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Architects: CMTarchitetti
- Area: 140 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Vito Corvasce
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Manufacturers: Natevo, Antonio Lupi, Cesar Flooring, Desalto, Ditre Italia, FLOS, HD Surface, La Falegnami, Lasaidea, Maraffon Serramenti, OLIVARI, Poltrona Frau
Text description provided by the architects. The apartment subject to restoration and interior design is located within Palazzo Rinuccini in the historic center of Siena. The building consists of the original core of a medieval tower‐house built between the 11th and 13th centuries, to which, in the early 13th century, an adjacent structure with residential use was added. The apartment is located on the second floor and consists of a living/dining area, a spacious kitchen with a central island, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a storage room.
The living room is entirely carved out within the rectangular‐shaped medieval tower, and the tower walls, which had been plastered and hidden over the years, were brought back to light through a careful restoration process. The monophore windows, which once served as the only external windows of the tower, have been exposed again. The walls feature alternating layers of two materials: cavernous limestone with "filaretto" masonry and brick. This two‐tone effect was not only a constructive solution but also a genuine aesthetic detail.
To enhance the masonry of the space, we chose to keep the other elements as minimal as possible. Thus, the floor is made of satin‐finish resin in a non‐reflective light beige color, produced by Hd Surface, while the ceiling, with beams of elm wood and terracotta tiles, was treated with lime to desaturate the colors. The living room also leads, through a flush‐mounted door plastered with natural lime, to a guest bathroom created within the thickness of the tower's masonry. The old, bricked‐up monophore window is now an illuminated mirror by Antonio Lupi, and the free‐standing orange glass sink with a cork base and floor‐mounted faucet is also by Antonio Lupi.
The kitchen is located in an extension built in the 12th century, adjacent to the medieval tower house. The stone masonry inside represents what was once the external facade of the tower. The design includes a large central island, measuring 360x120, with a beige ceramic top and dark Tuscan elm wood side elements. Similarly, the kitchen floor is made of resin, and the ceiling is the original medieval one, with ancient elm beams and terracotta tiles treated with natural lime. The sleeping area consists of two bedrooms, one double and one single, and a bathroom located between the two rooms. The master bedroom has a natural oak plank parquet floor, walls in natural lime-colored paste, and a ceiling with wooden beams and terracotta tiles, also treated with lime. The single bedroom has the same finishes as the master bedroom but features a stone wall beside the bed, which was once one of the external walls of the medieval tower house.
