Casa la Marchesana — A Monochrome Loft Threaded Through Old Walls
Casa la Marchesana sits in Bologna, Italy, where a historic envelope meets a crisp, contemporary interior. Designed by Obicua, the apartment turns a compact plan into a tall, moody sequence with one decisive move. A matte black volume inserts circulation, kitchen, and mezzanine into the whitewashed shell, setting a confident rhythm across timber floors and exposed beams.
Light washes over white walls as a deep black volume slides forward, carving a clear route from entry to window. Timber planks warm the underfoot while the ceiling lifts, and a mezzanine ledge hovers above the main room with an almost cinematic hush.
This is a compact apartment in Bologna by Obicua, set within a historic center and reworked in 2022. The interior leans on a disciplined monochrome palette to reconcile old structure and new living, using one bold insertion to organize daily life. The throughline is tactile and visual: black against white, matte against grain, crisp planes against irregular medieval fabric.
Compose In Black
A single dark volume gathers the kitchen, storage, and vertical link, drawing the eye from sofa to dining table. Cabinetry runs handleless and flush, so edges read clean while appliances nest within the depth like quiet instruments. Overhead, the same finish drops to form a soffit, tightening scale for cooking and conversation. It’s a clear anchor, not a wall.
Mezzanine And Ledge
Above the insertion, a deck extends as mezzanine, turning height into usable room. The balustrade stays low and solid, keeping the black datum continuous while preserving calm below. A timber beam cuts across the upper level, a reminder of age against the new plane. Night lighting tucks into the ceiling so the volume reads as one shadowed mass.
Rooms In Sequence
From the living area, a linear island marks the pivot to dining, with stools at one end and the cooktop centered like a stage. Beyond, a pared-back table sits under a sculptural ring of light, the only expressive flourish in an otherwise measured composition. The bedroom follows the same strategy: a dark partition with shelves and an integrated screen forms headboard and backdrop, separating desk from bed without fuss.
Tactile Counterpoints
Floors run in textured timber, giving warmth to the matte cabinetry and charcoal ceilings. In the bathroom, small gray tiles line shower and walls, while a long wood vanity carries twin vessel basins with black fittings. A framed arched window focuses the view at the end of the room, echoing period geometry within a straighter new envelope. Every surface keeps reflection low, so light reads soft rather than glossy.
Day to night, the palette holds steady while illumination shifts across planes. Old beams, new edges, and the odd curve of a window keep the apartment grounded in its context. The black volume does the rest—organizing, toning, and quietly modernizing without drowning out the building’s lived-in character.
Photography courtesy of Obicua
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