Entryways of Milan

This book, like the spaces it showcases, is an irresistible point of entry into the world of Italian interior design. Milan boasts a unique and captivating modern legacy of highly decorative ingressi (entryways to residential buildings), a tour de force of interior design occurring in liminal chambers that are often a mere afterthought elsewhere. These spaces “start as passages to a given place but end up becoming their own destinations,” notes Daniel Sherer, a professor of architectural history and theory at Columbia University, in the essay “The Discreet Charm of the Entryway.” There is a great variety of styles on hand, from art deco to proto-postmodern, and from austere concrete to fantastical trompe l’oeil. Some are the work of notable architects (Gio Ponti designed several); many are the products of less heralded talents. The book is an excellent visual primer on the countless possible variations on a simple theme, complemented by several essays in both English and Italian. It is also a showcase of a decadent range of materials, particularly marble. Nero Varenna, Verde Alpi, and Zandobbio Dolostone are all on display here, as toothsome as the wares in any gelateria. Color illus. (May)