ARCHITECTURE NEWS
CUSTOMISATION IS KEY TO TRANSFORMING COMPACT ABODES INTO SOMETHING TRULY SPECIAL – AS THESE DWELLINGS PROVE
FEATURE ELLEN FINCH
FINE ART
On discovering frescoes on the ceiling, Turinbased architectural practice R3architetti decided to make it a feature of this apartment in a mid-19th-century building. The architects were called on to recover surviving elements of the original layout; the discovery of artwork when they removed a number of false ceilings was a bonus. A translucent polycarbonate partition separates the living and sleeping areas, while the kitchen sits under a ceiling made deliberately lower than the vaulted areas.
NEW NOSTALGIA
Modernity and nostalgia sit side by side in this apartment in São Paulo, renovated by Flipê Arquitetura. The existing space was fully open-plan, which gave the architects free rein to create a layout that caters to the owners’ routines. The clients wished to combine a contemporary space with their love of design from decades past, so the home features glass bricks, granilite, rosewood and retro shades of deep red and green. An oval crown moulding on the ceiling – another nostalgic touch – is mimicked in the contemporary furniture beneath.
MAKING WAVES
The repeat pattern of the vaulted ceilings forms the basis of Barcelona-based Bonell+Dòriga’s design for this Gràcia apartment, with j
