The essence of this apartment in Bari, Italy, is a personal history of the clients and their culture. Its grand tour of local, regional, and international architecture, past, and present, builds a deep connection and comfort in the spatial design and interior furnishings of this modern home. Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa designed a richly layered space with materials, forms, and patterns that represent their clients’ life story.
Three bedrooms, and open living, dining, and kitchen stretch across the corner unit’s perimeter. A bath, laundry, and storage rooms flank the interior entrance. The strong original shell’s arches remain and new walls are not dictated by them, excluding beams in the open living area.
Wood, cork, metal, and resin evoke the past and the present in their execution. For spatial separation, sliding doors are injected with Middle Eastern influenced metal screens. Resin wall panels are screen-printed with enlarged crochet patterned graphics. Herringbone wood meets modern resin and terra cotta on the floors. Modern baths repeat those patterns in the wall tile. In addition, cork, one of my favorite subtly textured quiet materials, makes a dramatic appearance in combination with angles and resin.
The furnishings meld centuries through antique, mid-century, and contemporary pieces. An enviable kitchen island of lacquered wood and stainless incorporates a fold-down dining section. Custom crafted sleek iron and wood pieces lives comfortably with grandmother’s rocking chair, a crocheted pillow, and coveted mid-century furniture in this multi-generational multi-cultural home.
Architects: UdA Architects
Photography courtesy of Carola Ripamonti
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