An Exercise in Imagination: 1970s House Renovation in Bergamo by Officina Magisafi.

In Bergamo, a Northern Italian province outside of Milan sits this intricately revamped 1970s house by Officina Magisafi. Inspired by the owners’ passion for industrial aesthetics and the United States, the design studio took an experimental approach, implementing research and the use of new techniques and materials.

Uninhabited for fifteen years, Claudio Acquaviva and Debora Bordogni, founders of Officina Magisafi, demolished a large part of the existing structure to create a large and open space, free from conventional rules. This led to an exercise in imagination, as they elaborate: “We observed the house, the rooms, the corridors, the layout, while our eyes tried to visualise what it could become.”

The original stairwell was uncovered and inserted back to expand the main floor, creating a play of double height. To broaden the volumes of the living area, the studio inserted a custom-designed metal truss as a functional and structural element that adds an aesthetic detail.

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Now an expanded and bright space, the designers were free to add a contrasting palette of dark materials. A grey marble kitchen and basalt stone stairs are combined with American walnut accents and an oak wall. Geometric and linear volumes make up the interior with Officina Magisafi designing the fireplace block, kitchen, mahogany veneer table and marble sinks, among other elements.

The styling was conceived in collaboration with Veronica Leali, adding a layer of character to the rigid architectural elements. The playful pieces are a Rolodex of design heavy-hitters, including a coffee table by Vero, chairs by Alias, a colourful carpet by cc-tapis and a fun orange armchair by Mogg. Lamps by both Lumina Italia and Flos take centre stage in a creative dialogue with artworks signed by Andrea Bocca. A balance between imagination and experimentation, the new space “was aimed at obtaining the potential that the house hid under its old guise,” the designers concluded.

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[Images courtesy of Officina Magisafi. Photography by Alessandro Saletta.]