PTS B Reimagines Former Workshop in Pietrasanta as Home and Office

The transformation of an old workshop in Pietrasanta, Italy, results in a contemporary penthouse that seamlessly connects areas dedicated to both family and professional functions. With a floor area totalling 260 square metres (2,798 square feet) and absorbing a cost of over €530,000, the PTS B project illustrates a transformative redesign that respects existing architectural features while adding modern flair to the building. Italian studio A/B Studio, led by Florentinus Castrignano and Benjamino Barith, affirms that both “the respect for the truth entrenched in the places and the pre-existences is for me a constant fundamental approach to design.”

The volume of space is now divided between personal and private uses, ambience seamlessly flowing from one to another whilst being differentiated in materials and furnishing details. The interior design was based on the client’s desires and essential elements requested in the brief, transforming a former restoration laboratory into a dual-use home: a meeting-place by day and a family residence by night. “The project starts from this to then become tailor-made for the needs and tastes of the customer,” explains Barith.

Everything has been designed and created to the millimetre in a bespoke manner, with only a few ‘commercial’ items included in the decoration. The exterior structure remains unchanged, although the original windows and copings were replaced. The traditional concrete block exteriors can still be spotted within the renovated penthouse, however, eliciting memories of the building’s long-standing history.

An “H” shaped balcony was added to split the day area on the ground floor from the night area on the first floor. The division includes five bedrooms and five full bathrooms designed to suit the owners’ family. The ground level is notable for its large, operable windows that open out onto the external garden. Existing industrial flooring has been scrubbed and protected in order to preserve memories of the building’s historical context.

On this floor, the open-plan kitchen is finished with Fenix black materials, the same colour that characterises the entire renovation. An oak dining/meeting table, designed to accommodate up to ten guests, is flanked by a sleek shelving unit in natural iron. The black and white monochrome elements clearly introduce and unify the aesthetic. The living room features a freestanding cement shelf with decorative stone reliefs and a uniquely crafted bookcase. The coffee table is actually a block of polished marble, the material typically found in the vicinity, and the volcanic vases echo the artistic vocation of the property.

Visible from the lounge area is a wine cellar, offering an interesting focal point in the living space. The technical area, full bathroom and wellness zone—complete with a floor-level bathtub and sauna—are also located on this level. The wellness area is illuminated using a glass-block screen that affords the room ambient light.

All internal doors in the residence are finished with a natural pine wood. Access to the first floor is via a folded natural iron staircase, the handrail of which is transformed into a study table illuminated by lateral, horizontal, fixed glass units. The first floor features solid larch parquet with a black finish. The balcony as well as the two main bedrooms overlook the central double-height area of the house, with views from the balcony also opened up by motors in the fair-faced beams.

The bedrooms and bathrooms maintain an industrial, minimal aesthetic with monochrome resin walls, while the sinks feature cement-resin materials supported by light iron frames and walk-in showers. Other projects recently completed by the practice include MDN A Estate, a minimalist, single-family residence in Quistello characterised by a central pavilion roof and two adjoining illogical volumes.