CASA S: The flat on the roofs - Florence 2016

The Studio intervention aimed at giving value to the potential of this little apartment located at the top floor of a typical building of Florence's historical centre. The household was found in really bad conditions and needed some consolidation and retrofit works of the existing systems. We architecturally recovered what was already existing and we mixed it with modern elements and materials. From the apartment one can enjoy the view over Florence's roofs together with some magical views such as of the synagogue framed in the bedroom window. Once entered into the flat, a staircase leads to a short corridor that divides the livingroom from the transitory diningroom, then the bathroom and the bedroom. Walking up a few steps from the diningroom we have access to the small kitchen that has been refurbished in a more functional way than the existing one. The planimetric modifications and the demolition of the decaying trellis allowed us to bring the original roofing back to light and to realize a mezzanine overlooking the livingroom. The use of modern materials such as iron and of innovative finishes make the project intervention stand out within the whole perception of the apartment. Special attention has been paid to the lighting solutions, creating versatile illumination for different situations. Florence's skyline is symbolically recalled in the bedroom by a wine-coloured trace that overhangs the bed headboard.

CASA M+C: Art at home - Florence 2013

The apartment is located in one of Florence's most beautiful residential areas: the hills above Porta Romana and Poggio Imperiale. The property was in terrible conditions: an anonymous 50's apartment, big and visibly neglected, composed of an entrance hall facing the livingroom, a bedroom, a dinette-kitchen with access to the beautiful private garden; then following a long corridor that gave access to the remaining two rooms and to the only bathroom. Having a close relationship with the owners of the household, we immediately agreed to reinvent the space with a modern approach, creating fluid areas that would host the collection of artworks owned by the couple as a personal gallery where art pieces (RISCRIVERE LA FRASE IN ITALIANO PRIMA). The generous square footage – more than 120sqm net – conceeded to revoultion the arrangement asset, to add a second bathroom, and to create a wide open living space. Masonry backdrops, countertops, and well layed out furniture have defined the different space without visual barriers: the kitchen, the big dining table designed by the architect with recycled and assembled wooden floor planks of various essences as a patchwork, the livingroom. The floor is a one eco-resin “carpet”, single-component, of a neutral color that helps to celebrate the paintings, the vintage objects and the design pieces. Entering the flat, a slightly diagonal wall hosting several paintings generates a dynamic space that immediately divides the living from the more reserved areas of the apartment. A blue streaked resin backdrop conducts us to the night area, passing by a studio room, a block of services, then a bathroom and two bedrooms. The master bedroom is bare and intimate, thanks to walk-in closet that works as a filter and guarantees privacy withouth the need of doors. The wooden floor Pur Vintagein planks of 19cm characterizes all these spaces. The two bathrooms are fully coated in resin. The day-area bathroom has been conceived as a big blue tub, where the ceramic pieces emerge with their white colour. The sink and the bath-tub are built in resin-coated masonry and where designed by the architect. The night area bathroom is also two-colour and characterized by a big shower that occupies the end of the bathroom in its whole width and it is delimited by a wide crystal glass perfectly embedded to the wall and to the floor. A small sail coated in “corten effect” resin illuminates the space and unites visually the sink plane, the ceramic pieces, and the shower. The lighting was conceived to generate space and give value to the exposed objects.