filippo bombace

The request of transferring the furniture already in their possession to the new house, the desire to recover the variegated existing floorings and finally the wish to recognize a typical trait of their Neapolitan origins in the new project, constitute the dangerous premises of a project plan for a young couple moved to Rome to work.

 

Succeeding in defining a contemporary intervention according to the will of the Buyers but in the meantime also to that of the planner constitutes the big risk of the operation, so much that it's in doubt about the convenience to carry out this 'marriage'.

 

But the challenge of the project represents perhaps the most enrapturing part of this job and therefore the professional man accepts this charge.

 

The ingredients of this operation are various for style, merit and dating; the bedroom is a valuable national walnut handicraft workmanship of antique cabinetmaking, carved in Castellammare di Stabia, the yellow leather living room is by Poltrona Frau and it is mixed with a wooden sculpture by master Codognotto, still approached by an Australian painting, a Singer sewing-machine, a collection of photo heritage of the several travels around the world, a walnut composition wall-TV, etc.

The list is long and describes a general dishomogeneity very far from the normal compositive language of the planner, usually made of rigorous geometries carried out by a narrow range of materials.

 

The kitchen already possessed and to be recovered according to a different disposition in the new house, it's the famous model Solaro by Schiffini (Vico Magistretti design), piece of great design but also very present with its doors made of walnut veneered water-repellent wooden fiber panelswith horizontal black marks and shiny chromium-plated metal arched handle.

 

To make the situation worse, the request to quote Neapolitan tastes through the use of ceramics from Vietri, risking of making the already multicoloured scene, even more incoherent and chaotic.

 

At this point (of the game), the planner uses the only weapons he has: the study of a careful plan, that, matching the buyers' wishes, succeeds in repairing the different functions in a correct and precise geometric scheme, and the right integration of new finishing materials that, approaching those existing, produce an effect of revitalization, harmonizing the existing fittings and those of new supply in a coherent whole for brightness and chromatic balancing.

 

Therefore, while we decide to preserve the existing flooring (Carrara marbles) in the day areas, we choose a marquiña black marble opposite flooring in the entrance, corridor, kitchen and (guest) bath; while in the main bedroom we preserve the original flooring, oak parquet laid in the traditional herringbone pattern manner with band and frame, in the spare room we lay a new parquet flooring

 

On the contrary, the hand brushwork of the ceramic from Vietri marks all the rooms as a leitmotiv, going to leave everytime a different characteristic for typology and quantity.

 

For example, in the same main bedroom it draws an enormous carpet on the bed-head wall, going to frame the big window; in the baths and kitchen it underlines some portions of wall with different decorations, while in the living-room, a mixture of all the decorations chosen, dresses fully a 30 x 30 cms sized existing pillar, inside the room

 

The few elements of new furniture introduced have absolutely to redeem a clean and rigorous language: that's why in the corridor we have a collection of ten historical photos contrasting with a handicraft carpentry intervention designed by the planner that contains in a single rhythm doors, bookshelves, cover-radiators, wardrobes and features of simple woodwork, repairing the "T" junction of the corridor entrance.

Still we have big sliding panels, always made with national walnut, to delimit the study (room) when needed, otherwise in ample communication with the living, where the furniture by Frau combines with the new dining area, prepared with the table Sarpi by Ultramobile (Carlo Scarpa design) and chairs with arms Brno 1 by Mies van Der Rohe.

 

Finally, absolutely decisive in the attainment of the final result, we have the lightechnique, all played indoor with the Belgian firm Kreon, whose extremely linear design counterbalances the general "noise" very well; particularly the rigorous suspensions cadre mark the dining area (living room and kitchen), while built-in halogen spots (down, mini down and dolma) and not (mini diapason and prologe) illuminate the whole house, making the precious material and chromatic approaches shine and decreeing the success of the operation and the satisfaction of the buyers and the planner.