High ceilings and contemporary boiserie in a Ligurian apartment

High ceilings and contemporary boiserie in a Ligurian apartment

by | Jun 26, 2018 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, KITCHEN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA

The interiors of the past were characterized by the presence of high ceilings, which in a contemporary perspective risk making houses disproportionate in the perception of spaces.

A possible solution can be to introduce a counter-wall capable of keeping the original structure intact but revolutionizing the interior spaces by providing them with a new height.

 

THE CONTEXT
THE INTERVENTION
LIVING ROOM AND KITCHEN
BEDROOM
BATHROOM
COLOURS AND MATERIALS

 

THE CONTEXT

Liguria is the sea with high, rocky and jagged coasts, but also the region with ancient culinary traditions and small towns close to the hills.

Characterized by small historical cities, it responds to a still traditional setting with houses often placed against each other and narrow passages to take the most advantage from the spaces.

For this reason, most of the interiors are currently dated and difficult to expand.

As in most old houses, the ceilings are very high and can modify the perception of the spaces.

Characteristic spreads throughout Italy, whose solutions can vary considerably depending on the context. Sometimes taking advantage of verticality can be the design choice capable of characterizing the project, as in the case of this New York Apartment

However, in case of small spaces, the already very high ceilings are further accentuated by the planimetric dimensions of the interiors.

dining room high ceiling

THE INTERVENTION

The design project aims to restore the right eight to each room, while giving a fresh and contemporary look. Working on the internal heights was possible through the use of a wall covering, a boiserie whose height of 240cm re-establishes the usual proportion of the rooms, allowing in the same time, to keep the original structure intact.

It is exactly on this fundamental feature that the renovation of apartment is based: building a sort of exoskeleton able to maintain the original ceilings and making it equipped where necessary. At the same time, it creates an internal setting that respond to the customer’s needs.

The intervention involved all the rooms of the apartment, of which however the kitchen and the bathroom were affected in a reduced way because they preserve original in the internal height.

wooden kitchen countertop
living room high ceiling recess glass shwcase
kitchen countertop wood
wood dining table high ceiling
high ceiling false ceiling closed
high ceiling false ceiling open

LIVING ROOM AND KITCHEN

Starting from the entrance, the new compact structure of boiserie encloses the false ceiling with zenithal lighting.

The difference between the original and the reconstructed height is still accessible and serves as a storage element. In doing so, it’s takes the most advantage from the existing space, providing greater functionality.

The living room was instead equipped with a niche used as laundry room, flanked by a small glass showcase embedded in the double wall.

Turning instead to the kitchen room, it is the shaped laminated wood with light colours that gives a touch of freshness and modernity, recalling the chromatic shade of wood used for the dining table. Wall and storage unites fill the remaining gaps by taking the most of every corner of the small apartment, without making it oppressive.

wardrobe open bedroom
bedroom boiserie
bedroom boiserie high ceiling

BEDROOM

The use of the full-height boiserie allows the bedroom to better hide the service wardrobes.

Organized along two corner walls, they consist of niches with multiple functions capable of containing drawers, hangers and shelves at different height. In the same way, the television is also included in a special custom-made niche.

The extreme functionality of the corner wardrobe becomes an extremely stylistic clean and contemporary element in this design system. Added to this, the backlit false ceiling is able to provide diffused and elegant lighting.

In order to give greater dynamism and personality to the boiserie, horizontal cuts were inserted to create an innovate stylistic linearity. It is also possible to equip these horizontal cuts with possible supports, to make the bedroom even more functional.

sink design Ligurian apartment
bathroom high ceiling
furniture bathroom drawers

BATHROOM

Evoking the use of laminated wood that characterizes the kitchen countertop and the display elements of the living room near the dining table. Even the bathroom is characterized by a contemporary and extremely fresh stylistic element. The storage units host a niche for the washing machine and a chest of drawers with marked edge that perfectly fits with neutral tones of the room.

COLOURS AND MATERIALS

Concerning the chromatic and material choice, we opted for a project in continuity between different rooms. The textured laminated wood was chosen for both the walls and furnishing elements, whose texture recalling that of the fabrics, gives greater domesticity and softness to the interiors. A contemporary aspect that can also be found in the neutral shades adopted: two different shades of gray which create a very elegant internal movement.

Finally, the introduction of laminated wood in the living room and in the bathroom gives a decisive touch able to make the environment younger. It is exactly in these two rooms that the high ceilings have been maintained.

dining table and glass showcase

Wood as an element to experiment with

Wood as an element to experiment with

by | Feb 1, 2018 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, LIVING AREA, PRODUCT DESIGN, WORK IN PROGRESS

Wood is a versatile, varied and extremely suitable material to be “experimented” in the most particular shapes and combinations.

