Trevi Fountain Apartment

Just a few steps away from the famous Trevi fountain, Francesca Venturoni of Studio Venturoni has been appointed to renovate this 80m2 apartment.

Before the renovation, the property was dominated by thick masonry walls and custom-made wooden cabinets and bookshelves which limited the available light and divided the space into small rooms. The design concept has been to restore the original layout, opening up the space, and to create a dining room connected to the living room and the kitchen. The kitchen has been redesigned from the ground up. It now includes a matte-black kitchen with the walls and floor covered by “Mutina Tierras” tiles (designed by Patricia Urquiola). A bar counter under the kitchen window lets you have your breakfast whilst gazing at the endless flow of tourists from the “Eternal City” and listen to the sound of the world’s most famous fountain.

As part of the make-over, the apartment walls have been treated with coloured horizontal bands to broaden the perception of space. The colour scheme chosen for the apartment consists of red, earth and beige tones. These shades are typical of the local style, and they are combined in the various rooms with darker, contrasting colours, such as black and various shades of blue.

The bathrooms are finished in soft tones of grey stone-effect conglomerate stoneware (by “Marazzi”), combined with retro-style sanitary ware by “Cielo” and “Ceramiche Flaminia”.

The large mahogany doors and the high wooden ceilings, typical for the buildings in the historic centre of Rome, give the property a monumental feel. This is accentuated by the choice of furnishings, such as the large sculpture armchair, the living room sofa that reminds of the archetypical roman triclinium, or the bedroom’s bedside tables inspired by the “Palazzo della Civiltà”. The decorations in the bedroom are in ochre and gold, while the wooden ceiling has been painted in a shade of white to give the idea of a calm and relaxing atmosphere. The Milanese studio of Francesca Venturoni, incorporates a mixture of iconic items of furniture, such as the Nemo-Driade armchair, the Lantern-Kartell lamp, the Abbraccio-Per bed Sleeping (by “Fabio Novembre”), the Mila’-Magis chair (by Jaime Hayon), the Cindy-Kartell lamp (by Laviani), the Glo-ball – Flos lamp (by Jasper Morrison) together with more mainstream objects, commonly found in outlets such as Zara Home, Maison du Monde or IKEA.

Some elements, such as the dormeuse Jeremie (by Eric Berthes), represent a contemporary interpretation of typical classical design in an Art-Deco style.

Design: Studio Venturoni
Photography: Michele Bonechi