With a fireplace located dead centre in an open space social area, Menichetti+Caldarelli Architetti decided to turn it into a one of a kind statement piece that is as much a modern sculpture as it is a functional heating device. Thinking outside the box (which in this case is a fireplace) the architects continued the burnished brass design into a dropped ceiling filled with circular voids that play off of the cantilevered stairwell next to it.

The use of positive and negative space to create design features was used throughout the home as in the display unit/room divider next to the fireplace and the Air Table used in the dining room.

The open cubbies in the display unit allow natural daylight to pass through into the room on the other side while the closed wood sections asymmetrically balance the drama of the fireplace.

The display unit is over height and slices through the floor above, acting as a balustrade to the mezzanine above.

The oversized tufting on the sofa was chosen first to be visible from the dining area on the other side of the fireplace, and second to continue the concept of repeating patterns visible in the fireplace ceiling detail, the display unit and the stairwell.

The oversized dining pendants repeat both the circular motif and the repeating pattern but by being white don’t make a demanding visual statement, allowing the fireplace, the display unit and the stairwell to remain the main architectural design features.

The Air Table by Daniele Lago  appears to have a suspended wood top thanks to the glass sheet legs. Again, showing the ability of Menichetti+Caldarelli Architetti to successfully play with positive and negative shapes.

The light pendants over the dining room table are repeated in another pairing over the kitchen island on the other side of a storage wall. This continues not only the repeating pattern, but the asymmetrical layout in width as well as length of the home.

The asymmetry of the home has its centre point under the burnished brass canopy of the fireplace.

Since the stairwell is visually overpowered by the fireplace, a large vase in indigo blue stands tall at its base as if to say, “here I am”. It’s such a simple way to create balance, rhythm and harmony.

Glass is used as a repeating element in the dining room table base and in the stairwell balustrade.

The glass balustrade, pale wood treads and lack of risers helps keep the stairwell light and bright.

Upstairs the master bedroom is just as dramatic as the downstairs thanks to the clever use of wallpaper and tile.

A panel of wall paper has been installed horizontally around the room on a panel with lighting hidden along its bottom and top edges.

In the bathroom, tiles in corresponding colours add a vivid pattern to a wall in the shower and outside of the shower.

Menichetti+Caldarelli Architetti
Photography by Paolo Tosti
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