FABBRICANOVE inserts glass-floor intervention into historic loft in florence

in the historical heart of florence, italian studio FABBRICANOVE has adapted a former music hall into a family loft. the frescoed vaults, high ceilings and decorative detail was taking into consideration to result in a dwelling that is sympathetic to its past life.

‘loft on bufalini street’
all images © filippo romano

FABBRICANOVE‘s main concept for the apartment was the storage box. rooms and programs have been articulated through the insertion of a double‐height ‘core’ with a glass floor that influences a vertical perception. these walls of the ‘core’ have a dual purpose and serve as storage and doors that open inwards and outwards which divides the space into different parts with their specific functions.

‘the storage walls, thanks to their thickness, they are is thematized by the function of the spaces. kitchen, living room, dining room, studio and night zone appear in a relation between each other shaping a material and porous chest that confers visual and spatial continuity’. – explains the designers

the architects derived the concept of the loft from a storage box

to link the intervention back to the memory of art-dedicated building, the drawers, shelves, operable doors resemble echoes the work of neo‐plasticism of piet mondrian and theo van doesburg. all the furniture is handmade following the drawings of FABBRICANOVE and every detail is the result of a solid relation between the designers and local carpenters. like a ‘machine for living’, the intervention proposes a contemporary language that becomes the focus of the space, without causing any loss, and enriching the home’s potential.

the walls of the ‘core’ are realized as storage wood walls