Apartment11 Interview
Welcome back to another installment of our Creator Series!
As always, the goal of this series is to highlight creators who inspire us to see design through a more personal lens — not as a pursuit of perfection, but as a reflection of the stories, passions, and quirks that make each home unique.
In this feature, we travel to the timeless city of Rome, where creativity flows through every cobblestone street and sunlit apartment. It’s here that we meet Ilenia and Riccardo, the duo behind Apartment11 — a visual journal that celebrates vintage charm, artistic storytelling, and the philosophy of slow living.
Together, they have turned their shared apartment into a living reflection of who they are: artists, dreamers, and lovers of design in all its forms.
Who Are Ilenia & Riccardo?
“We are Ilenia and Riccardo — a freelance photographer and a visual designer at a fashion company,” they begin. “We live in Rome, even though we weren’t born here.”
Their backgrounds tell the story of two creative souls from different corners of Italy who found each other in the eternal city. “Ilenia was born in Paliano, a small town in the province of Frosinone, in central Italy,” Riccardo shares. “I was born in Parma but lived in Milan for many years.”
Both eventually found their way to Rome for work — and, as fate would have it, for love. “We met here, in the city we now deeply love,” says Ilenia. “We’ve been living in Rome for four years, and sharing our apartment for almost two.” Their life together is the perfect blend of peaceful moments and creative energy. “Our life is very peaceful… We enjoy being outdoors but also love relaxing at home with our beloved cat Bruno. We spend time with a few (but very good) friends, and our biggest shared passion is wandering around flea markets.”
Rome, they explain, is full of hidden gems and endless inspiration. “Each market has its own soul. We never know what we’ll find — sometimes it’s a vintage lamp, sometimes a painting that completely changes the atmosphere of a room.”
Outside of design, they balance their creative lives with movement and music. “We love the sea and mountain trekking… We try to balance the two on weekends. And when we’re not exploring nature, we go to concerts — our favorite genres are indie rock and techno.”
Their story — both as a couple and as creators — is one built on curiosity, shared vision, and a love for the simple pleasures that make life and home feel connected.
The Home Decor Journey
The journey of Apartment11 began not with a grand plan, but with a spark of curiosity and a growing collection of vintage finds.
“We started with home decor after collecting lots of objects and furniture from flea markets… One morning we looked at each other and said, ‘Why don’t we try to create an Instagram page to keep track of everything that comes into our home and to document its transformation over time?’ That’s how Apartment11 was born.”
The name, fittingly, comes from their own address — a small but personal detail that speaks to the intimacy of their project. “We live in apartment number 11, it felt right that our page would carry that same identity.”
Their design approach is intuitive and deeply personal, shaped by contrast and balance. “The challenge is always to find something new that brings fresh energy into our home and still works well with everything else, it’s never easy, especially when you have a bookshelf as big as ours!” Their solution is to embrace contrast rather than avoid it. “We like to play with contrasts — between old and modern, between color and black & white,” the two add. “We believe the best vibes come from visual contrasts.”
Despite having two creative minds at work, they find decision-making surprisingly harmonious. “When it comes to furniture, we’re lucky to have the same taste, we’re both passionate about the ‘60s and ‘70s, which gives us a strong stylistic foundation to work from, adding either modern or older touches.”
Their home continues to evolve as they do — an ever-changing reflection of their shared aesthetic and their life together.
Apartment11: The Content Creators
For Ilenia and Riccardo, content creation grew naturally from their shared love of imagery, storytelling, and interiors. What began as a simple way to document their space has become a creative platform that inspires others to embrace design in their own way.
“As content creators, we mainly focus on photo carousels,” they explain, “since Ilenia is a professional photographer. The most successful shots are always the living room at sunset, when the space is bathed in Rome’s beautiful golden light.”
They treat each post as both documentation and art — a visual journal that captures mood and meaning. “We try to balance photo carousels with more narrative reels, where we talk about our latest finds or recent collaborations.”
The creative process is grounded in authenticity, never chasing trends but instead focusing on feeling. “Like all content creators, we also have our sources of inspiration,” they share. “The accounts we feel most aligned with are flaminiabeg.jpeg, __mrnda, and coincidentallyus. What we love most about what we do is that it has connected us with an incredibly interesting community of people, with whom we constantly exchange ideas and feedback.”
