These guiding principles that have served Silvia Makita as an artist can be sensed throughout her Milan home, a place deeply in tune with the harmony of objects created by Makita herself and other family members. “These are the things that make us feel this is our place,” describes Makita, who shares the home atelier with her husband, photographer Andrea Martiradonna. “It’s a question of identity, of belonging. A home is a creation that lasts a lifetime, an ever-evolving organism, all the more successful when it reflects the needs and identity of those who live there.”
Born in Italy to Japanese and Romanian parents, Makita’s creative work crosses the disciplines of architecture, art and ceramic design, and her curiosity is palpable. Rather than buying, Makita has always endeavored to design whatever may be needed based on her own criteria, seizing the opportunity as an exercise. Her three children were raised mostly here, and her practice when they were small was to work alongside them so they would experience the home as a vibrant place and a hub of creativity. “Peace comes from allowing a beneficial creativity to flow,” she explains, noting that creative flow fosters growth.
Makita’s creative kinship is with “naturalness,” as it guarantees ethical principles and values close to her own. Only natural materials find their way into this live/work space — from wall paints crafted of earthly pigments and lime to wood treated only with Japanese citrus waxes. The age that will come to show when working with elements from nature is precisely the appeal. “They acquire a certain flavor,” the artist shares. “The taste of time passing.”
The beauty found in contradictions holds appeal as well. “What is extremely modern can sometimes be found in the extremely ancient,” Makita states, noting the prevalence of this in Japan. “I’m referring to essentiality, the need for empty space, the beauty of pure elements. For me, it’s reassuring when a certain minimalism of form is combined with the warmth of natural materials.”
This pulse of observation and awareness runs through her creative work and into the soul of the home she’s created with her family. “Ultimately, this house is the guardian of an inner world,” Makita shares. “I wanted it to be a center for me, a point of contact with the earth, like the roots of a tree. I wish everyone could create, even with little, a place that reflects them and where they can feel good.”
Photography by Andrea and Jasmina Martiradonna.
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