Across Milan, there are small practices that embrace compact scale as a value, turning it into fertile ground for precision, care and vision. Founded in 2022 by Dominic Cava-Simmons and Chiara Greppi, Studio Cava is one of them. He is an English architect shaped by major London firms; she is an interior designer trained between the Politecnico di Milano and the UK. Together, they have developed a method that merges an Anglo-Saxon sense of pragmatism with a distinctly Milanese sensibility, creating interiors that are essential, bright and finely tailored. Their so-called “Cava Style” is built on three core principles: space, materiality and reclaim. Space is treated as a narrative structure – opened, lightened or stitched together according to the clients’ lifestyle. Materiality becomes a refined vocabulary of natural surfaces, measured details and calibrated colour. And reclaim, interpreted as true reuse, gives new life to existing pieces, integrating them with subtle irony or quiet presence in contemporary settings. Four Milanese residential projects clearly express this approach.

Casa Procaccini Milano Italia – Photo © Carolina Gheri

Casa Procaccini focuses on the fluidity of the living area, freed from its corridor and brightened by a new French door: the bridging cabinet between entrance and kitchen, and the rescued, lacquer-red dining table define both function and identity.

Casa Maiocchi Milano Italia – Photo © Carolina Gheri

In Casa Maiocchi, a 200-square-metre period apartment, Studio Cava orchestrates a dialogue between solid and void, choosing precious materials – from Calacatta Viola marble to Rosso Levanto stone – paired with iconic wallpapers and reinterpreted antique furniture.

Casa NoLo Milano Italia – Photo © Carolina Gheri

Casa NoLo explores a new layout to create an additional bedroom without betraying the early-20th-century structure. Here, the airy bathroom and custom-designed kitchen express a playful yet disciplined aesthetic.

Casa Govone Milano Italia – Photo © Carolina Gheri

Finally, Casa Govone is all about precision, where every centimetre counts: the compact studio carved out with an almost “engineering-like” fit, the streamlined kitchen and the integrated bookcase tell the story of a lean, intelligent design that doesn’t compromise on comfort or light. Studio Cava’s strength lies in its ability to interpret the home as a living, layered organism, where past and present coexist without friction. A way of designing modest in scale, yet expansive in vision.