A new apartment in Rome by architects La Macchina Studio has a quasi-theatrical flavour, with bright colours, geometries, graphics and other surprising insertions that add up to a collage-effect interior.
Called Retroscena, this apartment is located in a 1950s building in the historic Appio Latino district of Rome. The architects were able to retain the pre-existing Venetian Terrazzo flooring of the apartment with the help of local craftsmen. Other materials added to the flooring, including black and Botticino marble in the living room, a pinkish binder with pozzolan powder in the corridor and brick red microcement in the bedroom, create a collage effect.
The living space is immediately striking thanks to an arched door in bright blue lacquered wood that juts out 70cm into the living room, softened by a lemon yellow curtain that runs along the demolished partition and creates a subtle separation between areas. Another doorway, this time a three-pointed arch in dark grey, features in the bathroom, juxtaposed with white mosaic tiles and a peacock-blue wall.
The creative approach to this apartment is the result of the multi-disciplinary talents of La Macchina Studio’s two founders: Gianni Puri is an architect, illustrator and musician, while Enrica Siracusa is an architect with an interest in experimental activity and research. Together, this design team has created an apartment that fuses theatre, architecture and illustration, with a playful absurdist streak.
The architecture statement reads: “Retroscena offers a playful and fantastic vision of the house. Bold colour 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.”
The collage effect of the interiors is also a response to the working methodology of the La Macchina team, who use old-school paper collages as part of their working practice.
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