The remarkable metamorphosis of an old-fashioned house

Izelle du Pisanie Izelle du Pisanie
VILLA A GUARENE, architetto roberta castelli architetto roberta castelli Cocinas de estilo moderno
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Renovating houses allows us to change the reality of a dwelling, however obsolete it may be at this time, ensuring that its life is prolonged. However, when you draft a plan for renovating a house, it is necessary to analyse the different potential problems that may be involved, as well as to try and understand the potential inherent in the structure.

The Italian architect, Roberta Castelli was able to just this when she had been commissioned to renovate this villa built more than 25 years ago. Although the house had still been perfectly habitable, it lacked a modern flair, reluctant to adapt to the inhabitants’ contemporary lifestyle.

So, today on homify we bring you this very interesting and impressive before-and-after project, exhibiting the power of a well-planned and strategic renovation. Any old home can be given a new breath of life fit for the modern age, and here’s how…

Before: An outdated and banal kitchen

Who of us are not familiar with a kitchen such as we see here in the image above? Quite possibly, many of us are still subject to this type of prosaic cuisine every day ourselves.

Don’t get us wrong, there is nothing functionally wrong with this kitchen, although it can be optimised in terms of space. It does, however, look very drab and unfashionable. In addition, it is a space that is overburdened with permanent fixtures and other elements, making it highly cluttered and unpleasing to the eye.

25 years ago, this was certainly a dream kitchen, but with changing fashions, families now seek a minimalist space – light and airy without heavy furniture, egg yolk-yellow walls, or old-fashioned pottery.

The old lounge

Here we get a look at the lounge before the renovation. This room is adjacent to the kitchen, and the two were combined in the renovation, as we will see in the next image. This old lounge has a traditional sofa in dark leather, an armchair in a contrasting white, a modern glass coffee table and a Persian rug. Nothing terribly wrong with these individual furnishings, per se, but the arrangement of all these pieces together in this space seems very dull and outdated.

Although there are several decorative items in this room, like the tribal prints on the back wall, but there is no thread that ties it all together.

After: A kitchen for the modern age

The space we see before us in this image is completely different to the rooms we have seen before. The kitchen and the lounge were unified and now share the same space. This move has allowed the architects to win space and convenience for both areas. The minimalist style of this new area creates a pleasant contemporary setting.

In the foreground, we can see the kitchen counter which extends to compartmentalise the rest of the environment. From the kitchen counter, a dining table extends just a little lower than the counter itself. In this manner, a dining room is incorporated whilst space is treated economically.

At the lounge end of the space, the wall is covered in world map wallpaper design. This creative idea adds both character and depth to the space. Also notice the different layers on the ceiling which help to define the separate spaces in the area with different purposes.

The new kitchen continued

A strong geometric theme is visible in the room, with integrated volumes and elements to create a coherent whole. The ceiling also features crown moulding with an LED lighting scheme incorporated to give it the space a warm glow. Looking at this sparkling kitchen, it is difficult to remember how it was before the transformation. Don’t you agree?

Before: Living room and staircase

In this old distribution of the living room area, we can see sheltered corners and dead space. The darkly coloured furniture and the terracotta tiled floor makes the room look heavy and uncomfortable. The colour scheme of the area is so heavy, in fact, that the room seems dark even with a window.

Although the space is large and open, the furniture is anachronistic, and not fitting for a contemporary style home. It is almost like the owner wanted to hold on to several sentimental items which do not fit together very well. A good time for a change, we would say!

After: An open-planning dream

As we had mentioned before, the architects sought to create a relationship between the different room with the home’s renovation. At the back of the room we can see tinted glass doors open up to the kitchen area we saw at first. In the living room, the style of the kitchen is continued with neutral colours and light wooden finishes. These spaces relate to each other with fluidity, creating a visual entity.

The drab living room is transformed into the main space in the building, allowing for entertainment and socialisation.

Before: A disappointing bedroom

When we look at the master bedroom of the house before its transformation, it leaves much to be desired. Surely the owners did the best they could with what was available, but as we can see here, they did not have much to work with.

The walls are stark white, not at all ideal for a bedroom, and the space seem too restricted by the placement of furniture. The general atmosphere is dark and unwelcoming, much like the living room on the ground floor. No light, a lack of colour, a lack of comfort. There is certainly a lot missing in this main bedroom!

Now, a romantic escape

The renovation of this home had been a true enlightening, in every sense of the word! Not only are the spaces more sensible and streamlined, they are lighter in colour and atmosphere as well.

The new bedroom uses space much better, with limited ancillary furniture beside the bed. The colour scheme is neutral, and with the addition of a natural stone headboard, the room blends together in a calm and relaxing ensemble.

The lighting scheme also makes the new bedroom much more habitable. Firstly, the large window allows natural light to fill the room through the soft, sheer curtains. LED lights in the ceiling lights up the room, while bedside lamps allow for the creation of a much more intimate atmosphere when required.

For tips on how to make your own bedroom a romantic one, take a look at: this ideabook.

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