The Art Septum by Clubdesign Architecture Studio
The Art Septum lands in Bari, Italy, as an apartment by Clubdesign Architecture Studio, composed with a collector’s eye and a maker’s hand. Across rooms tuned to art and daylight, the scheme builds a clear material dialogue between green marble, light oak, and black-stained timber. It reads quietly at first, then reveals its depth with smoked mirrors, pale textiles, and precise edges.
Morning light washes the white walls and slides across light oak parquet. A green marble volume takes the glow and cools it, pulling the eye toward the art.
This apartment in Bari by Clubdesign Architecture Studio builds its story through material and tone. The palette stays tight and deliberate: green marble, light beige textiles, black-stained oak, smoked mirrors, and crisp white planes. The result reads calm yet layered, with art framed by structure and surface rather than overshadowed.
Layer Color And Grain
Green marble sets the register, its veining anchoring thresholds and key touchpoints. Light oak parquet provides warmth underfoot, while black-stained oak threads through cabinetry and trims to add poise and contrast. A few soft green textiles answer the stone with a quieter echo, and pale upholstery steadies the room. Nothing shouts; the balance holds through patient repetition and measured shifts.
Work With Light
Natural daylight does the heavy lifting across the plan, grazing white walls and catching the marble’s polished edges. Smoked mirrors multiply that light without glare, deepening perspectives and tempering reflections to a gentle tone. At dusk, focused fixtures pick out surfaces and frames, letting artwork read cleanly while keeping the overall mood intact. The lighting never floods—it draws attention where the room needs it.
Tailor The Rooms
Custom millwork in black-stained oak pulls storage into the architecture and keeps lines tight. Low cabinetry and integrated edges keep sightlines open, so art and texture carry the conversation. Soft textiles in light beige sit against the timber to soften acoustics and touch, with occasional green fabric adding a cool counterpoint. Each decision supports daily use, from durable floors to wipe-clean stone in high-touch zones.
Art, Frames, And Focus
White walls act as a neutral field for collected pieces, with refined wall moldings and slim frames creating a quiet order. Smoked mirror panels flank select walls to expand sightlines and give artworks breathing room without visual noise. The marble’s depth becomes a natural pause point, almost like a plinth, lending gravitas to adjacent compositions. Small black details—handles, trims, lamp housings—tighten the rhythm and keep the eye moving.
Contrast With Restraint
The project runs on contrast used sparingly and with intention. Light oak and white planes open the rooms, while darker timber and mirrors bring shade and contour. That interplay gives the apartment a steady tempo, one that supports quiet conversation and close looking. Every junction feels resolved, every material working in concert with the next.
Late light cools, and the marble turns deeper. Floors hold a soft sheen as the day folds into evening, and the arrangement settles back into calm. Nothing is superfluous; the palette does the work and leaves a clear, composed afterglow.
Photography courtesy of Clubdesign Architecture Studio
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