Pierattelli Architetture recently designed a small apartment in the centre of Florence. The 50-square-metre flat combines absence and presence, function and form, comfort and perspective.
A restrained entrance opens onto a surprisingly large, double-height room, in which the vertical dimension contrasts with the horizontal main room below, used as a living area. The arch becomes a scenic backdrop framing both kitchen and living room and determining the volumetric relationships between both spaces. In the centre, the Arclinea kitchen watches over the living area.
You go up to the sleeping area by a cantilevered staircase whose lacquered iron structure also supports a craftsman-made fixed bike. The apartment's jewel is the tiny window through which you can admire the dome of the Renaissance church of Santo Spirito.
The choice of materials, colors and finishes is dictated by the need to maximise the permanence of light. A palette of pale colours has been favored throughout the dwelling, with the exception of the indigo blue wall and the matching sofa, which, by contrast, characterise the entire project.
Photography: Iuri Niccolai