Renovation of a Penthouse

390 sq.m. | Year 2016

The challenge: convert two adjacent traditional apartments into a single large one, for a Collector and his family, that might exude intimacy but, at the same time, also be suitable to host an important modern art collection.

This beautiful apartment is flooded by light, but hidden from prying eyes, and is nevertheless able to give unexpected views of the city and its roofs, of the river and its trees; during clear evenings it even allows in some awe-inspiring sunsets with the backdrop of mount Monviso, through the apartment’s large windows, of clear Ponti inspiration.

The renovation works preserved some typifying elements, such as the beautiful marble floor, which was modernized by replacing the polychrome inlays with the help of expert craftsmanship. Some works of art, such as those by the sculptor Nerone, are integrated as part of the architecture of spaces, hence covering the ceiling and dividing the living area from the study area as an entire wall.

The whole design process was based on dialogue, and thus allowed for commonly agreed solutions between the various needs; particularly the balance between the need for representation and the more private need for intimacy, together with the discourse on memory, linked to valuable objects from the past, which found a strength and appropriate placement in contrast with the very modern works that embellish the whole apartment.

Collaborators: arch :Mauro Camagna
Photo: courtesy of Fabrizio Carraro