THE ART OF INLAY

The skill of our craftsmen is also evident in these unusual works, which recall an art now dormant with time, the one of inlay. We are from Bergamo, wa are descendant of the best carpenters in Italy, we can enjoy every day some of the most important inlays at national level. Entering the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Città Alta is enougth and, looking at the Choir, observe the magnificent creations designed by Lorenzo Lotto. A small digression to underline these works, which request is now even more reduced, but a demostration of painstaking work, patience and dedication. Here we have created the top of a window in the living area by flanking, on all its thickness, various types of wood which are then joined with a sunburst to create the motif of a shining sun.

 
windowsill wooden inlay works
Front view windowsill wood
Side view windowsill inlay works

RAW CHANDELIER

A wooden board with its materic bark has a timeless charm. For that it’s coming back into fashion and it often happens to see, not only in the alpine environment, but also in trendy clubs or in town houses, tables in the raw state. Are exactly their characteristic bark, their knots left rough and some imperfections of the surface, such as reliefs or burrows to make them recognizable. But why not provide other furnishing elements with this particular style? Here we propose one of our laboratory experiments: a lamp with a rounded central slot that houses a strip LED and a thin, taut cable unites it gently on the ceiling. Te material we have chosen is a warm and comfortable wood, the fir. Its rough exposed veins  its natural state and the shades of the wood that lighten towards the external sides are clearly visible.

 
fir wood chandelier off
fir wood chandelier on
fir chandelier detail

Work in progress of particular furniture

Work in progress of particular furniture

by | Nov 24, 2017 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, PRODUCT DESIGN, WORK IN PROGRESS

Two coffee tables of various heights and a headboard. Details and materials chosen and studied for unique furniture accessories.

 

FURNITURE ACCESSORIES

Where the offer, in recent years, of furniture accessories of any kind and type is not lacking and overwhelmingly invades the market, we find ourselves having more and more requests for small customized elements. Probably in a saturated market our customers are increasingly feeling the need to have unique objects by their side. In this particular case we realized, on the project of a prestigious studio based in Milan, tables for the living area and a headboard for the sleeping area. Refined furniture accessories to be sent to UK.  

BRONZED BRASS

  Brass is a very soft and malleable material, for years forgotten and only now back in fashion. Its natural finish is very impactful, its bright, yellowish color and is very difficult to combine inside a house, so are often used different finishes of brass, such as bronzed. Burnishing is the surface coloring of a metal that is practiced either through galvanic baths or with particular stabilizing paints, both allow to provide both protection against oxidation to the metal but also a different chromatic characteristic. The bronzed brass turns out to be darker and more varied, but does not turn absolutely to green, as happens instead to the oxidized brass. Here we can see beautiful tables made with a profile and a base in bronzed brass and in the center, a surface in a delicate powder pink Lacobel and an antique mirror. The cylindrical base of different diameters and heights has been painted in two shades, one medium gray for the highest table and the other black for the wider and lower table.  

bronzed brass furniture accessories

HEADBOARD

  The headboard of the back bed, on the other hand, has been pantographed in a style that is very reminiscent of the Liberty of the late ‘800, characterized by flexible shapes that reflect nature and its sweetness. The wooden structure was then painted in matt black and in its central part there is an insert in vienna straw.  

headboard furniture accessories

The beauty of hand-drawn projects

The beauty of hand-drawn projects

by | Nov 7, 2017 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, PRODUCT DESIGN

In the race for progress there are still those who remain tied to the art of manual drawing which preserves its timeless charm. The hand-drawn project are able to comunicate authenticity and to estabilish an almost intimate relationship.

THE ART OF DRAWING

New technologies have greatly simplified the design of a project. We still remember the times when all the drawings were made by hand: top, front and side views, and even prospects, each modification involved the redesign of all the views and rolls on rolls of paper with revisions of a single project were stacked in a corner. There were drafting machines in the studios, we worked on sheets of transparent paper so that we could speed up the new changes and once finished, with a heliostatic roller machine, disseminating ammonia odor throughout the study, the drawing was transferred to a roll of bluish paper ready to be trimmed and then hand-colored with watercolors or pastels. In the past 15-20 years everything has changed, the programs have evolved to such an extent that there are now three-dimensional creations that seem to be true  photographs of the furniture made and very few have preserved the art of manual design. Among these rare cases is the studio of the architect Pierluigi Fasoli and we want to share with you his projects that still retain the charm of the past. At this link you can view the photos of the whole project. Below the plan of the house, divided into zones and with a small explanation that recalls the interventions carried out in the different areas.

