Typology: Apartment renovation
Site: Rome (IT)
Year: 2019
Designer: La Macchina Studio
Photography: Matteo Rosco

About La Macchina Studio

From the collaboration between Gianni Puri and Enrica Siracusa, La Macchina Studio was founded in Rome in 2013, the practice is divided between design and research and it’s participating in numerous international competitions and exhibitions.

La Macchina Studio has a multidisciplinary approach thanks to which architecture, theater, music and illustration come together in the project idea.

One of the main features of the Studio is the use of graphic representation as a method of investigation: collage, illustration, diorama and models are design tools and not just representation tools.

Their design process moves through the addition and overlapping of contents from different contexts and cultural sources, helping the client to read the result from a precise point of view.

The architectures are full of dreamlike and imaginative references, coming both from the Studio’s cultural background and from that of the client, encouraged to report its suggestions through an imaginative effort that is formally translated into a project.

La Macchina Studio responds to the uncertainty of the contemporary through an adaptive approach that includes the changing aspects of life and everyday life, in order to produce surprising scenarios.

This is a close look at the wooden dining table of the dining area with a wooden dining room cabinet on the side an a large spherical pendant light above.

This is a closer look at the waist-high wooden dining room cabinet of the dining area that also doubles as a desk and study area.

This is a close look at the foyer of the apartment with a large waist-high wooden credenza that matches the tiles of the floor.

This is a look at the corner of the house with an informal dining area that has a white round table under a simple pendant light.

This is the large living room with a large gray sofa paired with colorful structures that contrast the bright walls.

This is a close look at the bedroom that has a French cabinet and a large black chandelier.

The project involved the arrangement and choice of furnishings for a large apartment from the early 1900s, while the typically Umbertine layout was not touched. Most of the furniture dates back to the 60s and 70s and required careful research in specialized stores.

At the entrance, the beautiful trapezoidal-shaped sideboard by Silvio Coppola for Bernini is paired with the larger one, also in solid walnut, which is instead crossed the threshold of the dining room. The room is completed by the Valmarana table designed by Carlo Scarpa for Cassina. The table is part of the Ultrarazionale collection and is made entirely of interlocking wood.

The structure consists of two birch plywood legs connected to each other by a large solid wood connection cylinder, while the top rests on two solid wood bands and fits into the legs.

The clean lines of the furnishings give the room an oriental flavor, emphasized both by the paper chandelier by &Tradition, and by the wall decorations, purchased by the couple during their travels to China and Japan.

A separate room has been dedicated to the living area. Here too the references to the 70s are many: the pair of Frighetto brand sofas, the Nuvola Rossa bookcase by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, the iconic Parentesi lamp designed by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù for Flos and the magnificent vertical container A’Dammer Pastoe in yellow version. In contrast, more recent design elements with a strong character have been added, such as the light blue version of the Tatino pouf by Baleri, the Colonna stool by Kartell and the Cherry lamp by Petite Friture.

The most intimate room in the house is the bedroom. A Chinese cabinet in nineteenth-century red lacquer has been placed in front of the bed, while the chandelier is a handcrafted product made of wrought iron by the owner’s grandfather.