Villa Borghese by Costanza Santovetti Studio
Villa Borghese is a 2019 apartment in Rome, Italy, renovated by Costanza Santovetti Studio. Set in Parioli on the fourth floor of a 1930s building, it looks toward an unexpected sweep of greenery. The project reshapes the plan around daily life, bringing the kitchen, dining room, and terrace into a brighter, more open sequence.
About Villa Borghese
On the fourth floor of an elegant 1930s building in Rome’s Parioli district, this approximately 150-square-meter apartment looks toward an unexpected view. Through the windows, a villa set among greenery recalls the English countryside and becomes the point of departure for the renovation.
That memory carries weight for architect Costanza Santovetti, who lived in England before returning to Rome with her husband and two children. The apartment is reworked as a home for everyday routines and shared meals, with the kitchen, dining room, and terrace brought into a more open and connected sequence.
The side once reserved for service rooms now holds the dining room and a terrace reached from the kitchen. A generous internal passage links this area to the living room, giving the apartment a clearer flow and a more social center.
The service core is moved to the middle of the plan and paired with a walk-in wardrobe connected to the master bedroom. This adjustment strengthens the organization of the home while keeping the private rooms close at hand.
Throughout the renovation, the original character of the apartment remains intact. Walnut doors, original handles, and parquet flooring are restored and set alongside contemporary additions, so the old fabric stays present rather than decorative.
Color comes from the family’s art collection, which includes strongly chromatic paintings, sculptures, photographs, and an eighteenth-century still life. Those tones reappear in the living area through vases, cushions, and designer lamps, giving the rooms a measured sense of continuity.
Custom pieces, including the marble bathroom sinks and the living room coffee table, sit with recovered furnishings from different periods. The result is a home where memory and new work remain in balance, and where the apartment’s history reads clearly in both the details and the overall order.
Photography by ELLER Studio / Serena Eller Vainicher
Visit Costanza Santovetti Studio
