122 ELLE DECOR
FASHION DESIGNER NEIL BARRETT HAS A VERY
particular approach to color. From one collec-
tion to another, he dyes certain garments the
exact same tone. “You can have things from 15
years ago, and they’ll always match my latest
pieces,” he explains. The hues in his Milan
apartment are similarly studied. Almost every-
thing in it is either white or some shade of
brown, even the dining and living room walls,
although they may initially appear black. “I like
the idea of contrast,” he says of the bichromatic
scheme. “Everything I do is quite graphic.”
The apartment is just a 10-minute walk from
Milan’s cathedral and close to the remains
of an ancient Roman arena. “There’s so much
history in the area, and the buildings are stun-
ning,” he says. The neighborhood also has a
congenial community feel. His husband and
business partner, Carlo Barone Lumaga, knows
all the local shopkeepers by name; many of them
have been there for decades. Lumaga often starts
his day with an outing to the legendary Marchesi
pastry store, where he buys croissants and an
espresso for himself and crostatine for Barrett.
For the couple, who met on Capri nearly two
decades ago, the apartment’s biggest draws
were its huge terrace and the charm of its
19th-century architecture. From the building’s
arched entryway to its old-fashioned elevator, it
has an authentic Milanese flavor. “If you’re going
to live abroad,” Barrett says, “you should feel 100
percent that you’re in your adopted country.”
Born into a military tailoring family in south-
west England, Barrett moved to Italy in the
early 1990s, when he was appointed menswear
designer at Gucci shortly after he graduated
from London’s Royal College of Art. After a
few years at Gucci, he moved on to Prada to
start the brand’s menswear line. In 1999, he left
The living room’s
sectional is custom,
the table is by R&Y
Augousti, the lamp
is from Flair, and
the artwork is by
Matthew Stone.A 19th-century
heirloom table
in the entry is
topped with a
lamp and vases
by R&Y Augousti.