Houzz Tours
Italian Houzz Tour: A Medieval City Wall Creates a Unique Home
A pared-back style and a touch of feng shui freshen up a historical building in nothern Italy
Next to a villa in a historical park in Savigliano, in the northern Italian province of Cuneo, stands a smaller outbuilding with remarkable architecture: its southern facade incorporates part of the wall that encircled the town in the Middle Ages. The couple who bought it – an entrepreneur and a school teacher with a passion for yoga – chose to renovate it, keeping part for themselves and turning the rest into a bed and breakfast that can offer boarders relaxation and a connection to history.
The couple asked Fluido Architettura to renovate the building and redesign the rooms. The result is visually simple but takes every detail into account. For example, the staircase to the upper floors is curved with regard to feng shui considerations. The rooms have been optimised to make the most of the different ceiling heights created by the vaults. Finally, the small attic has been turned into a space for contemplation and relaxation.
The couple asked Fluido Architettura to renovate the building and redesign the rooms. The result is visually simple but takes every detail into account. For example, the staircase to the upper floors is curved with regard to feng shui considerations. The rooms have been optimised to make the most of the different ceiling heights created by the vaults. Finally, the small attic has been turned into a space for contemplation and relaxation.
Before
This is what the house looked like before the renovation. The first-floor terrace, on the left, has been enlarged, and its railing has been redesigned in steel to make it stand out more.
This is what the house looked like before the renovation. The first-floor terrace, on the left, has been enlarged, and its railing has been redesigned in steel to make it stand out more.
Need a pro for your home renovating project?
Let Houzz find the best pros for you
Let Houzz find the best pros for you
This is what the vault facade looked like before the renovation. The two-bedroom B&B is on this side now.
Both rooms have a bathroom and a small private outdoor area. They do not have direct access to the house. Guests can access the main kitchen and living room at certain times of day, entering through the garden, which is open to them at all times.
Find an architect on Houzz who can help bring your dated home into the 21st century.
Both rooms have a bathroom and a small private outdoor area. They do not have direct access to the house. Guests can access the main kitchen and living room at certain times of day, entering through the garden, which is open to them at all times.
Find an architect on Houzz who can help bring your dated home into the 21st century.
The entrance to the main house opens onto the living room and the staircase. “The owners, who are followers of feng shui, asked for the staircase to be curved and, in general, to have smooth lines and no sharp edges,” says Bosio.
A De Marseille lamp – designed by Le Corbusier – illuminates a sofa that had already belonged to the owners.
A De Marseille lamp – designed by Le Corbusier – illuminates a sofa that had already belonged to the owners.
The kitchen is to the right of the staircase. The family wanted an island bench with a breakfast bar. “We have fulfilled their request, taking their habits into account: They eat quick meals, most of the time not even together,” says Bosio.
The kitchen was custom made by a carpenter. All of the tall units are against the wall on the left. A false wall made out of plaster fills out the space between the cabinetry and the rounded ceiling.
“We lowered the floor by almost 20 centimetres to make the ceiling heights as uniform as possible. Now the ceilings are 2.7 metres at the highest point, and 1.8 metres where the vault begins,” says Bosio.
To the right of the kitchen is an outdoor area that is used as an outdoor dining room in summer.
The kitchen was custom made by a carpenter. All of the tall units are against the wall on the left. A false wall made out of plaster fills out the space between the cabinetry and the rounded ceiling.
“We lowered the floor by almost 20 centimetres to make the ceiling heights as uniform as possible. Now the ceilings are 2.7 metres at the highest point, and 1.8 metres where the vault begins,” says Bosio.
To the right of the kitchen is an outdoor area that is used as an outdoor dining room in summer.
This small corner, designed to function as a mini veranda, is a new portion of the house that connects it to an originally detached bathroom. The window on the left folds open, creating dialogue between inside and out.
The owner chose green tiles by Casalgrande Padana for the floor to echo the colours of the garden.
The owner chose green tiles by Casalgrande Padana for the floor to echo the colours of the garden.
This is the bathroom next to the mini veranda. One of the owners in particular wanted a space where she could relax by herself.
The storage unit that surrounds the door was made to order by a carpenter, based on the architect’s designs. When all the doors are closed, the entrance is hidden.
On the left is a floor-to-ceiling window, which can be opened and looks out onto the garden.
The storage unit that surrounds the door was made to order by a carpenter, based on the architect’s designs. When all the doors are closed, the entrance is hidden.
On the left is a floor-to-ceiling window, which can be opened and looks out onto the garden.
The vanity is opposite. It was made by same joiners as the storage unit, based on the architect’s design.
The walls are clad in 1.2-square-metre tiles from Casalgrande Padana. An LED strip casts soft light on the back wall.
The owners did not want the bathtub taps to be visible, so the architects came up with a clever solution: a tile now lifts up to reveal the tapware.
The walls are clad in 1.2-square-metre tiles from Casalgrande Padana. An LED strip casts soft light on the back wall.
The owners did not want the bathtub taps to be visible, so the architects came up with a clever solution: a tile now lifts up to reveal the tapware.
The second storey landing is set up as a home theatre. When not in use, the screen can be rolled up into a 2.5-metre-long compartment in the custom-made storage unit. The compartment is closed by a remote-controlled hydraulic door.
As the kitchen only has island seating, the owners requested this table for entertaining guests. They place it here when entertaining, otherwise this space is occupied by the chairs in the previous photo.
In place of the parapet, a glass plate fills the void next to the staircase.
In place of the parapet, a glass plate fills the void next to the staircase.
There are two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. This is the master bedroom. The wall on the right conceals the walk-in closet. Its curves echo the rounded staircase.
The bedroom is in the vaulted facade, pictured here in the top right.
The two glass walls are the large windows of the B&B, which open onto a teak pathway framed with grey outdoor tile.
The two glass walls are the large windows of the B&B, which open onto a teak pathway framed with grey outdoor tile.
The custom-made vanity in the first-floor bathroom includes a drawer for storing toiletries.
The staircase continues into the attic.
This includes a small space the owners call the ‘contemplation zone,’ which is covered in wooden panelling. The ceiling could not be raised here - it is 2.4 metres high, compared to the 2.7 metres elsewhere in the house.
The window on the lower left is the ground-floor bathroom, which had previously been detached from the main building. The garden can be accessed from the kitchen.
Your turn
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And if you enjoyed this story, like it, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Not quite had your fill of great global design? Check out this Before & After: A Mediterranean Dream Home in Marseilles, France
Your turn
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And if you enjoyed this story, like it, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Not quite had your fill of great global design? Check out this Before & After: A Mediterranean Dream Home in Marseilles, France
Who lives here: A couple and their teenage daughter
Size: 200 square metres, with a 100-square-metre garden
Location: Savigliano, in the province of Cuneo, northern Italy
Architect: Fluido Architettura
Budget: 400,000 euros ($630,000AUD): 300,000 euros ($475,000) for the structural work and $155,000AUD) euros for the interior finishes and furniture.
“The original building was very old, probably from the 18th century,” says Fluido Architettura architect Claudio Bosio. “We first chose to maintain and renovate the external structure, including the arches that decorate the facade, but we found it needed further interventions: we reinforced the building with steel and wood beams and put in paneling, also in wood, in the attic.”
This photo shows the house as it is now. The wooden door on the right leads to the street. The entrance door is in a recess to its left. The facade still features the historical vaults.