"Grand Tour" Apartment by UDA Architects

Dining area – Container table by Moooi, Normal SP chairs by Jean Prouvé for Vitra, “Ray” lamps by Llot Llov, ceramic centrepiece from Capodimonte (Il Tarlo d’Oro, Bari).

Living Area: Sofa Candy by Arflex, armchairs 400 by Alvar Aalto for Artek, carpet Losanges III by Nanimarquina, lamp Potence by Vitra, rocking chair and bell jars with papier-mache simulacra from Lecce (Il Tarlo d’Oro gallery, Bari), triptych “Eroina” by Silvia Giambrone (Doppelgaenger gallery, Bari), Brionvega Television set and brass valet stand by Eclettico Layout gallery (Bari), bookshelves and cabinet created by Marcante-Testa, developed by Materiadesign and Om Project (Torino).

Kitchen: Stainless steel washing /cooking spot, maple and lacquered timber storage units, all created by Marcante-Testa and made by Materiadesign, Milk stools by Miniforms, metal lighting system by Om Task, “Applique de Marseille” lamps by Le Corbusier for Nemo-Cassina, plants from Vivaio Lama dell’Angelo, Noicattaro (BA) “Il Pizzo” artwork by Silvia Giambrone (Doppelgaenger gallery, Bari).

Our friends at UdA Architetti have sent us their latest project – a refurbished 200m² apartment in the old part of Bari, Italy, titled ‘Grand Tour’. In their signature style, the Turin-based practice has injected this home with a sense of playful whimsy and loads of personality, while maintaining a certain level of restrain and sophistication. What draws me to this project is the subtle complexity of the aesthetic – old-school Wog references (I hold so dear to my heart) meet a sense of minimalist modernity. Colours, patterns, crochet, knitting and lace referenced are held together by clean volumes, monolithic shapes and sharp detailing, blending the two seamlessly together into a cohesive and unique interior.

UdA Architetti are the ultimate masters of mixing things up, and creating the unexpected, but never going overboard. Their unique aesthetic really stands apart in the sometimes homogenised world of interiors and architecture, and for this I applaud them.

Read more about this project from the architects in the text below (note – for your reading pleasure, the original text has been slightly edited.)

Entrance: Shelving by Montana, sculptures Arlecchino e Colombina by Aldo Ciolli, ceramic column from Vietri (both from the gallery “Il Tarlo d’Oro”, Bari), metallic construction for lighting method and sliding doors designed by A.Marcante and A.Testa (UdA Architects), produced by Om Project (Torino).

Master bedroom: Bed developed by Marcante-Testa, bedcover by Aura Cesari with pillows by Minotti – Bari, marble lamp by Eclettico Style gallery (Bari), One particular Forty 3 wall lamp, Singer sewing machine and tiny handcart by Il Tarlo d’Oro, Bari.

Bathrooms / All the furniture created by Marcante – Testa (UdA architects) , lamps by Lampe Gras and Finnsdottir, sanitary ware by Agape, Antonio Lupi and Galassia, taps by Agape, mirrors by Hay & Ferm Living.

“It is no coincidence that we feel a sense of well-being when we occupy spaces evoking times and traditions gone by. We always look for a symbolic & spiritual side to living and not just the technical & functional aspect of inhabiting – this takes us back to our ancestral family and the history of the city in which we live. A process bringing back to light the various layers of our own personal background, which happens to coincide with the spaces in which we have lived, through the use of materials and forms – timber, terracotta and cork, embroidered and patterned linen, crocheting and cross-stitching.

In the “wonder rooms” of this project, the structural design of the bathrooms and wardrobe areas look like micro-works of architecture stylistically inspired by traditional local architecture. The customised furniture and doors made of planks of wood nod at aspects of local rural life; experimental textile resin serigraphed with custom-designed cross-stitched patterns; the fabric lamps, and even the furnishing accessories themselves, such as Aura Cesari’s bed cover, the cushions and photographic works embellished with lace designed by the artist Silvia Giambrone; crafts such as knitting and crocheting still clearly visible in the “open rooms” of old Bari.

The designers have introduced an overhead system of burnished iron sections containing lights and slides for the doors. These feature distinctive patterns with Middle Eastern influences, providing shade and separating the corridors from the spacious lounge/kitchen. The old-fashioned objects found around the apartment interact with custom-designed contemporary furniture and historical artefacts from the 20th century.”

See more projects by UdA Architetti on Yellowtrace.