In the centre of Turin, a small 38 m2 two-room flat on the second floor of a 1903 building designed by the architect Pietro Fenoglio has been renovated for a young couple. The apartment is located in some early twentieth century Turin Public Housing Association tenement buildings: a block made up of three “bars” surrounded by green space, designed for healthier living, with Liberty decorations and exposed brickwork.
The original layout had some weaknesses: a bedroom that was too large, with untapped potential, a very small kitchen and a badly organized bathroom, but also two strengths: plenty of light in the rooms and a beautiful view over the trees in the private courtyard. Without making many changes to the walls in the original plan, the architect sought to make use of the space as effectively as possible, with made to measure furnishings that were functional to the requirements and tastes of the clients.
First of all, the kitchen and the bedroom were switched over. That way the sleeping quarters benefited from the relaxing effect of the window that looks out over the trees in the courtyard, which is closed to traffic, and became a space far from the noise of the city; a small walk-in wardrobe was added, and it had easier access to the bathroom. The four-poster bed, which has a powder coated iron frame and was designed by the architect, is a sort of ‘room within a room’, a colourful box equipped with four large foldaway drawers, which can be pulled out from the sides and where bed linen or other objects can be stored. The curtains of the four-poster bed create a harmonious private bubble, which isolates the place of rest, transforming it into an escape from everyday life. The material is perforated and printed with ‘multi-colour foliage’ patterns of ‘Monstera Deliciosa’, a tropical plant native to Mexico.
The lighting effect is fascinating, a very striking illuminated projection, as if we were surrounded by the canopy of an indoor jungle. Pendant lights are hung from the metal mesh ceiling of the four-poster bed and they can be moved wherever more light is needed. The walk-in wardrobe, placed behind the bed, is well organized and makes the best possible use of the space with shelves and fixtures for hanging clothes. The choice to leave the clothes in view responds to two criteria, convenience and saving money.
In order to keep the external window, the bathroom stayed where it was, but was fitted out differently. The bathtub was replaced with a shower in a niche and a specially designed practical sink unit was added, with square mesh expanded metal doors. A large mirror, strategically placed near the window, reflects the natural light, making the actual space available seem greater.
The colours of the transparent tempered glass sliding doors of the dressing room and shower reflect the aquamarine green of the fixtures and vertical wall coverings. The retractable sliding doors in transparent mirrored glass allow the light to filter through to the inside and amplify the sense of space in the house. The new bigger and more functional kitchen is situated where the old bedroom used to be, on the side that overlooks the street, which is busier and noisier. A light-coloured phenolic birch plywood panel, with the wood grain visible, is used for the doors on all the items of furniture; it is water resistant and therefore particularly suitable for kitchen cupboards.
The dining table, which can become a desk when necessary, is placed near the big French windows that open out onto the balcony. In the living space, the area for relaxing is compact but guarantees a good view of the television, thanks to the frontal TV unit and the comfortable two-seater sofa. Large format art photographs decorate the walls.
The colour palette is a ‘comprehensive design tool’ that encompasses the walls, the furnishings and the fabrics. The colours should always be read together with those that surround them and never in isolation. The choice of the lighter and more relaxing shades of green was inspired by the colours in the courtyard: sage, olive, aquamarine and oil greens, fresh, bright and reflective colours that give a greater sense of depth to the rooms.
To transform the kitchen and the living area, the architect decided to give the spaces greater depth by playing with two different patterns, sectional modular designs in numerous configurations and colours that form a ceramic carpet, suitable for covering walls and floors. The wall covering in the bathroom, which decorates the walls with graphic patterns, is made up of 15x15 square tiles placed in four bands of four different shades of green, ranging from the darkest at the bottom to the lightest at the top.
The floor in the kitchen also plays with colourful geometric patterns; the same 15x15 cm square tiles, with the same four shades of green, are laid out in a different arrangement. In this way, a new optical effect with a strong visual impact is created; although it is two dimensional, because it is generated starting from a single square tile, the overall effect is three dimensional.
The house is pocket-sized but fitted out and organized down to the smallest detail, so that you end up completely forgetting the minimal surface area available. Text description by the architects.
