The journey from architect to botanist

The combined home and botanical business occupied by Giovanni Laguzzi and Vittoria Visca is located within a large, peaceful courtyard in Milan, a rare oasis hidden from the frenetic urban jungle that is the Italian capital. Their two-floor apartment, which takes up a total of only 45 square metres plus a small front yard, is a magical world where the outdoors seem to have moved indoors. Countless moss planets inhabited by tiny trees and plants hang from branches and frames, creating an exotic green galaxy whose atmosphere vibrates with freshly produced oxygen.

“When we moved here six years ago, I worked as an architect, but when I saw a Kokedama photo in a newspaper, I immediately fell in love with these peculiar plant balls,” Giovanni reflects. “I decided to try making some myself, and started to transform our loft into a miniature Kokedama greenhouse. Plants symbolise life, and give me an energy boost.”

His now-flourishing business began as an experiment, when he decided to give homemade Kokedama to his friends to observe how they would react to such an unconventional gift, and to see how the moss balls would hold up over time. ”After six months, I went to different markets to sell them, curious to see people’s responses,” he adds, explaining that his personal hobby quickly gained momentum. “Today, my customers are not only private individuals but also companies like restaurants, fairs, and hotels that ask for temporary or permanent installations.”

Giovanni’s passion for plants is tangible: not only does he knows them all by name, but he’s well-versed in their oddities, what they like, and how to help them grow. ”Work occupies a large part of our day, and we need to understand what makes us happy and do more of that,” says Vittoria, explaining that Giovanni’s courage in following his heart is contagious. “I used to work in a pet store, but seeing Giovanni pursue his passion inspired me to quit my job and follow my forever dream to make pottery. So now, we collaborate.”

The small-space puzzle game

The ground floor of their home is mainly a botanical garden: a maze of green plants stretches from floor to ceiling, growing in and around a bathroom, a small kitchen, and a comfortable sofa for two that Giovanni built from discarded wooden pallets. It’s clear that he takes pride in mastering the art of small-space living.

“I always try to give new life to objects and materials that would generally be thrown away, and I build functional furniture to create space where there’s none,” he says, opening the built-in drawers to demonstrate how his gardening tools fit perfectly inside.

“Customising the home is fundamental to me,” he explains. “Living in such a small space means that if I need to do one thing, I always have to move something else. That’s why everything you see is built to fit together like a puzzle. Every shelf, cabinet, drawer, and passage is carefully designed down to the centimetre to create as much functionality as possible in as small a space as possible. The hanging Kokedama are placed at a height so I can walk under them, but if I change my hairstyle, it can become problematic,” he laughs.

Both Giovanni and Vittoria feel fortunate to be able to live the life they’ve chosen for themselves, and they have a relaxed attitude towards the challenges presented by life in a small space. “Our apartment is a bit of a mess, but it completely reflects us, so that’s okay,” Vittoria says. “We’re a bit cramped here, of course, but at the same time, I think our plants would take up most of our rooms if we had a bigger home, so in the end, it would still be the same.”

A home made to measure

A minimal ladder evoking a child’s treehouse leads to Giovanni’s and Vittoria’s private space, where their cats bask in the sun next to bonsai-sized African baobab trees. In the few square metres that comprise the entire second floor, they’ve managed to make space for a cosy reading corner, an open bedroom solution with a tiny TV screen, and a walk-in closet full of – you guessed it – exotic plants. Tapping into the resourceful side of his personality, Giovanni has repurposed a range of transparent IKEA SAMLA boxes as small hothouses, creating ideal environments for his plants to thrive. All interiors in their home, from plant tables and metal frames for hanging Kokedama, to shelves, chairs, stairs, and their beloved pallet sofa, are tailor made “su misura” by Giovanni.

Spaces that support work-life balance

Even though Giovanni’s work-from-home setup more closely resembles life in a tiny rainforest than staging a cubicle in your living room, running a business always means an abundance of paperwork and everyday duties. “When working from home, it’s important to have spaces where you can take a break,” he says. “Having our bedroom and a comfy armchair up here helps to separate work from me-time. Another favourite spot is a breakfast corner with morning sunshine in our little front yard.”

One upside to making a career from your passion is that thinking about work, and living in the middle of it, doesn’t weigh you down. “My home is my refuge, and at the same time, the place where I work, and it represents exactly who I am and what I love,” Giovanni says.

He considers himself fortunate to have grown up in a family of art and photography enthusiasts; he owned one of Annie Leibovitz’s books long before he got the opportunity to meet her in person. “It’s a great honour to have our home documented by IKEA and Annie Leibovitz. I’ve admired her work for a very long time,” Giovanni says.

What makes a healthy home?

Giovanni doesn’t work as an architect anymore, but there’s no doubt that he retains a passion for building things. He always tries to enhance, optimise and recycle every material that passes through his hands, whether they come from work, his family or even from IKEA. “I’ve never assembled an IKEA piece of furniture following the instructions – I use the materials as building blocks to create something else,” he says with a mischievous smile.

The sustainable profile of the products they bring into their home, including origin, longevity, and reuse or alternative use potential, is essential to Giovanni and Vittoria. ”We avoid pollution from materials with chemical substances, as well as visual clutter from unnecessary objects, stressful images or colours, or too much technology,” Vittoria says. “Having a healthy home is very close to our hearts.”

When living in a city clogged with polluting traffic, clean air can feel like an unattainable luxury. But Giovanni and Vittoria have solved that problem by creating an army of oxygen-producing plants, and the air inside their home is as fresh and energising as a springtime garden.

“Kokedama are perfect if you want to have lots of greenery and improve the air quality of your home with plants, but don’t have space for lots of vases,” Giovanni says. “The Kokedama balls hang in the air or rest on simple, space-saving supports such as upside-down glass-jar lids.”

Living their values

Despite the fast-pace and chaos of the city around them, Giovanni and Vittoria strive to maintain a natural, more sustainable lifestyle by recycling, respecting the environment, and eating locally grown produce.

“Sometimes, I jokingly say that I’m trying to slow down Milan, where everyone’s always in a hurry,” Giovanni says. “Sadly, we’re going against the trend. But I notice a growing attention to the environment, at least with younger generations.”

While he recognises that Milan probably won’t slow down anytime soon, he says they remain determined to uphold their ideals and do their part. That means having as little impact as possible on what’s around them while supporting the local economy, especially when it comes to food. ”We buy most of our groceries from farmers or at markets, avoiding plastic and food waste as much as possible,” he explains. “Personalising our home also reflects our identity and values, providing insight to anyone who enters our space.”