hand-drawn project

Below the kitchen project and a watercolor perspective that defines its style and materials. On the side, the visual suggestion for the furnishing accessories, in this case the chairs to be combined with the master table. At the end, a photo, in a slightly different view of the final creation.

 
hand-drawn project kitchen
realized kitchen

And here is also the living area, with its detailed design that also sees the candlestick in the center of the table in the dining area. Follows an image of the living room made in detail. Not present in the project drawing but added later the particular rear wall in matt black shaped MDF. In its surface, entrance door of the studio also covered with the same finishing.

hand-drawn project living room
realization living room

To finish the project of the studio and the image of its realization, in which we wanted to recover an existing library furniture, restored and painted in white so as not to weigh down these refreshed and lightened spaces too much.

hand-drawn project studio
studio realized

A quick ovrview of the 40 Years of Modulor

A quick ovrview of the 40 Years of Modulor

by | Sep 11, 2016 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, PRODUCT DESIGN, SPEAKING OF US

Today we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of foundation of Modulor! Exactly forty years ago the young Carla started her business in a small shed in Torre Boldone.

40 years Modulor graphic

In those years she has lived, observed and taken inspiration for his projects from the furnishing trends that have followed one another quickly. But what has changed in people’s taste over the years? Carla grows with the eccentricity of the 60s. An explosion of colors as a response to the austerities of the war, the term kitsch is coined precisely because of these contrasting combinations. There are geometric patterns in the floors and plastic is chosen as an innovative and exclusive material, to be used in any sphere and shape. Ps: Remember that in the 60s Andy Warhol’s Pop Art was born with the exaltation of the main symbols of the consumer society. In the 70s the teenager Carla participated in the Hippie movement also called “Children of the flowers”. The unbridled use of floral symbols and geometric and psychedelic shapes are the fundamental stylistic signatures of those years. The plastic is put aside for a moment and in its place more traditional materials are reintroduced, such as leather. The latter is mainly used in its natural color and metals.

 

THE CAREFULNESS OF THE 80’S

And finally we arrive at the doors of the 80s when the Modulor Company was born with the aim to become a guideline for architecture and interior design on a human scale, relating in harmony and in symbiosis with the needs of its customers. The term “Le Modulor” is coined directly by Le Corbusier around the 50s of the twentieth century, which defines a scale of proportions derived from human measurements. What was avant-garde forty years ago, is now back in fashion. A style characterized by the permanence of bright colors, sometimes even in opaque colors and the use of a mix of contrasting materials, which find themselves happily living together in the same room. In furnishing accessories, handles and profiles, in wood or metal, take importance. In fact, they are not left in a natural finish but painted in colors such as red, very fashionable, or even green and black. The living area becomes the fulcrum of the home and there cannot be missing large leather sofas, chairs and designer lamps. It is precisely in recent years that there is a surge in the production and variety of design objects for the living area. Deserving of mention, the famous pop works of Alessandro Mendini, while for the most sought after, we remember icons of design with a modern style. Achille Castiglioni’s unforgettable Arco or Parentesi, Marcel Breuer’s Wassily armchair, or Mies Van der Rohe’s Barcellona are just a few examples. The first soft colors are also introduced and the new material that takes the place of traditional glass is synthetic plexiglass.

 
80s Modulor
bed 80s

SOBRIETY IS BACK IN THE 90’S

The furniture leaves the rounded shapes and sinuous lines that had distinguished them in previous years to return to simple, essential and minimal geometric shapes. Smooth and shiny surfaces are in fashion, here in fact the first bases are laid for what will be the essence of contemporary furniture. The colored plastic makes space entirely for classic materials such as glass, wood and wrought iron. Even the bright colors of previous years leave room for the soft hues, which from the walls expand to the furnishings and accessories. An explosion of beige, blush and pure white that sometimes matches with dark colors such as anthracite gray and black. The carpet and the parquet, two opposite floors live in harmony and the colored synthetic fur spreads mainly on armchairs and poufs as material. The functionality of the elements, which are designed for the purpose of the activity to be carried out by them, still leave room for creativity, especially in the original and unique forms.  

kitchen 90s Modulor
living room 90s

THE YEARS 2000 AND THE MULTIFUNCTIONALITY

The sizes of the houses are reduced in the projects of new apartments. The airy houses of the previous eras are downsized according to need and practicality. This entails rethinking the different furniture with a view to maximizing optimization for spaces and functions favouring convertible sofa beds, extendable tables and consoles. The materials become more flexible and lighter. There is in fact the passage from solid wood, heavy and subject to deformations related to humidity, towards the MDF or blockboard, a high quality compound excellent for lacquering. Various furnishing trends are beginning to emerge such as Urban or Hi-Tech, which leave space to essential lines and industrial materials. Technology officially enters the world of interior design, becoming a functional and aesthetic feature. In total opposition, the Bohemian style is back in vogue and the Shabby Chic is born, the “elegant scruffy”. Vintage antique furniture dominates the interior of the house, defining a retro taste revisited in a contemporary perspective.

