Timeless comfort

«Each renovation project is a challenge involving imagination, innovation and the quest for simplicity in terms of materials, colours and finishes,» commented architects Maria Rosaria Mongelli and Antonio Giulio Loforese from local practice LOMO Architecture when describing their renovation project for an apartment in the southern Italian city of Matera. The city famous for its Sassi or stone houses was the setting for one of the latest restoration projects carried out by the practice. Founded in Matera in 2013, the firm oversees every project stage from urban planning through to the smallest design details, focusing in particular on renovation, restoration and integration of the ancient and contemporary aspects of the architecture. «The property is located on the mezzanine floor and comprises a total floor space of around 125 square metres,» explained the architects. «It consists of a kitchen with kitchenette and fully-functional veranda, large living room, entrance and hallway leading to the sleeping area, which in turn consists of 2 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms with balconies. The apartment was completely lacking in technological or architectural solutions for saving energy or for improving energy efficiency. For example, most of the windows were still single-glazed with a wood frame. The apartment was also located directly above the ground-floor garages without any kind of insulation to improve thermal performance.» For these and other reason, restructuring work had to be carried out to improve energy efficiency. As for distribution, the layout now has a clear division between the sleeping and living areas. The entrance door opens directly onto the airy living room, which thanks to the large clearance between the floors (the entire apartment has a height of 2.97 metres) has a very spacious feel. Here there is a dining table, while a second more informal one is located in the kitchen area. The kitchen is located in a separate room and although fairly small is fully equipped and habitable, as well as being illuminated by a large window. This space also houses a laundry room. An elongated bathroom adjacent to the hallway door separates the living room and the sleeping area. This door opens onto a small corridor with fitted wardrobes which in turn leads to the three bedrooms, two of which are doubles, and a second bathroom. The floors in part of the living area and the bathrooms reference the colours of local stone and consist of the Livings Stones tile collection from BluStyle by Cotto d’Este chosen in a 90×90 cm size, Stone Beach version, Tramonto colour and the sophisticated vein effects typical of Chamesson limestone. The two bathrooms are fitted with sanitaryware from Catalano, while the taps and mixers were made by Treemme (stainless steel, 22 mm model designed by Emanuele Gargano, Marco Fagioli and Giampiero Castagnoli) and IB rubinetterie (Batlo’ line, a classic model designed by Giulio Iacchetti). To conclude, the architects chose an architectural style based on clean lines and contemporary materials, creating a visually-striking result where the harmony of forms and colours enhances the elegance of the spaces.