ELECTRIC "new colors, new designs for your "ideal kitchen 1955" original American furniture and modular furniture" CGE "All CGE metal furniture is made of thick glossy sheet metal, fire-enamelled. The floor units have a periwinkle-colored "plastic laminate" top and a glossy black lacquered plinth."

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7. Conclusion The domestic space is the business card of every family. It reflects their taste, their habits, as well as their desires. It also mirrors the nation culture, politics, and economics. For example, nowadays we take advantage of the convenience of electronic appliances, while at the time those new inventions drastically changed the family and the structure of the society. Indeed, the desire of having a well-furnished home, and conceivably the ideal image of American's lifestyle are factors that transformed the post-war domestic space. Moreover, although we might presume women were regarded as "liberated" in the post-war years, their role of being the house manager was strictly imposed by the society.

The post-war period has been a charmgin period, perhaps confusing yet optimistic. The challenge of this thesis is to observe the details of ordinary items and images in the middle-class domestic space, which siletly tells us the story of the last century. This work contributes to providing a deeper understanding of the transformation processes which took place in the post-war years and their relation with domestic space.

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Paolo Scrivano. (2013) Building Transatlantic Italy: Architectural Dialogues with Postwar America. (Ashgate Studies in Architecture Series.)

Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate Publishing Co., 2013.

G. Chianese, Storia sociale della donna in Italia, 1980, p. 102.

Oddone, ‘Ricostruzione morale’, p. 17.

Allan.C (2007) Europe and the Christian Democracy Movement: A Once and Future Hope?, Family Research Council, Washington, D.C. p.105 Paul Ginsborg, 1989; A History of Contemporary. Italy Socity and Politics, Crainz, 1996,2003 Günsberg M. (2005) Domestic Bliss: Desire and the Family in Melodrama. In: Italian Cinema. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230510463_2 Ermanno Detti, "Le carte rosa. Il libro prende in esame l'evoluzione del fotoromanzo nel linguaggio, nei contenuti e nell'immagine. https://digilander.libero.it/scuolafontaneto/gusti_e_sapori/gusti/canzoni.htm Paolo Scrivano, Building Transatlantic Italy: Architectural Dialogues with Postwar America, Routledge; 1st Edition, December 2, 2013,p.201 «Annabella», Accostiamo l'antico al moderno, , n. 43, 1965, pp. 114-115 Marzio Barbagli, David I Kertzer., Storia della famiglia in Europa. Il Novecento, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2005, p. 90.

Il primo nido, Grazia 1953 «Gioia» Grande concorso caccia all’errore!, , n. 42, 1964, pp. 74-77.

Le domande che scottano, «Gioia», n. 16, 1958, pp. 8-9.

La “Signora Candy” e la sua lavatrice. Storia di un’intesa perfetta nell’Italia degli anni Sessanta, “Genesis”, V, n. 1, 2006, p. 99 Bravissime in casa con queste novità, «Grazia», n. 844, 1957, p. 76.

Maria Chiara Liguori, Donne e consumi nell'Italia degli anni cinquanta, "Italia contemporanea", n. 205, 1996, pp. 680-681.

"Giunco vimini paglia nella casa d'estate", Grazia 1953 May nr.637 Maurizio Vitta, Dell'abitare, Einaudi, Torino, 2008, p. 160.

Laura Minestroni, Casa dolce casa. Storia dello spazio domestico tra pubblicità e società, Franco Angeli, Milano, 1996, p. 19.

Paolo Scrivano, Building Transatlantic Italy: Architectural Dialogues with Postwar America, Routledge; 1st Edition, December 2, 2013,p.191 Karson American Kitchen, Domus 1955 nr.307 New look anche per la cucina, «Annabella», n. 48, 1956, p. 36.

Elenco dei premi , Grazia 1953 Lieto un appartamento di tre locali, Grazie 1957 nr.830 Enrica Asquer, Domesticità italiane: discorsi, conflitti, memorie dagli anni del boom, in Scarpellini Emanuela (a cura di), I consumi della vita quotidiana, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2013, p. 106.

Maristella Casciato, L'abitazione e gli spazi domestici, in Melograni Piero, La famiglia italiana dall'Ottocento ad oggi, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 1988, p. 576.

Un salotto molto elegante, <<EVA>>,1958 Secondo Grande Concorso Grazia Casa Moderna <<Grazia>>, n.620, 1953 Soggiorno centro della casa, «Grazia», n. 684, 1954, p. 36.

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Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi : [Como], Villa comunale dell'Olmo, luglio-agosto 1957 I sei segreti del soggiorno, Grazia 1953 Per rendere pratico e lieto un appartamento di tre locali, Grazia 1957 April L;'architetto vi offre idee" , Grazia 1958 January nr.881 Nel soggiorno ideale: pochi mobili molta semplicità, «Gioia», n. 7, 1954, p. 30.

Enrica Asquer, Storia intima dei ceti medi. Una capitale e una periferia nell'Italia del miracolo economico, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2011, p. 52.

Secondo grande concoso Grazia-Casa Moderna, Grazia 1953 I tappeti persiani che fanno riccai la casa, Grazia 1957 March Scegliamo un tapperi, Grazia 1957 March Lieto un appartamento di tre locali, Grazia 1957 March La scrivania che dovete scegliere, Grazia 1957 April Facili errori facili remidi, Grazia 1957 March Quasi un giardino, Grazia 1953 Un dono di Grazia alle abbonate, Grazia 1958 December nr.932 Se avete bisogno di scegliere uni specchio, Grazia 1958 L'anticamera, Grazia 1957 April nr.842 Un attacapanni diverso del solito, Grazia 1957 November Qualche volta e un lusso, Grazia 1957 January La camera romantica, Grazia 1957 November Per rendere pratico e lieto appartamento di tre locali, Grazia 1957 April nr,842 Camera della raggazzina dev'essere graziosa, Grazia 1957 January Marzio Barbagli, David I Kertzer., Storia della famiglia in Europa. Il Novecento, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2005, p. 82 Una bella stanza per ragazzi deve avere sei qualità, «Annabella», n. 11, 1962, pp. 58-59.

Operazione Spazio, Grazia 1957April nr,842

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