In time, with time

Working on the subtle signs left by past generations: a refined restyling in Turin by Dimorestudio

An apartment that weaves eras, impressions, cultures. On the piano nobile of a building in the center of Turin, the late 19th-century atmosphere remains intact. «Pale frescos on the ceilings, parquet floors, tall doors, big windows: all original», says Emiliano Salci, founder of Dimorestudio with Britt Moran, the designers of the interiors. The owners, a young couple, were immediately intrigued by the studio’s approach, the idea of working in and with time, using (or artfully recreating) even the slightest signs of the past.

«The first step was to adjust the nuances», Salci explains. The pursuit of balance between the pale frescos and more contemporary hues, namely «various tones of gray, green, blue, very “Ponti”, peacock, petroleum» giving the walls a soft, powdery effect. No structural interventions, no alteration of volumes, apart from the demolition of two partitions in the bedroom and the dining room, while «in the kitchen and bathroom we have replaced the floors with Venetian terrazzo» – a tribute to Carlo Scarpa.

The Salci-Moran signature can be seen in the poised mix of furnishings and complements. Custom creations by Dimorestudio: the kitchen island in blue laminate with brass borders and a steel worktop, the wardrobe in walnut and brass in the bedroom zone, covered in wallpaper, the blue headboard of the bed that runs along the whole wall and becomes a shelf on which to display objects and artworks. And items selected from Dimore Gallery – especially pieces from the 1950s and 1960s – joined by those contributed by the owners, like the vintage cowhide armchair and the Reale table, in honor of Carlo Mollino. The outcome? The pleasure of living in a real “home”, not just a house but a narrative of the spirit of the times, a choral sequence of generations, where each one has left subtle traces.