Renovation of an appartment
Bologna, Italy
It revolves around the sun in this home identified and renovated by MIRO architects for Giulia and Pietro, a young medical couple who moved to Bologna for work. What ignited the choice of the future owners was precisely the exposure of the house, with constant but always different light, and the “golden hour” that here becomes a domestic spectacle. And this despite the fact that the home is in the city center, just a few meters from Piazza Santo Stefano, overlooking a characteristic Bolognese inner courtyard.
The 98-square-meter apartment is spread over two levels and is located on the second floor of a 16th-17th-century building, a typical example of a “Lotto Gotico”, a building scheme with a long, narrow configuration that is widespread in Bologna.
MIRO architects’ design redesigned the original rooms, which were previously fragmented and lacking in fluidity, starting with the two main rooms. The eat-in kitchen and living room, located at different levels, were placed in spatial and visual connection to create a new convivial, spacious and bright core at the center of the apartment. Two opposite and autonomous areas branch off to the right and left: the master bedroom with en suite bathroom and the second bedroom with a neighboring bathroom.
The apartment’s entrance directly faces the light-flooded living room: in front, in fact, is the large, almost fully glazed wall overlooking the courtyard. To the right, a three-door cabinet, designed by MIRO architects in sage green with open areas in natural wood, houses everyday objects. The main wall is punctuated by the K1 Kryptonite system accessorized with storage and TV stand. Protagonist in the center of the room is Innovation Living’s Idun sofa in light gray with oak legs that echo the original beams maintained in the ceiling. Two steps lead into the elevated dining room. The open kitchen is inserted within the niche carved out of the white volume intended to house the laundry room and pantry. II volume – a recurring custom solution in MIRO architects’ projects -, lower than the ceiling, allows a glimpse of its ancient wooden structure. A freestanding cabinet, also custom-designed, accommodates other functions of the kitchen and, thanks to its striped finish, generates a particular optical effect that makes it different depending on the point of observation.
To the right of the living area, a small hallway leads to the bedroom where the bed dominates the center of the room. The striped micro-cement fifth delimits the closet area, equipped with large side mirrors that give depth to the whole room. A soft concept envelops the master bathroom, entirely clad in the Pico collection designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Mutina. The washbasin cabinet echoes the triangular-section panel finish that characterizes several of the home’s custom cabinets and is matched with the polished chrome of the faucets and all metal elements.
On the left side of the apartment, the second room is used as a study. The proximity bathroom is made of soft-touch effect resin. Here, too, the cabinet, with countertop bowl, is custom-made and complemented by a large rectangular mirror and a continuous shelf serving the entire bathroom.
Throughout the home, the choice of natural colors-white, sage green, taupe, and brown-is enhanced by the care taken with the lighting: in the main rooms, Antonangeli’s Archetto Freedom system is juxtaposed with the original wood-beamed beams, while in the bathrooms an indirect wall washer light enhances objects, textures, and finishes.
Credits
Project: MIRO architetti
Arch. Giacomo Minelli, Arch. Valentina Cicognani
| contributors : Arch. Giulia Nisi , ID. Maria Vittoria Tantucci
Continuous resin surfaces: Arteviva
Forniture:Kriptonite , Innovation Living, Supplier: De Diseño
Bathroom fittings:Flaminia, Nobili , Supplier: Cambielli ,
Lighting: Antonangeli, Supplier: Lucechearreda
Custom made forniture: Paolo Russo Design
Fabrics: Doodesign
