A house-gallery on the noble floor of
a historic building
Project by Arch. Walter Vallini — Photo Marco Alessandro Bocchino
The accommodation described is located on the first floor of a 19th century building which in the past was the embassy of the Ottoman Empire to the Kingdom of Sardinia, but has never been used as a home. The rooms have ceilings over 5 meters high, original floors with mosaic inserts and parquet in precious woods, as well as decorative stuccos. These elements bear witness to the past elegance of the place.
“GNAM” by W. Vallini, on the table “Sfera” by Fukushi Ito,
Alcantara sofa handcrafted to a design by
W. Vallini
The heart of the accommodation is represented by the living room of about 60 square meters, which has been conceived as a museum space to exhibit works of art and design objects collected by the owners over the years. The architect created a contrast between the perfectly preserved historical environment and the contemporary objects and works from the owners’ collection, integrating the works of art as an integral part of the overall project.
An example of the dialogue between the work and the interior design is represented by the light installation by W. Vallini called “Neon2018”, positioned at the entrance to the accommodation. It is an iron structure that contains eight neon lights that give off a yellow light. The structure is clad in black Plexiglas panels and clear Plexiglas sheets that act as light diffusers, giving the entrance hall a distinctive atmosphere.
through an antique gilded door
“Blu” bookcase designed by W. Vallini
In the exhibitor works by E. Jannini, Mercurio, A. Pierelli
M. Domestic, Chen Li.
The bathroom, on the other hand, is conceived as an installation-environment featuring 7.5x15cm aquamarine colored tiles and an enormous mirror. The tiles cover the floor and rise continuously, defining the block of washbasins. Together with the mirror, they create an effect of expanding and multiplying the space.
Another objective of the project was to make the large historic spaces habitable, which originally only had a representative function, without altering their spatial dimension and preserving their charm. The architect achieved this by creating smaller rooms within the pre-existing spaces. He used plasterboard structures to contain the housing functions, redefining the functional areas without altering the atmosphere of the place.
“Neon 2018”. Light installation by W. Vallini
The result is a scenographic interplay of spaces within spaces, with a theatrical dimension underlined in some rooms by the red velvet capitonné paneling of the walls, which recalls the style of Carlo Mollino, a famous architect and artist who worked in Turin in the 30s and 40s of the last century. W. Vallini admires Mollino and was inspired by him in carrying out this project in the same city, for an equally cultured client.
