«A historic house has welcomed our lives, our things. It is imperfect, and its beauty lies in that imperfection»
In Lugano, an interior designer highlights the signs of time to enhance her own home experience
Words Elena Dallorso — Photos Fabrizio Cicconi
It is known to locals as the “castle”, thanks to its decorated facade, its tower and clock. The location is the Collina d’Oro above Lake Lugano, where the house was built by the Camuzzi family from Bergamo, who made their fortune creating decorations for the palaces of St. Petersburg. Though in the mid-1800s, the time of construction, Canton Ticino was inhabited by farmers, the Camuzzi family invested in image, making every room into a sort of “prototype”. «The castle was lordly on the outside, but quite simple inside. The experiments were above all in the area of decoration: a giant plaster fireplace with a luxurious frame, for instance», says Francesca neri Antonello, with a degree in Interior Architecture from the USA. The Camuzzi filled the park with all kinds of rare plants. «The greenery is protected, so I only have partial views of the lake from my windows. But I do not insist on having a postcard panorama, like so many of my clients», the architect says.
In love with the castle, she has overseen the restoration, and also purchased two floors for her family home. The layout has been altered to adapt to new needs, without removing walls but by adding plasterboard partitions. With a light touch, never concealing traces of the past.
«Every new element is clearly distinguishable… and I have made emotional, not always functional choices: a bathroom for each inhabitant, a larger kitchen for which I have designed the furnishings. More than a design, this is an adaptation: a historic dwelling that now welcomes our lifestyle, full of our furniture and things. It is imperfect, and imperfection is the key of success for my project: no home automation, no air conditioning. Cool air wafts up from the lake, and down from a spring at the top of the hill».