Granparents’ House by Fabio Balzarotti
This inspiring grandparents’ house located in Casorezzo, Italy, has been completely redesigned in 2017 by Fabio Balzarotti.
Description
Renovation of a single-family home from the early sixties, arranged over three floors and surrounded by a generous garden.
The distribution of the house was changed in places, to adapt to the new owner’s needs The main architectural challenge was to provide a fluid and functional connection between the three levels
At the ground floor most of the partition walls have been removed to create an open plan living space for entertaining family and friends.
Focal point of the living area is the fireplace, witch divides the open space into a conversation area on the one side and a dining-kitchen zone on the other. Upstairs we find the master bedroom with a little terrace and bathroom
First and second floor interact with each other by means of two important space defining elements: a double height dining area and the new staircase. This became a central sculptural piece uniting the two floors for residential use but also the basement level where we find various utility spaces.
The custom-made metal stairs have expanded diamond pattern mesh as balustrade. The entire metal structure has been painted in navy blue, the same color chosen for ceiling and wall defining the master bedroom volume. Elm wood with oil finish was employed to cover the treads of the stairs and for the wood flooring at the attic level. The original floor of the living area was realised with terrazzo tiles but unfortunately it would have been impossible to preserve the entire surface. They have been replaced by new stoneware tiles reproducing fragments and mineral aggregates motif, an updated version of terrazzo floor. The same concept, to renew the past in a contemporary taste, has been the starting point for bathroom materials selection.
The second bathroom at the attic level is characterized by graphic patterns of 14oraitaliana tiles, XO collection: on a white body background, irregular geometric colours emerge which evoke everything that is modern whit traces of stratified past. In the bedroom, the wall painted in sage green integrates custom-made pieces of furniture designed to make the best use of space behind the bed.
Photography by Matteo Imbriani
- by Matt Watts
