CASA CLARA AND CASA GIULIA: A PAIR OF CONTEMPORARY HOMES THAT BRING THE PAST TO LIFE
  1. Home
  2. Architecture
  3. CASA CLARA AND CASA GIULIA: A PAIR OF CONTEMPORARY HOMES THAT BRING THE PAST TO LIFE

CASA CLARA AND CASA GIULIA: A PAIR OF CONTEMPORARY HOMES THAT BRING THE PAST TO LIFE

TWO APARTMENTS FOR TWO BROTHERS CREATED IN THEIR OLD FAMILY HOME

SOA - Salvatore Oddo Architetto

CASA CLARA AND CASA GIULIA: A PAIR OF CONTEMPORARY HOMES THAT BRING THE PAST TO LIFE
By Editorial Staff -

The setting is an antique farmhouse full of rustic atmosphere in the countryside near Trapani, Sicily. The owners, two brothers, commissioned SOA – Salvatore Oddo Architetto to convert this beating heart of their family farm to adjoining apartments, Casa Clara and Casa Giulia.

The brothers’ brief was to bring the history of the home back to life as part of their daily lives, while also bringing the home into the present day.

The two adjoining residences are on the second floor of the home and accessed via a common entrance lit by a skylight,which replaced a small turret in the uppermost part of the roof. A staircase made of local stone leads from the garden to the common hallway, directly connecting the apartments to the outdoors. The scents, sun, and nature of the Sicilian countryside flood into both homes.

The renovation project centered on the theme of memory, with this reflected in the materials used for the surface finishes and walls, antique hand-painted ceramic tiles, and the collections of antique furnishings and family heirlooms.

Memories are placed side by side with the new in a seamless juxtaposition that creates a dialogue between the antique and modern, while still reflecting the different personalities of the two brothers.

>>> Discover Casa C, another farmhouse renovation project.

 

Two different projects with a shared building block: Casa Clara and …

Casa Clara, Salvatore Oddo Architetto ©Nanni Culotta, courtesy of Salvatore Oddo Architetto

Casa Clara is characterized by the use of wood as a new element introduced with the renovation. A parquet floor with large tiles creates a dialogue with the local ceramic floor tiles that define different areas, such as the fireplace and kitchen. A steel staircase with wooden treads leads to the bedrooms on the upper floor. Understated accents of color lend character to the rooms, where modern furnishings sit side by side with family antiques. The sometimes irregular and angular geometry of the spaces creates dynamic volumes and unexpected views.

 

… Casa Giulia

Casa Giulia, Salvatore Oddo Architetto ©Nanni Culotta, courtesy of Salvatore Oddo Architetto

Casa Giulia is distinguished by its more modern and minimalist interiors. Large porcelain stone floor slabs, cool colors, a central staircase that incorporates a wardrobe and bookcase, as well as the bathroom with its shade of teal all give the residence a contemporary charm. Like Casa Clara, antique ceramic tiles and the family’s furniture create a warm feeling of family tradition, while traces of the past are still discernable in some construction elements, such as the wooden beams in the hallway on the first floor and stone beams in the bathroom.

Casa Clara and Casa Giulia have brought the past back to life as the latest chapter in the home’s over 300-year history.

 

|||   SUBSCRIBE TO THE PLAN   |||   Get the greatest stories worldwide in architecture and design, the latest projects, builds, rankings and reviews, advice on videos, gallery images and interviews

Keep up with the latest trends in the architecture and design world

© Maggioli SpA • THE PLAN • Via del Pratello 8 • 40122 Bologna, Italy • T +39 051 227634 • P. IVA 02066400405 • ISSN 2499-6602 • E-ISSN 2385-2054