Under the roof

ANTIQUE WOOD AND LOCAL STONE. THE MOUNTAIN ARCHETYPE RETURNS AT CELERINA IN A MODERN VERSION.

First came the Berkel. Not just any slicer, but the BK P15 commemorative edition, a copy of a model from the 1920s, in the middle of the big living area. The dignity of functional items that become essential parts of the decor. Around it, the architecture firm of Michele Zago has created a wooden enclosure, in the renovation of an apartment on the upper level of a chesa, a typical Engadine house from 1650, in Celerina. An empty space to fill, in keeping with the ideas of the owners with items that immediately suggest a territorial identity, while avoiding decorative folklore. «The main idea was to conserve the original pitched roof and to somehow “reflect” it in the floor», says Michele Zago. «So we restored the old roof beams, and installed wooden planks on the floor from a nearby ruined rural building». The new layout eliminates many tiny spaces, generating a plan of 300 m2. A central corridor divides the spaces, in another modern take on conservation: paneling on one side for a local touch, white plaster on the other for a more contemporary image. The furnishings follow the same logic, with extensive use of items by Riva 1920, and then Utrecht armchairs by Cassina, a Groundpiece divan by Flexform, and lighting by Viabizzuno.