Every year during Milan's Salone del Mobile furniture fair and the concurrent Design Week in the city center, Maria Vittoria Paggini gives her apartment a complete makeover, magnetically attracting thousands of visitors. For 2025, her home tells the story of a woman who, likely due to the chaos of the post-pandemic era and her simultaneously rapid career growth, now primarily seeks tranquility and peace.
"I mix styles as if I'm composing a soundtrack," says Maria Vittoria Paggini about her apartment, which she completely redesigns each year for Milan Design Week - boldly, far from rules or trends, and inspired only by her inner emotional life. "My interior always reflects my inner state - this year I needed deceleration, warmth, and sun-drenched beauty," she explains.
The result is a Mediterranean retreat in the heart of the city, where time stands still and everything invites lingering, according to Maria's explanation of this year's redesign motto "Mediterranea - Andamento lento," which translates as "The leisurely rhythm of the Mediterranean." The living room evokes Morocco's spacious courtyards, with pointed arch openings offering an unobstructed view into the partially mirrored kitchen.
Translated into Maria's bold and distinctive design language, this means modern ceiling frescoes, an open room concept that foregoes doors and works with Gothic and Arabesque-inspired wall openings. She employs reflective surfaces, shimmering tiles, and opulent materials like velvet. Flowing textiles blend with vibrant colors like azure blue reminiscent of the Mediterranean.
The majority of the furnishings consist of Maria's own designs, skillfully complemented by vintage pieces and works by artists such as Michele Chiocciolini, Tatiana Brodatch, and Alberto Alicata. The overall impression is eclectic, radiating individuality. But above all, it is fearless and positive - though not calming in the conventional sense. In the hallway, a Gio Ponti washbasin invites guests to first wash away all their worries.
The bedroom, like the kitchen, is entered through a striking arch. Privacy is created by a curtain hand-painted by Michele Chiocciolini and backed with Pierre Frey fabric. The "Animalier" kitchen, designed by Maria for Turati Cucine, draws all eyes. The curtains "Les Palmes d'Alma" by Pierre Frey bring a pleasantly playful note to the space.
What helps the designer relax? "Textures and colors. I use them like breathing exercises. A velvet curtain, a curved sofa, a dark green tile - they give me stability. Even chaos can be calming when used consciously," says Maria. The guest bathroom behind the mirrored door, dressed in red and white stripes, recalls cheerful circus tents.
Even in the bathrooms, more is definitely more: walls and ceiling are bathed in mysterious purple, while a hexagonal shower fitting shimmers golden on the wall. The platform is tiled with black strips from Quintessenza Ceramiche. What can never be missing when she reinvents her apartment? The dining table! For her, it's not just a piece of furniture but a ritual place where people meet, talk, eat, fall in love, cry, and do business - the center of the home.
Maria offers three key insights about tiles: First, her biggest learning is that tiles aren't just surfaces - they're characters that should be listened to and given a stage, not merely used for decoration. Second, a tile mix works by breaking rules - she follows no schema but mixes matte and glossy, flat and raised, graphic and organic, with emotional rhythm being decisive, not symmetry. Third, regarding Mediterranean tiles, she fell in love with the artisanal process in Morocco - hands, clay, glaze, imperfection - and wanted to bring this soul into urban homes, not as nostalgia but as evolution.
When asked what shaped her decorating style, Maria responds: "Emotions. I design by instinct, not by rules or trends. I mix pieces, styles, and brands as if I'm composing a soundtrack. That might be theatrical, but it's deeply personal." She notes that her style has become more radical over time, as she's learned to trust her intuition and blur the boundaries between design, storytelling, and staging. Each project represents a different phase of her life, with private and professional aspects no longer separated - everything merges.
Maria Vittoria Paggini received her sense for good design from her goldsmith family, but she took the step into interior design alone. The first apartment she designed attracted over 10,000 visitors in 2023 and helped her achieve her breakthrough. Today, interested parties line up in front of her residential showroom during Design Week. Her apartment serves as both home and showroom, blurring the boundaries between living space and professional presentation in her unique and fearless approach to design.
