Nature Meets History: 1960s Roman Apartment Renovation by Manuela Tognoli.

Rome is a very old city. Centuries worth of bricks and stone lay the bones for some of the world’s oldest architectural features. Embedded with a deep history, it’s a city that has unravelled into a complex and layered environment of many architectures.

Upon first glance, Manuela Tognoli’s recent renovation to this existing 1960s Roman apartment seems like a traditional contemporary renovation—it embraces clean spaces with splashes of colour used against texturally rich material palettes. However, it takes zooming out to understand why this little apartment is so special in its very specific context.

Wedged in the San Giovanni neighbourhood, this home has outlooks to green pine trees and views of the city’s historic Aurelian Walls that unravel the distance. Inside, tones of blush, sand and greens flourish, referencing the various shades of history that lie just outside.

Admittedly, I’m a sucker for curves and organic shapes in architecture. However, within the sharp blocky footprint of this building, the dancing kitchen benchtop initially seemed a little out of place. Wavy wall treatments transition from mushroom-painted plasterboard walls to blue-coloured illustrations created by artist, Delphine Valli. In the angular bathrooms, organic-shaped mirrors stand above the vanities. They all beg the question—why have curves been used here?

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Being curious to learn more about the development of Rome as a city, it was only when I came across a plan view of the Aurelian Walls that it all started making sense. Much like the existing jagged walls of the apartment, the streets in Rome are much more linear and intersect at strange angles. The Aurelian Walls weave their way around these harsh edges, introducing a softer, more organic line. It appears that Manuela has introduced curves in this renovation to do just the same.

Entirely flipping the original floor plan, Manuela’s interventions were bold and deliberate. Swapping the living room and main bedroom were key moves in curating the home’s relationship to the city beyond. The main bedroom now favours views of the city from a protruding balcony, instead of looking inwards to the property. It becomes a room with several curated views. A large telescopic window carries the feeling of sleeping in a treehouse, framing views of the tops of the pine trees that grow just outside.

The living room sits where the original bedroom was. Now with a stronger relationship to the kitchen, it spills out onto the semi-enclosed winter garden that doubles as the dining room; it’s an area that Manuela describes as one that “filters the outside and the inside”. On the ground, small format oak parquetry inside transitions into blush stone herringbone tiling in the winter garden.

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Spatially, Manuela has completely overhauled the apartment, however, they note that the “sinuous lines of the house are enhanced by the designer objects specially selected to furnish the house”. Coffee tables in Guatemala marble by Millim Studio were carefully chosen for their pairing with the floral design installation by Flovver, and the works on the wall by artist, Delphine Valli. On the walls of the dining space, artwork by Alessandro Piangiamore is paired with Cesca chairs that “invite us to dream while looking at the sky and surrounding naturescape”, says Manuela. Scattered throughout the home, handcrafted lamps reference the burgundy colour used in the bathrooms and kitchen.

“The fulcrum of the project, however, is the wallpaper, designed ad hoc by Daniela Pinotti”, shares Manuela, as it “recalls the softness of nature”. For an apartment located in one of the world’s oldest cities, this home is a graceful reference to the environment that sits outside its doorstep.

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[Images courtesy of Manuela Tognoli. Photography by Edi Solari.]