The warmth of home above Catania’s rooftops

A home from home is what guests are increasingly looking for when choosing accommodation, whether they are travelling for business or for leisure. This was the concept that guided the architects of Iraci Architetti in their project for this small hotel in the old city centre of Catania, appropriately named Meo Design Suite and Spa («meo» in Catania’s local dialect means «my»). But most importantly, the architects succeeded in reconciling a modern vision of interior design with the building’s historical location, the baroque heart of the city. «The presence of contemporary elements has always been part of our approach to architecture, even when the existing structures have a historical character,» explains architect Antonio Iraci. «Our approach is always the same: respecting the existing architecture while introducing a contemporary design that maintains a slight distance, without affecting the sense of history of the place.» The 350 square metre facility consists of 7 guest rooms of different sizes and a spa. The rooms are clean and minimalist in design but have a warm, welcoming atmosphere thanks to the use of neutral earthtones for the surfaces, fabrics and furniture. With its design elements, strategic lighting and a stunning view over the rooftops of the old town, this small jewel of hospitality offers guests the sensation of being in a warm, familiar place, an unexpected home from home. «Our aim was to transform a single living space into several individual rooms of perfect size for a small hotel,» says the architect. «The first step was to raise the floor level in some of the areas in order to fit the waste pipes for the new bathrooms, a structural feature that also has the important aesthetic function of improving the view from the rooms looking out onto the historic Via Etnea.» For the important choice of surface coverings, the architects opted for the I Naturali, Calce and Seta collections in earth tones from Laminam, a choice that is consistent with their design philosophy. «Starting out from the neutral cement white floor, we chose tiles from Laminam to create unique and highly diverse rooms that would blend in effectively with their surroundings. While carefully evaluating a series of interrelated factors such as exposure, openings, heights and shadows, we selected the colours and textures that would create the desired aesthetic effect right from the design stage. The end result is exactly what we were looking for.»