Suspended Naples

IN A BUILDING FULL OF HISTORY, AN APARTMENT PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE PAST IN A CONTEMPORARY WAY. RESPECT FOR TRADITION MEETS ORIGINAL ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTIONS. This apartment on the upper level of the former Casino Reale has a noble past: the residence of a prince, it then hosted the offices of a newspaper, a hotel, and the facilities of a university. Today it is once again an elegant residence. The architect Giuseppe Bove, in charge of the renovation, understood the importance of conserving the sequence of connected rooms, to enhance the presence of the past in a contemporary context. The baroque facade of a nearby church seems to “enter” the house, a perfect counterpart for the architectural design of the apartment. The architect has nimbly interpreted the volumes and layout, creating a formal, elegant zone for entertaining, and a more discreet, comfortable area for relaxed living. The spaces form a sort of “promenade” leading from the entrance to the terrace on the upper level. Partitions and doors have been eliminated to recreate the sense of ample, stately spaces. The owner had very precise ideas about the house, seeing the upper level as a more informal zone for family life – hence the idea of creating an open staircase to connect the two levels, a suspended

presence detached from the walls, like an ethereal passage between the two different atmospheres. The staircase leads to the living area, with a fine view that takes in Castel dell’Ovo, the Gulf of Naples and the island of Capri. The bright rooms feature natural materials and colors. The bookcase at the back of the living area is a custom piece designed by the architect in brass, smoked glass and backlit yellow onyx. Brushed oak in a herringbone pattern has been used for all the floors. The white plaster walls with moldings set off refined works of art: pieces by Willy Rizzo, bronze sculptures by Giacometti. The furnishings include items by Gino Sarfatti and Federico Munari. In the private rooms the tone is set by selected objects that narrate the personal style of the owners, in a perfect synthesis of art, antiques and contemporary design, epitomized by the bathroom where a Louis XV bucket interacts with the

Ago bathtub by Antonio Lupi. History contaminates modern design, and the result is a balanced, effective synthesis.