Casa Fantasia
photo editor Nadia Vellam
words Laura May Todd
project David Raffoul and Nicolas Moussallem

“Reimagining a legendary interior by a Modernist icon is a test not only of vision but of courage: Are you confident enough to put your mark on a space where greatness once ran wild? That was the challenge for the Lebanese designer Nicolas Moussallem and his French Lebanese studio partner, David Raffoul (David/Nicolas), who were recently asked to recast — and preserve what remained of — a famed Milan apartment known as Casa di Fantasia, created near the Piazza Piemonte in 1952 by Giovanni “Gio” Ponti. Ponti, who created furniture and objects, as well as more than a hundred buildings over 60 years, was among the most prolific design talents ever, mastering styles that ranged from post-World War I-era neo-Classical ceramics and silverware for Christofle to the stark geometries of the 1960 Pirelli Tower in Milan and the 1971 Denver Art Museum; Casa di Fantasia was part of his midcentury exploration of French Surrealism and Italian metaphysics.
copyright L. May Todd T Magazine