Renovation of a neoclassicist apartment in Turin – Casa Perla
Renovating a historic building is always a challenge for (interior) architects. A house’s heritage needs to be preserved whilst meeting the client’s desire for contemporary living comfort and functionality. The “Casa Perla” project by the young Turin architect Carola Ribotta serves as an impressive example of how such a project can be successfully achieved with a great deal of finesse.
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Turin, capital of the northern Italian province of Piedmont, attracts visitors with a mixture of architectural elegance, dating from the time when Turin was once the capital of the Savoy royal family, and Italian lifestyle. Numerous city palaces, castles, wide, arcade-lined boulevards and squares bear witness to this once glorious era and now belong to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
We are right in the middle of the historic centre. As soon as we leave the lively and hectic Via Po, with its boutiques and cafés, into one of the side streets, it becomes noticeably quieter. This is where the “Casa Perla” is located in a historic palazzo in neoclassical style.
The high rooms impress with a special feature and a challenge at the same time: vaults! This combination was thus at the centre of Carola Ribotta’s project. It was her aim to retain the antique elements and enrich them with a few contemporary details using NOËL & MARQUET products.
“The project had to have a clear central theme, all rooms had to enter into dialogue with each other and harmonise”.
– Carola Ribotta, Architect and interior designer
For this reason, various rooms in the flat have been fitted with profiles that blend harmoniously with the historic stucco elements. In the hallway, a frame of profiles for indirect lighting (IL 9 MEMORY) was used to emphasise and highlight the vaulted ceiling. On the wall, the PUZZLE Wall Tiles give the wall character. The three-dimensional design element can be applied in different ways, providing plenty of individuality.
“I often recommend these profiles in my renovation or remodelling projects, as they allow you to design the house or specific rooms according to the taste of its occupants. There are endless design possibilities, so let your imagination run wild!” – Carola Ribotta
In the bedroom, the profiles add a personal touch to the space behind the bed. The chair rails were placed on a wall cupboard that had been primed and painted to match the colour of the walls. The ease and relative speed with which the chair rails can be installed means that you can decide to add profiles or make changes as you go along. This was the case for the frames in this bedroom too. At the time of the initial design, neither this profile nor this design were planned. As you can see, the ceiling and wall frames are in perfect harmony with each other, even though they date from different periods.
“Chair rails are a great way to add movement and character to the walls of a room”. – Carola Ribotta
However, the obvious highlight is the living room. The huge, vaulted ceiling is highlighted by a modern, filigree round light and lateral cornices with indirect lighting. The surrounding stucco frame in the vaulted ceiling was almost irretrievably lost. Only individual pieces and the 4 ornate corners were left. By combining Z10 ARSTYL profiles and the matching Z104 ARSTYL decorative elements, it was possible to restore the whole arrangement.
On the main wall, the frames (Z10) are also painted in the same colour as the wall. Here they are interrupted to create space for the living room furniture and then continued at the bottom. The ability to cut and join the profiles allows for an infinite number of solutions and designs.
The careful selection of profiles is complemented by the FL1 WALLSTYL skirtings, which are also in the same colour as the wall to give it continuity. The skirtings harmonise with the high-quality parquet flooring without being obtrusive.
Carola Ribotta about herself
I approach every project as if it were my own home and try to find the right balance between functionality, aesthetics and, last but not least, budget. Interior design is my passion, I have been breathing “interior air” since I was a little girl accompanying my father (owner of a furniture shop) to the “Salone del mobile” and dreaming of becoming an architect and interior designer one day.
I support my clients in all phases of designing their homes. I meet with them at regular intervals to jointly evaluate the many planned solutions and guide them through all the decisions. I reassure them when they have doubts and guide them through the difficult choice of materials and finishes. I always tell my clients that the materials play an important role in the success of a project. I take care of every aspect with almost insane attention to detail. Nothing is left to chance. The aim is to create environments in which the client feels pampered and fulfilled.
