Apartamento Bookshop

Milan Design Week 2025

‘Some of these photos I took with the intuition that they were important, and all of them with the desire to capture my impressions and my memory. Who would have known they would become something. The accidental tourist, the accidental documentarian?’

—Peter Shire

Apartamento’s newest book, Peter Shire’s Grand Tour: A Snapshot of Design History, 1980–1989, due out April 15, joins Apartamento’s design collection as a time capsule—an insider’s glimpse into the decade of Memphis—‘the last design revolution’—headed by maestro Ettore Sottsass, the leaning tower of Italian design, as seen through Peter’s spontaneous snapshots of Italy in the ‘80s (with a sidequest to Vienna). Edited by Christoph Radl—the graphic designer of Memphis and Peter’s longtime friend—this book pairs Peter’s candid photos with intimate written interludes, tracing the heady, unpolished brilliance of a movement before it knew what it was.

With the unwitting eye of a tourist-turned-historian, Peter’s camera captured it all—from Caravaggio at the Uffizi to storefronts of women’s lingerie shops and beautiful sunsets, alongside rogue selfies and a cast of Memphis Group legends including Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini, and Matteo Thun. Peter Shire’s Grand Tour offers an unfiltered snapshot into design history, seen through the eyes of a young artist who was simply living it—an outsider, in a way, on the inside. Looking outside-in or inside-out?

Don’t miss the book signing with Peter himself this Wednesday, April 9, from 5pm to 8pm at the Apartamento Bookshop, and join us for Peter’s grand after party at Bene Bene!

The maestro of stripes meets Almond Rocks’ socks! To mark the release of Peter Shire’s Grand Tour, we partnered with Almond Rocks to create a set of three exclusive pairs of socks decked out in his signature stripes—bold colours, playful, and unmistakably Shire. Designed to be worn and destined to be paired, step into the world of Peter Shire with this limited-edition collection.

The Apartamento Bookshop will be filled with a curated selection of titles. Our new book, Can Lis, Jorn Utzøn, with photography by Simon Watson, is the latest in our architecture series, a visual ode to one of the most iconic homes of the 20th century. Enamoured with the light of the Mediterranean sun, Can Lis, Jørn Utzon, features photographs by Simon Watson charting the movement of light along the compound that served as Utzon’s family home for over two decades, his first permanent residence following his work on the Sydney Opera House. Archival photos, sketches, and blueprints from Utzon’s private collection trace the house’s evolution from early plans to daily life. An essay by Utzon himself reflects on his bond with nature, while his son Jan speaks with Apartamento’s Robbie Whitehead about the family’s connection to Mallorca. Line Nørskov Davenport of the Utzon Center considers the island’s influence and the refuge Utzon found there, while Phillipp Materna’s exclusive foreword opens the book.

Join us for a book signing with Simon Watson this Tuesday, April 8, from 3pm to 5pm, at the Apartamento Bookshop (Commerce – Via Tadino 30, Milan).

You’ll also find our newest cookbook, Campania: Recipes & Wanderings Across Italy’s Polychromatic Coast, the latest in our Recipes and Wanderings series with Belmond. Featuring three guest recipes by Nina Clemente, Bernardo Costantino, and Salvatore Giugliano, Campania offers 21 classic dishes, many drawn from the kitchens of Belmond’s hotel, Caruso. The book traces the narrative of the land and the dreamscape of its coastline—from the narrow streets of Naples to the slopes of Vesuvius—alongside essays by Elisa Carassai, Claudia Durastanti, and Margo Schachter, and a postcard afterword by Darina Allen. Campania unfolds in technicolour portraits and culinary insights, highlighting the region’s star staples in a kaleidoscopic ode that doubles as an open invitation to this salt-kissed edge of Italy, where innovation transforms tradition into art.

We can’t wait to share this special week with you! We’ll see you at Via Tadino, 30, starting Monday, April 7, from 11am daily. Make sure to follow along here for more updates.