Apartment in a 15th century palazzo in Florence

Pierattelli Architecture has breathed new life into a building built in the era of Andrea Verocchio and Leonardo da Vinci

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

On the left bank of the Arno River there is an area where you can still feel the spirit of the Renaissance. Oltrarno ("for Arno") has become one of the most popular areas of Florence in recent years. It attracts tourists with its diversity: there are also beautiful monuments (Boboli Gardens, Palazzo Pitti, the church of Santo Spirito), and narrow streets that time does not seem to have touched, and restaurants, bars, trattorias for every taste.

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

It is this explosive mixture of palaces, museums, craft workshops, vegetable and butcher shops, trattorias and restaurants that makes up the charm of Oltrarno. The area lives about the same as in the time of the Medici, it has not turned into an open-air museum, but has remained alive and present.

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

All this diversity and eclecticism of the area was transferred by the architects of the Pierattelli Architecture studio to the interior of the apartment, which occupies part of an ancient palazzo. The interior is defined by warm colors, natural materials and works of modern designers — heirs of Oltrarno craft traditions.

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

The 240 square meter apartment consists of a large common space combining a living room, dining room and kitchen, and a more secluded sleeping area. The preserved elements of historical decoration, coffered ceilings and frescoes, remind of the rich history of the building.

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

The huge, light-filled living room looks homely thanks to the choice of furniture such as the semi-circular modular sofa Venise, designed by Gabriele & Oscar Buratti for Lema. The smooth lines of the two Archibald armchairs created by Jean-Marie Massot for Poltrona Frau conduct a dialogue with the soft beige sofa. The bookcase was designed by architects and made by hand from Canaletto walnut and honey oak. To add warmth to the interior and "embrace" all its elements, the architects ordered a round carpet with a geometric pattern in Pakistan, which combines shades of blue, orange and light beige.

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

Two openings lead from the living room to the dining room with an open kitchen, which the architects have equipped with iconic objects: the oval Tulip dining table by Eero Saarinen is surrounded by Warren Platner's Platner Chair chairs. The dining room is illuminated by Marcel Wanders' Skygarden lamp, the travertine kitchen island is illuminated by Michael Anastassiadis' IC Light pendants.

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

For the bedrooms Pierattelli Architecture came up with a high walnut headboard, which helps to relieve the feeling of a narrow well, inevitable for a room with such high shelves. In the master bedroom, a dressing room is hidden behind a walnut headboard.

Two bathrooms are decorated with different types of travertine — classic light brown was chosen for the main bathroom, moon blue for the guest bathroom. A spiral staircase leads to the second level, where there is a hammam.

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

The frescoes of the fifteenth century, which prompted the architects to color the interior, have been preserved in the palazzo only fragmentary, but the floors of Tuscan terracotta are in excellent condition. The works of the "traveling photographer" Herve Saint-Elie, hung in different places of the apartment, do not argue with these artifacts at all, but, on the contrary, emphasize their authenticity and value.

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

Photo

Iuri Niccolai

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