Clean, Precise Interiors Complement the 17th-Century Shell of an Italian Seafarer’s Apartment
With a fluid, meandering plan, House for a Sea Dog is the perfect antidote to the homeowner’s cramped quarters on water.
With a fluid, meandering plan, House for a Sea Dog is the perfect antidote to the homeowner’s cramped quarters on water.
The historic center of the Italian port city of Genoa is a labyrinth of alleyways. Overlooking these colorful, narrow thoroughfares, through a 300-year-old door, is an apartment occupying the two upper levels of a former palace from the 1600s. Meticulously renovated by Dodi Moss, the contemporary home for a naval engineer still carries a 17th-century patina.
The teak terraces recall a ship’s deck. "This was a way to create a link to the client’s life at sea and to connect to the surrounding city of Genoa, where boats are an integral part of its history," says architect Matteo Rocca.
Photo: Anna Positano
"Given the originality of the urban context, we wanted to give maximum importance to the expressive aspects of the building shell and structure," says architect Matteo Roca. "Priority was given to restoring the wooden ceiling, maintaining the bare walls of the attic, the windows, and the relationship with the other roof-scapes."
The reading room’s custom bookcase is made of white lacquered wood. A vintage chair and an Arco lamp from FLOS create a cozy, illuminated nook.
Photo: Anna Positano
The black slate staircase draws the eye upwards to the wooden ceiling, which took six months to restore. Dodi Moss "treated it just like an intervention on a work of art, as a testimony of and investigation into the skill with which it had been created."
Photo: Anna Positano
See the full story on Dwell.com: Clean, Precise Interiors Complement the 17th-Century Shell of an Italian Seafarer’s Apartment
Related stories:
