A visit to a penthouse in Rome

Only 900 square feet but open to a large terrace in the centre of Rome, this is an apartment that I particularly like, for its harmonious mix of antiques and iconic pieces of modern design, for the natural light coming through the large windows, for the classic wood floor and detailed ceiling, for the chosen color palette on the theme of chiaro-scuro, finally for the choice of colorful art on the wall.

The living area: white walls were chosen, as in the whole apartment, to dramatically show the black leather of Le Corbusier sofa by Cassina and the Barcelona chairs designed by Mies Van Der Rohe and produced by Knoll, the antique mirror is placed above the fireplace, not my favorite choice, since usually they only reflect boring ceilings when you are sitting down.

But let’s continue the tour…

The dining area: we can see the timeless Saarinen table, on the right the Toio lamp designed by Castiglioni for Flos, contrasting but not visually fighting with a classic chandelier and as a splash of color a surrealist oil painting in a vibrant hue. A great combination of styles.

Before going up the stairs to the mezzanine…be sure to appreciate the colors of the beautiful Murano glasses  on the chest.

The study:  an antique desk, probably XVIII century, and a Thonet chair, a small abstract painting adorns the wall, in scale with the limited space of this area.

Another view of the living room from above, note the colors of the art on the walls, giving life to the otherwise monochromatic scheme, the Carrara marble on the Saarinen table can be appreciated more from here for its beautiful swirls and veins.

The kitchen: would you need stainless steel, thick granite, the latest gadgets in this kitchen? or the view itself will elevate this simple but functional working area to sublime? The church cupola is a real work of art framed by the window.

The bedroom:  another example of how to successfully mix different styles, with an XVIII century nightstand and a classic English table lamp. Pure white bed linens against the dark antique Chinese screen recall the color scheme of the whole apartment.

Our tour now ends in this magnificent terrace where I would love to be right now, to absorb the warmth of the sun or to relax in the shade of the central area, enjoying the splendid lights of a Roman summer day or one of the glorious Roman sunsets.

Photography by Adriano Brusaferri

©2011 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things".


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