A MINIMAL BUT ESSENTIAL RENOVATION
The building, inherited by the current owner, dates back to the 1930s and is located near Varese, developing on two floors within a generous lot at the foot of a railway crossing.
Currently the house is on two levels, accessible from separate entrances. The weak point of the internal layout is the presence of two corridors, decidedly uninteresting, which lead to individual rooms located on the perimeter; with this type of distribution there is a great waste of surface, making little use of the potential internal space.
The house has four bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and a kitchen, clearly divided by walls that prevent better livability in the different phases of the day.
One of the Client’s requests is to improve the internal layout by applying as few interventions as possible but increasing the spatial quality.
During the first design approach, we completely freed up the internal portion located to the south-east, in order to better exploit the lighting, as well as enjoy a panoramic view, positioning the living area including the kitchen, dining room and living room. In this way the hallways are reduced, forming a bright open space that allows direct access to the sleeping area, located to the north, including three large bedrooms with two bathrooms and a study overlooking the east.
A point that we further explored was the theme of the entrance given the presence of two identical entrances placed on two different sides; we intervened by assigning the entrance on the side adjacent to the external entrance for greater comfort and using the additional entrance on the east side as a secondary exit for the rear garden.
Shifting attention to the openings of the building, the possibility of opening a window on the east side was evaluated, framed by the kitchen so as to be embraced by the surrounding panorama while using it and to increase natural lighting also for the living area. The fireplace positioned specifically in the center, encloses the load-bearing pillar of the room and, in addition to its pure functionality, acts as a decorative and sculptural element in the space. Finally, a walk-in closet, the addition of a bathroom and the study were themes that influenced the design of the spaces.
Year: 2024
Structure: Traditional
Client: Private
State: Project
Location: Varese