How an Italian designer turned a tired one-bedroom art nouveau flat in north Italy into a modern but cosy home for her teenage familyManuela Merlo’s house hunt finished almost as soon as it had begun. At her second house viewing, she found a 1920s ground-floor property in Turin that worked its magic. The one-bedroom art nouveau flat featured high ceilings and, at the back, an overgrown but fascinating garden.
The previous owner had lived in the flat for more than 50 years. When he died, his daughter decided to sell. “The layout was a single open space with a bedroom and bathroom on the entry level,” says Manuela. “There was a distinct 1970s vibe with carpet everywhere, which we removed. However, I was keen to make the most of the beautiful garden and keep his trees and the roses that produced an intoxicating scent.
There’s a new mezzanine area with glazed walls that allow light to spread through the rooms. This space had been used as storage and was accessed via a flight of stairs, where the wall is now painted yellow. “The flight was L-shaped and took up lots of room,” Manuela explains. “With the help of an architect friend we designed a set of straight, open-tread iron flights for the opposite wall.” These lead up to Sveva and Costanza’s bedrooms.