Domus

Domus magazine was founded in 1928 by Milanese architect Gio Ponti. The first issue was published on January 15, 1928, with the subtitle "Architecture and Furnishings of the Modern Home in the City and Countryside." Its goal was to renew Italian architecture, interiors, and decorative arts, including aspects such as household management, gardening, and cooking, thus appealing to a broad audience, not just specialists.
The name Domus was coined by Barnabite Father Giovanni Semeria, who wanted to found a magazine to remind young people of family values. His plan never materialized, but the name immediately appealed to Ponti. A classical Latin name, it came in the years when throughout Europe there was a return to the great classical tradition, perceived as a living part of modernity. It also meant "home": and the home, Gio Ponti said, is the origin of architecture and art.

In 1929, the magazine was acquired by the young publisher Gianni Mazzocchi, who founded Editoriale Domus, one of the oldest Italian publishing houses of specialized periodicals. This move allowed Domus to become a national publication with a stable editorial structure.

The magazine's management changed several times over the years; Gio Ponti was its editor from 1928 until December 1940.

During the war, from 1941 onwards, directors such as Massimo Bontempelli, Giuseppe Pagano, Melchiorre Bega, and Guglielmo Ulrich alternated, with frequent changes due to the wartime context. The press moved to Bergamo, and publication was temporarily suspended in 1945.

In 1946, it resumed with Ernesto Nathan Rogers, who brought innovations to the content and graphic design, opening the magazine to intellectuals such as Elio Vittorini and Alberto Moravia.

Gio Ponti returned to direct Domus in 1948 until his death in 1979, a period during which Domus consolidated its international prestige.

In the following years, the editorship passed to prominent figures such as Alessandro Mendini (1980–1985, then again in 2010–2011), Mario Bellini (1986–1991), Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani (1992–1996), François Burkhardt (1996–2000), Deyan Sudjic (2000–2003), Stefano Boeri (2004–2007), and Flavio Albanese (2007–2010).

Since 2019, Dutch architect Winy Maas has led the magazine, following a ten-year project with ten international guest editors. Since 2025, the editorship has been entrusted to Bjarke Ingels, who has launched a new graphic design inspired by the Domus of the 1960s and 1970s.

In terms of content, Domus has undergone several transformations: born with a more rationalist and accessible approach, it has since opened up to broader cultural debate, integrating themes of architecture, design, contemporary art, and the social aspects of the home and living. The magazine has collaborated with leading intellectuals and artists, always maintaining an authoritative and innovative point of reference on the international scene.

The graphic design has evolved over time, with the post-war revival and major restylings, the last of which was carried out by art director Francesco Franchi in 2025, who brought a retro yet contemporary inspiration, rethinking the relationship between material, history, and aesthetics.

Domus is one of the longest-running and most influential magazines in the architecture and design sector, with an editorial history characterized by continuous renewal of content, graphics, and management, in step with the cultural and social transformations of the twentieth century and beyond.