Retroscena by La Macchina Studio

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Architecture: La Macchina Studio (Gianni Puri, Enrica Siracusa)
Client: Private
GFA: 75 sqm
Completion: August 2020
Animations and illustrations: La Macchina Studio
Photography: Paolo Fusco

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 look at the dining area of the house showcasing the bright walls and ceiling contrasted by the blue and yellow accents.

The dining area has an elliptical white dining table with a modern look to match the white ceiling and walls.

The white dining table is topped with a colorful pendant light that makes it stand out.

After the white dining table are the yellow curtains that separate the area from the rest of the house.

The living room has a blue sofa on the side of the blue low cabinet adorned with a red wall art above.

This is a hallway with a corner adorned by a wall-mounted artwork above the chair and table.

This is a look at the dining area and kitchen with white structures that blend with the white walls contrasted by the blue arched door.

A few steps from the dining table is the built-in cabinetry of the kitchen beside the arched blue door.

This closer look at the kitchen cabinetry and counter showcases the sink at the edge.

The blue door opens leaving an arched area at the top.

This is a side look at the door that has a small alcove giving it a unique look.

This is the hallway that leads to the kitchen on the far side showcasing the of the door alcove.

This close view showcases the light beige tone of the walls that are brightened by the natural light.

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This is a close look at the top of the top of the arched blue door with a blue alcove.

The bed has a small bedside table topped with a pendant light that serves as a lamp.

This is a look at the bathroom that has small white tiles and black grout giving the walls a grid-like aesthetic.

This is a look at the pedestal sink on the far side that stands out against the blue wall.

The pedestal sink is then topped with a lit circular vanity mirror.

In Rome, in the heart of the Appio Latino district a few steps from the Caffarella Park, the Rome-based duo La Macchina Studio transforms a 1950s apartment into a surreal set where reality and fiction coexist in a quasi-theatrical scene.

Thanks to the multidisciplinary approach of its two founders, the studio celebrates the graphic sign, in a project that fuses architecture, theatre, music and illustration.

In alignment with the wishes of the clients – a young couple – the architects have, on the one hand with the help of local craftsmen, recovered the pre-existing Venetian terrazzo flooring, while on the other they have completely disrupted the internal distribution to give way to a new storytelling.

Kicking off with the insertion of new materials in correspondence with the traces of the original divisions, the living area is defined by a clear band in black and Botticino marble. The area along the corridor takes up the original design of the flooring with a pinkish binder with pozzolan powder, while the bedroom is tinged with the warm nuances of brick red microcement. The result is a combination of designs in different grains and colours that creates a “collage” effect, in contrast with the absolute white of the plastered walls.

“With Retroscena, we wanted to enhance the irreverent and surreal nature of the architectural story, which is inextricably linked to its photographic alter-ego by playing with colour contrasts, graphic motifs and unexpected incursions” affirm Gianni Puri and Enrica Siracusa, founders of La Macchina Studio.

The apartment reveals itself longitudinally along the main wall, which represents the limit between private and representative space and creates a landscape punctuated by three different elements.

A white lacquered bridge wardrobe hides a small study: the reader’s refuge, an intimate, silent space, isolated from the rest of the home. A grey-blue flush-to-the-wall door that seems drawn on, gives access to the salle de bain covered in white mosaic with contrasting joints, cut by an ogival passage which gives a glimpse the back wall in peacock-colored enamel and the free washbasin standing. Finally, an arched door in classic blue lacquered wood leads to the sleeping area with clear lines and a welcoming atmosphere. The door, with its wooden profile that juts out 70cm towards the dining room, is the centerpiece of the living area and hides the kitchen furniture from view.

The living room is the largest space in the house: a yellow curtain runs along the demolished partition, outlining the areas and drawing a soft border between the different functions.

Retroscena offers a playful and fantastic vision of the house. Bold color choices and savvy design tricks give personality to the interiors, turning the spotlight on the inhabitants, protagonists of a theatrical – and architectural – piéce full of surprises.

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