steel kitchen Modulor
velvet and metals living

MODULOR PREPARES TO FACE THE NEW STYLISTIC CHALLENGES OF THE BECOMING YEARS

What will the trends of the coming years hold for us? Surely fashion will increasingly become part of all areas related to design, including the interior. The trendy nuances will then dictate the rules, such as more feminine colors or green accents, which also recall the eco and bio trend. More and more wallpapers with geometric graphic will be used, which can already be found in tiles and accessories, or with large floral motifs. Velvet will be one of the materials that will characterize the years to come, being the perfect blend of luxury and comfort to which  different finishes of metallic materials, such as silver, gold, tin and copper will be matched.  

CONCLUSIONS

In all these years curiosity has never left Carla who today, with all of us, is looking forward to discovering what the new trends are and offering them enthusiastically to her customers. The 40 years of Modulor’s activity are only a starting point and an incentive for continuous growth and research. Ps: even if the years go by Carla is always young, she’s never gets old 🙂

Restyling of the living room between ancient and contemporary

Restyling of the living room between ancient and contemporary

by | Apr 10, 2016 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT

The ancient and the contemporary styles harmonize in the renovation of the living area of this house with a classic taste. An intervention that revised the layout of the entrance in favour of greater functionality and visual elegance of the external façade. A new interior layout of the living room has also been designed and a new look in order to communicate with the antique furniture existing. The old layout of this classic style private residence had the main entrance raised above the remaining rooms. The landing took place on a mezzanine level in correspondence with the staircase leading to the night area.  In doing so, an entrance area was certainly identified, separating from the rest of the rooms. The raised position compromised its functionality.

new entrance ancient contemporary 01

THE NEW ENTRANCE

By bringing the main entrance to the ground floor, on the same level as the living room, the renovation also involved the appearance of the external façade, restoring visual balance. A wall equipped with a recessed showcase therefore closed the previous entrance area. This showcase is in an extremely essential style, with glass shelves and closure in order to show small collectibles.  At the same time, it lightens the closing wall and constitutes an excellent protection element considering the raised position. To define an area that can act as a filter between the exposure of the external space and the privacy of the internal rooms, we chose a false ceiling with punctual lights. This visually detaches itself from the remaining ceiling both for a difference in the real and perceived height, and for the backlight, that underlines its borders. In order to delimit this room with the adjacent living room, a wardrobe took place with doors salvaged from an old wardrobe. The plasterboard structure gives more solidity to the furniture that naturally fits into the context as a sort of equipped dividing wall. The dark wooden doors of the eighteenth century, in addition to being an antique furniture to deserve greater visibility, relates consistently to the other old existing furniture. Like a sort of chamber of wonders, a wunderkammer to resume historical and artistic terminology, the interior holds a surprise. A gold wallpaper recovers all walls whit its contemporary graphics but classic in style. The best representation of the match between contemporary and ancient that characterizes the project concept. Glass shelves are attached to the external structure and act as a connection with the entrance wall, recalling the style of the showcase.

 
entrance ancient wardrobe
wardrobe closed doors
wardrobe open doors

LIVING ROOM

The living room has been modifies in its layout and slightly enlarged. This meant that the dividing wall with the dining room could be equipped with contemporary furniture capable of perfectly fit with the room. In particular, it consists of an essential TV cabinet n white lacquered MDF with upper glass wall units. A recurring material in the entrance and living room. Placed on the corner, instead a library alternates empty elements with full volumes whose colours reflect the medium gray of the plaster and the white of the contemporary furniture. An often-winning combination, both as concerning the reinterpretation of modern classic style, and in a contemporary perspective. The colour match is also visible in the choice of the new gray leather sofas that stand out against the white back wall. Beyond the dividing wall of the living room, there is the dining room with an important, linear and extremely elegant dining table covered with gold leaves. The real treasure of this room. It matches with classic dark leather seats that perfectly relate to the colour choice. An antique dark walnut storage units recovered from other rooms, relates to these, further enhancing the dining room.

 
living room ancient contemporary
tv cabinet library living room
dining room table golden leaves ancient furniture

Ancient and contemporary can perfectly match creating suggestive environments. Here is another example, in this case surrounded by a citrus grove in Sicily. Click here to be fascinated by.