Fun House by UdA Architetti // Holiday Apartment Renovation in Juan Les Pins, France.

A little while ago, I dedicated an entire post to the sensational Turin-based multidisciplinary studio UdA Architetti. Back then, I eloquently described their work as “shit hot design with truckload of personality”. How lady-like of me. Having said this, I still stand by my comment, so I was really happy to receive an update from these guys about their latest project.

In the words of UdA, this holiday apartment renovation, designed by Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa, is a study on “how to make a small seaside home and its inhabitants happy”. Located in a 1960s/70s building in Juan Les Pins (South-Eastern France on the Côte d’Azur), this 40sqm apartment consists of one big living room with kitchen, two bedrooms facing the sea, bathroom and laundry.

Designers’ inspiration for the interior comes from the well-known Italian film from the 1970s Casotto (Beach House), which features interiors of a beach hut as a setting for all the characters and stories. The reference to beach huts and self-built cabanas has led to the creation of lightweight structures inside the apartment – they are easy to assemble, relatively inexpensive and can also be set up to suit inhabitant’s needs, while constantly offering the views to the outside.

The interior features a 197os colour palette, with strong use of materials such as teak, a type of timber frequently used in the nautical industry in the 1960s/70s; vintage furniture made of wicker and plastic; and decorative features such as the wallpaper showing marine landscapes and posters designed by Domenico Gnoli from the same period.

I don’t know about you, but for my money, the Fun House certainly lives up to it’s name. Well done UdA. Again.