Even with their growing following, the duo stays true to their slow-living philosophy. “At the moment, we’re exploring TikTok, but since we are more photography-oriented, we prefer Instagram, we think TikTok has too fast a way of showcasing content, while we like to take our time to look, to tell a story. For us, quality always comes before quantity.”
In an ideal world, they envision Apartment11 as a creative hub rooted in inspiration and intentionality. “In a perfect world, Apartment11 would be a page that inspires people passionate about home decor and interior photography,” they continue with, “A place that shares tips for decorating on a budget and promotes second-hand culture. But above all, what we’d really like to promote is the culture of slow living — enjoying peaceful moments with loved ones without being forced into the frantic rhythms that today’s society often imposes.”
It’s this commitment to authenticity and slowness that sets them apart in a fast-scrolling world.
Inside the Home
Stepping into Apartment11 is like stepping back in time — not in a nostalgic way, but in a way that feels warm, familiar, and deeply personal.
“Our home is a mix of objects set against a backdrop of 60s–70s vibes, even when it comes to wall art, we like to mix vintage paintings from flea markets with modern illustrations from brands we’ve collaborated with.”
Their attention to detail goes beyond what hangs on the walls. “We believe that a frame makes up 50% of a painting or illustration,” they add, “We always pay attention to the shape, thickness, and material of the frame because we want it to highlight the artwork itself while also relating well to its surroundings.”
Among their favorite pieces, one holds a particularly sweet story. “One of our most cherished items is a vintage poster of a Woody Allen movie. In my first apartment in Rome, my landlady — who worked in cinema — had the same poster on her wall. When we moved into Apartment11 together, Ilenia searched flea markets for that exact poster and gifted it to me. Now, it’s a visible reminder of the early days of our love story.”
It’s these moments — where memory meets material — that make their space feel more like a living scrapbook than a design project. “Our home is our story,” they say. “It’s where our past, present, and future all coexist.”
Continuing down the nostalgic street of their home, we noticed specific pieces of decor that take creativity and individuality to the next level. Ilenia and Riccardo have the distinct ability to turn everyday objects into pieces of decor with meaning and charm by utilizing used boxes, various athletic balls, and childhood toys. The couple states “We believe boxes are an extremely underrated object,” they explain. “There are so many beautiful ones, they’re easy to place around, and they’re incredibly useful for storing things you’d rather not display.”
Their fondness for decorative boxes comes from a sense of nostalgia. “They have a vintage soul, our grandmothers used tin boxes to keep their most precious belongings.”
That same appreciation extends to vintage toys, which they’ve reimagined as design pieces. “We all have toys from when we were kids… we’re trying to hold on to that childlike spirit by continuing to ‘play’ with those toys — but in a different way: turning them into visual protagonists of our space.”
What might sound simple is actually a beautiful reflection of their philosophy — that good design doesn’t require big budgets, only big imagination. “Boxes and toys are low-cost ideas that spark emotions, evoke memories, and visually warm up the space you live in,” they say.
Their ability to find meaning in the everyday proves that the best interiors aren’t about perfection — they’re about personality.
Advice to You
When asked what advice they’d share with aspiring designers and creators, Ilenia and Riccardo speak from the heart.
“If we had to give advice to someone starting their home decor journey, we’d say: don’t follow trends blindly. The perfect home doesn’t exist. Or rather, it does — but it’s the one that warms the heart of the person who lives in it.”
Their philosophy is centered around authenticity and emotion. “Let your passions, your memories, and your favorite colors inspire you,” they add. “Don’t be afraid to take risks or to make mistakes. It’s wonderful to change your mind and challenge your choices over time. Transformation always brings fresh inspiration and enrichment.”
On the content creation side, their advice is equally grounded. “Be yourselves,” the two emphasized. “Even when riding on publishing trends, always be genuine and don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Don’t blend in with the crowd. Always stay creative. And most importantly — have fun with it.”
Their words are a reminder that creativity isn’t about chasing perfection — it’s about living it, moment by moment, and letting your space evolve alongside you.
We want to thank Ilenia & Riccardo for welcoming us into their world — a place where nostalgia, creativity, and love intertwine beautifully.
Stay tuned for the next installment of our Creator Series, where we continue to explore the inspiring stories of those shaping the future of interior design — one apartment, one story, and one creative spark at a time.
