Stage with a view

AT TRASTEVERE, IN THE HEART OF ROME, THE PENTHOUSE OF LUCA TOMMASSINI. TWO LEVELS, FULL OF ART AND OBJECTS ON SPECTACULAR DISPLAY. AND LOTS OF VERY GREEN TERRACES.

Concrete, smoked glass, works by Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, crystal chandeliers, personal totems made by combining objects found at flea markets and galleries, a staircase that seems to take flight. Luca Tommassini, the flamboyant art director of X Factor (among many other achievements) has used these elements in his home in Rome, an unconventional two-story apartment open to the city: 260 square meters, as well as 160 more for five terraces. The structural design, combining three existing flats, is by studio Storage Associati of Milan, while the decor is by the owner. More than decorating, this is set design, entertainment, spectacle. «I wanted a box to fill up, like a theater», he says. «I eliminated as many partitions as possible: I hate them, and I hate doors. The remaining walls are almost all dark to enhance my art collection. The floor is a single pour of concrete, coated in resin». Something of a feat, like the treated concrete staircase connecting the two levels, a real architectural wager: light, without visible supports, a zigzag crossing space. The light that floods in through the many windows is shaped by many curtains. The furnishings are unpredictable. Antiques matched with modern vintage from the flea markets of the world, and spectacular inventions to make up for the lack of doors, sliding glass panels, wardrobe doors that conceal the entrance to a bathroom. In the living area the big cushions are made with an old Gucci fabric, while the inside of the wardrobes, as well as a guestroom – and a huge planter on the terrace – feature the Louis Vuitton monogram. The kitchen is open, a cantilevered counter for the cooktop, anchored to a pillar. All the rest is hidden by handcrafted metal doors. For parties, the house has a dazzling lighting system, a soap bubble machine and a disco ball. After the more public dimension of the first level, the upper floor is more personal: master bedroom, fitness room, a closet of 24 linear meters, bathroom and spa.