Torino Vice 001
- Date: July 2021.
- Typology: Private Client.
- Dimension: 70 m².
- Location: Torino, Italy.
Torino – Chile, “Portici” sons of human activity and “Cattedral de marmol” dug by water and ice.
This bi-partition material-artificial and natural-plastic was the inspiration, the starting point that gave birth to this small reality. Torino Vice 001, was designed from Tokyo for a couple, during a difficult period of our humanity. This small house therefore responds to the need to re-create a small universe full of meanings and distractions. Through the first “portico”, the dark and deliberately narrow entrance opens up a large living room. Once through the first door, you find yourself in an environment of more slender dimensions, which is bathed in almost dazzling natural light, thanks to the small balcony and southern exposure. The dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room is opened by a soft and delicate curve and in between two rooms find place a sliding table, the central element of life, where conversations, meals and work alternate in a daily routine. This visual but not viable transition between kitchen and living room characterizes the space: it separates but does not break the necessary bond that is created between these two environments.
The wooden floors from the early 1900s have been carefully restored and brought to their original color. The layers of dark lacquers have been eliminated, enhancing the original color of the oak and thus increasing the brightness of the environment. The polished and waxed Venetian Terrazzo of the kitchen has come back to life, creating a new and brilliant contrast with the wood of the other rooms. The walls were carefully plastered and painted with light gray lime paint. The uniform effect, given by the choice of painting ceilings and walls with the same color, makes the environment extremely relaxing and creates a pleasant contrast, bringing out the white of the furnishings: the sofa, the kitchen and the bookcase are floating in a three-dimensional space.
The corridor on one side connects all the rooms and on the other side is connected to the same number of wardrobes. It was also designed as Italian streets with arcades on both sides, so as to suggest the feeling of being outdoors, almost like a Sunday walk. As in a labyrinth, you feel lost, deceived by what could seem a door that looks out into a new reality or a wardrobe that contains personal objects. The theme of deception and the double is re-proposed with the insertion of a mirror that duplicates the dimensions and multiplies the doors. The promenade connects three environments: kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. The user is thus in a natural path that accompanies the phases of the day. The bathroom, a private, intimate place, is treated as an aseptic environment, without any furniture and superfluous objects. The white tiles, 15x15cm with black joints, cover all the walls: this mass-produced object creates an absolute environment controlled by an impeccable, almost obsessive regular grid. You are in a white space, bathed in light.
The house is thus tailored to the wishes of the customer, recreating a welcoming environment, full of distractions and situations that blend perfectly with daily needs.
Area Plan
