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When we visited the building for the first time, despite its condition of neglet, we immediatly understood the great possibilities that it could offer, speaking both in terms of structure and in matter of aestethic features.
The building is a traditional local mansion of the 18th century located in a strategic area of the city of Lecce and develops onto three levels: the ground floor dates back to the late 1700 while the upper floors have been added around the ‘70s. So we chose to develop the concept by keeping the connection between tradition and playful, colorful details.
We identified 14 apartments in the building and, according to the needs of the client, we designed them as home suites that combine the comfort of a house with the services and the quality standards offered by an hotel.
The building is located in a strategic area of the city, just few minute walk from the center of Lecce. The facade of the building appears as a typical gate in Leccese limestone but we decided to give a little twist to it by introducing blue window fixtures and railing. The same blue has been used to restore the original massive entrance door. The central Mediterranean patio is the core of the mansion that gives access to the apartments located at the ground floor while it is where the upper floors overlook. It is a small hence elegant, quiet space, enhanced by the use of traditional colours and materials with contemporary hints. For the covering it has been used a modern interpretation of the local limestone of Lecce.
During the first walk-in in the building with the clients we immediatly perceived the beauty and the high aestethic potencial of some of the materials and the furniture we found in the rooms. For example, the decorated local cement tiles pavement of the bedrooms at the groundfloors has been removed, regenerated and used as heads for the beds. In every room there is at least one piece of antique forniture already belonging to the building that has been masterly restored.
Morover, all apartments are equiped with the best features to make the whole building work efficiently in terms of energy.
The building develops onto three levels: the apartments at the ground floor present high pavilion vaults and have been treated differently from the levels above, in matter of colours and materials chosen. Blue and gold surfaces are the common thread between the three floors.
The staircase that leads to the upper floors is probably the most poetic element of the whole building. The original handrail has been replaced by a series of amber-colored reflecting glass panels, which create an interesting and dreamy light trick.
The six flats located at the groundfloor are characterized by high ceilings and soft colors. The cream colored low-contrast terrazzo flooring and luminous white walls are enriched by green tiles of different gradients and shapes, that is possible to find as a covering for the bathroom and the kitchen.
If the use of soft colors was the peculiarity of the ground floor’s flats, a different approach was taken for the apartments on the higher levels. In fact, here, the observer is captured by the presence of vivid colors, playful materials, fine lighting systems and soft shapes. Here, it is possible to find a modern interpretation of traditional materials, such as the eye-catching terrazzo texture used in the bathrooms and in small amount in the whole apartment. Some hints of blue and yellow enhance the ceilings, the inner curve of the arches and to give emphasis to some walls.
LivingU is part of Santa Marta Collection, our group of accommodation facilities around Lecce. When we bought it, the building was in a bad condition and we would have never imagined that in less than two years it would have look so charming, modern and cozy and able to host people from all over the world. We decided to trust the architects of Archistart Studio whose ideas perfectly met our tastes and philosophy, and helped us achieve one of our biggest challenges.
Archistart Studio is a team of architects, engineers and designers founded in 2015, located in Lecce and Milano, who investigate, through a research activity, in a collaborative and multidisciplinary dimension, the relationship between the users and the spaces where they live, work and interact.
Among the several projects developed, the studio has won awards in various international competitions. Currently the team is developing many regeneration projects alongside private and public administration. Currently the studio has collaborations with national and international companies and design studios.
