luciano brunella featuring LCA

Working on fine architecture such as the apartment in via Fiume is never easy. The challenge is not to undo the good work done before, while adapting old ways of living to today's needs. Making better use of space, redesigning the bathrooms and kitchen and designing built-in furniture are goals to be reached without changing the original idea of the home. There are also clear economic reasons for this: completely reconfiguring an apartment means investing large sums in renovation, which people are generally not willing to do. The floor area therefore requires keeping the number of bedrooms and shared spaces, for obvious market reasons. The right compromise is to emphasise the idea that strikes you as soon as you visit: a path that naturally leads you to the largest, most welcoming and brightest space in the apartment – the living room. We emphasised this basic concept by designing a built-in unit that leads, in a steady, regular rhythm, from the front door to the living room (see view 01): it starts as a cloakroom and storage, then becomes a bookcase and TV unit. Along this piece of furniture, a few breaks mark the way to the bathrooms and bedrooms. The home becomes a small labyrinth of screens and backdrops, where every path leads to a room, to a more intimate and private space. Light from the corner windows on the west side leads straight into the living area, where the kitchen is enclosed by a glass wall – a transparent box that announces the larger open living space. The bathrooms have been redesigned to give the future owners maximum comfort and room for both a shower and a bath. The lighting is designed to highlight the walls and scenes of the new home; the floors and wall finishes are natural oak and porcelain stoneware tiles (Mutina "Flow", 120 x 15 cm). In general, very little glue is used, and all partitions and ceilings are in gypsum fibreboard, to give future residents a greener, healthier home. The existing underfloor heating will be kept.