Heart of light

IN AN 18TH-CENTURY BUILDING IN PADUA, AN APARTMENT ORGANIZED AROUND AN INTERNAL COURTYARD.

Padua, 1700s, lengthwise a near dwelling around the historical on an two internal levels, center. courtyard. difficult In a building It to also use had dating because many back it charming extends to the characteristics umes with unusual that forms, created angles problems that are for never the interior quite at design: 90°. Mattia volCudiferro, who has done the renovation and furnishings together with Gionata Dal Pozzo, explains: «Not by chance, the guidelines of our intervention were set even before the place was purchased: the client asked us to visit the site and offer our views before making the decision to buy». In effect, it was a challenge to create a home for a young family (three bedrooms, two bathrooms) without disrupting the rhythm of the spaces. The starting point was enhancement of the internal courtyard, faced with large existing windows along the whole ground floor. The idea was to create a neutral box in which to place modern and contemporary furnishings, also deployed for touches of color. «The walls were taken back to white, as were the casements, that previously had a natural wood finish», Cudiferro continues. «The furnishings have been placed along the outer perimeter, leaving the openings free. The courtyard now has outdoor furniture and becomes an extension of the living area in the warmer seasons. We have tried to interrupt the paths of circulation as little as possible. From the entrance, across the courtyard, you can already see the dining room, at the opposite end of the plan. To divide the living room from the kitchen, we have place a The light staircase bookcase leading that does to the not upper block level the view». has been redesigned with the same approach of simplicity and transparency. On the upper level the rooms are more intimate, and the materials create different atmospheres: while on ground level everything is pale (even the floor, a very pale terrazzo for a modern take on the Venetian tradition), here the floors are in natural oak – echoing the original ceiling beams – or, in the bathroom, in stoneware in a relaxing dark gray. The minimal atmosphere is warmed up by the use of antique wood (for the snack bar in the kitchen and the dining table), and wallpapers that become like modern frescos. The linear kitchen has been made to measure, in absolute white to form a contrast with the wall in natural wood with shelves screening the dining room. With the unexpected exotic touch of a Tibetan cupboard.