Living in an ex historical building it is a great privilege but also a choice that requires courage. The period buildings are places rich in history, charm and prestige and are often found in privileged areas of the city, with breathtaking views.
It's also true that they are rarely easily habitable places : the house is one par excellence intimate and private space and being able to "feel at home" in the midst of huge rooms, very high ceilings and classic ornaments it's not that obvious.
But this is where design comes in! For us "experts" transform a building , distort it from tradition and recontextualize it it is something extremely challenging, which at Sofable we always face with passion and enthusiasm: we guarantee that with a good renovation intervention even a historic environment can be transformed into a comfortable, habitable space with a modern taste !
There are many aspects to take into consideration when an apartment is furnished in a historic building : in addition to a artistic and cultural heritage to be protected , very often we find ourselves having to face technical obstacles such as an unfavorable floor plan, too thin walls, corners, niches and stairs.
The designer's skill lies precisely in transform these obstacles into strengths because really, with a little bit of creativity and the right choices in terms of furnishings they can find unexpected solutions And create amazing effects !
To make you understand what it means renovate and make a historic home habitable we tell you about one of our latest works, which makes us proud both for the great final result and because the building in question is located right in our city, in the historic center of our beloved Pistoia !
In recent months we have in fact had the opportunity (and honor) to furnish a beautiful home inside a former fifteenth-century noble palace . Our intervention aimed to make this place habitable, maintaining the charm of the ancient building but adapting it to contemporary taste and at housing needs of the new owner.
We found ourselves in front of a large living room , used in the past as reception hall of the nobles: a fascinating environment, large and bright, but inevitably also a little cold.
Thanks to comparison with architects who took care of the architectural redesign of the structure And listening to the customer's wishes , we have identified the best furnishing solution to enhance both this huge double volume room be the delicious mezzanine above.
In the main hall padded furniture, tables and coffee tables dominate the scene: in the brightest corner of the room, the one in front of the window, we have inserted a pair of Pia armchairs covered in white , a color that enhances and amplifies the light.
Their brown stitching with tacks they give continuity to the colors and style of the Bramante sofa , positioned in another corner of the room, just below the wooden staircase leading to the mezzanine. A sofa with harmonious shapes , in brown fabric, with white finishing edge and nails . White stitching also for the Borghese armchairs black ones that we chose to fill other areas of the living room.
Other characteristic elements of the building were a beautiful antique terracotta floor it's a coffered ceiling with exposed wooden beams : elements that we have chosen to maintain their originality , a little for respect for this historic place , partly because they blended perfectly with the furnishing project that we had in mind. We have thus resumed and exalted the warm tones of wood and terracotta with various types of furnishings, ranging from classic to modern .
We then played a bit with the lighting , inserting lamps, chandeliers and wall lights to create, overall, a renewed and truly welcoming atmosphere .
In short we managed to find the "right mix" between classicism and modernity , lights and shadows, warm and cold tones. For furnishing a former historic residence you can in fact opt for one solution of continuity and choose one classic style , in line with the building, or play with contrasts and combine classic and modern.
And this is exactly what we did in the Pistoia palace: in some rooms we inserted modern furnishings , in others we have kept a classic furnishings , in others we have combined classic elements with modern details .
If in main hall prevails classicism , in upper mezzanine we dared a little more with truly surprising combinations . In fact, it is here that our Placido sofa has found its ideal location. A 3 seater sofa covered in gray Bronco leather, give it decidedly modern style which contrasts with the classic style daybed located right next to it. A impressive sofa in size and with a bold character, which dominates this delightful mezzanine and enlivens the entire environment.
But the Placido is certainly not the only "modern object" among so much classicism: even the Flipper wall lamps and the Fairies applique positioned on the walls of some rooms they contribute, with their light effects, to add personality and renew the whole atmosphere .
In short, the whole environment has undergone a clear transformation becoming one habitable and valuable space , which preserves the ancient charm but it appears now modern , welcoming And functional .
In the renovation of a period building the goal of every good designer is always to find the right compromise between the valorization of the historical space and the adaptation to housing needs of the new owner.
Everything is fine renovation project becomes a real challenge for giving personality and new vitality to spaces that have existed for millennia , lived in for generations and used for other functions for a long time.
Everything is fine choice of furniture it is dictated by the continuum search for the "perfect balance" between before and after , old and new , history and contemporaneity . But a successful project, like the one we have told you about, fully rewards both the designer and the owner who will be lucky enough to live (and feel at ease) in such a treasure!
