Chiara Mandetta and Elena Boat are the CEOs of Sine Modus, an independent brand for which they create handmade turbans with vintage fabrics. To furnish the home they let themselves to be inspired by fashion and the history of the costume of the '900. Their lifestyle is retro.

We are Chiara and Elena, creative and curious who gave life to Sine Modus. We manufacture and sell tailor-made turbans and a line of contemporary vintage clothing. Our shop is located in the Isola neighborhood in Milan.

Chiara: I live in Cimiano, outside the center of Milan, with my partner Andrea. Ours is a very bright house, decorated with modern furniture, antiques and objects from our cities of origin. The room I like the most? Surely it is the living room, that I have furnished with a very large and comfortable sofa. On the main wall I hung two pictures of Japanese inspiration that my parents bought for their first home as newlyweds; then there is a table with steel feet and glass top, several soft lights (from the ’70s design), ornamental plants and books about art, fashion and motorcycling.

Elena: I like to define myself half actress and half small creative entrepreneur, and these two aspects, combined together, allow me to feel free and to freely express all my creativity. I live in Milan, a city that I love very much, but I have also lived in Dublin, London and Paris, multi-cultural centers that have enriched me (spiritually and intellectually) very much. My home is a place of meeting and security, where I can always be myself and feel at ease, with or without a turban. All rooms are cozy, bright; the predominant color is white. It is not big but has very high ceilings that create space and breath. I find it very fascinating: it is a small apartment that is part of a Milanese building from the 1940s. Retro and romantic.

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Chiara: I often travel for work, looking for fabrics or vintage pieces, and when I’m away, what I miss most about Home are my paintings, the little sculptures, the books and the plants with which I filled my everyday life. Traveling is wonderful, but there is nothing like home

Elena: it is said that the house is the mirror of people soul, and I believe it. I believe that the house speaks precisely of those who live there, of us. The environment that I prefer is the one that is divided between the kitchen and the living room, because here I receive and welcome my friends and my family. And then, as a good Italian, I love cooking! For me, the ritual of preparing lunch and dinner is fundamental: it gives me psychophysical wellbeing and pushes away everyday stress, I live the experience in the kitchen as a moment capable of transmitting positivity – to myself and to others.

Chiara and Elena: for us the perfect home has a large mirror in the entrance, and maybe even a small armchair; it has a very light wood parquet floor, many windows, a terrace full of flowers, a bookshelf in the living room and ivy … The kitchen is very large and on the table there is a vintage pink ceramic fruit bowl; in the bedroom, well, there would be a tailor mirror typical of the ’50s and the grandma’s wooden chest of drawers!

Chiara: sometimes I work from home, and I do it mainly in the living room. In fact, on the glass table there is always my laptop open, and there are books and magazines with which I do my researches, scattered here and there. While I work I listen to music from an old vintage radio.
But as soon as I can, I try to dedicate a cuddle to me, a moment of relaxation just for myself. I like to do it outside on the terrace: I sit down on one of my 60s bar chairs, that I bought long ago from a nice junk dealer. And then I read Vogue or a novel, while sipping a freshly made extracted juice. Wonderful!

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Photo by Pixabay

Elena: to relax within the walls of my house I turn on a background music, but not any music: Yann Tiersen or Ludovico Einaudi – unparalleled; then I dedicate myself to beauty care – face masks, scented and floral candles, and a nice cup of herbal tea with roses.

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Photo by Unsplash

Chiara: one of the most beautiful memories of my house dates back to two years ago, it was the first time I decorated the Christmas tree (I had never done it before!) and while I was decorating I felt happy and carefree like a child. My partner wanted to shoot me with a videocamera, so as to keep forever that precious memory. There you go, for me Home is being able to be myself, express myself, enjoy my interests in a peaceful environment, where I can take care of myself and of those I love. Home is a nest, it’s a safe haven, where I cook a parmigiana, dedicate myself to reading, fall asleep looking at the framed pictures on the dresser, that remind me of happy moments.

Elena: the first second I saw my house for the first time, I immediately fell in love with it. It was an unknown environment, yet seemed to say to me: “At last you’re home!” For me Home is a special place, every time I walk in the entrance I feel good, especially when it’s summer, and the sunlight penetrates through the windows until the evening. Its reflection on the white walls and high ceilings gives me a deep sense of peace.

 

 

 

 

 

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