OKOLO rediscovers the architecture of carlo scarpa’s casa tabarelli

OKOLO rediscovers the architecture of carlo scarpa’s casa tabarelli
all images courtesy of OKOLO

in 1968, carlo scarpa was invited by his close friends, laura and gianni tabarelli, to the slopes of the vineyard village of cornaiano near bolzano, italy. the couple, who were regular patrons in the circles of the italian design elite, founded their furniture showroom through which they sold gianni’s pieces. at this point in time, scarpa had already established a name for himself within the world of architecture, and having built up a strong relationship over the years, they asked him to design a house for their family alongside his longtime collaborator, sergio los. the result is a work that has been rarely seen with timeless furnishings and works of art. decades later, OKOLO art collective was able to fully experience the project through an invitation to stay at the dwelling from the couple’s son, antonello. bringing this masterpiece to light, they have created an exhibition at the sklada gallery titled, ‘casa tabarelli rediscovered’.

closeup of the chipboard plates with printed texts, illustration and photos documenting the house

the main body of the installation is negotiated by an 8-meter long table. piercing through its surface are more than 40 metal rods that secure chipboards plates in place with printed texts, illustrations, and photos documenting the building and its details. the information shows that the architects were directly influenced by the cascade forms of the surrounding vineyards and erected a single-storey structure with a series of interconnected roof platforms that naturally blend into the terrain. the discreet residence, which is now hidden behind stone walls and lush vegetation, opens in its generosity in the interior.

interior photos of the house

the concept of different height levels of different rooms of the building resembles the raumplan of adolf loos. the spacious lounge is dominated by a fireplace and a colorful abstract ceiling. these features are complimented by artistic pieces such as a vintage armchair by alvar aalto, carpet by sophie taeuber-arp, sofas manufactured by gavina, and tapestry by italian futurist giacomo balla. circulation is guided by a continuous corridor, taking residents past small scale products by scarpa, who appears to be more an artist than an architect in some respects. the kinetic, steel sliding wall, with black and white wooden panels in a geometric décor, is an intriguing characteristic. each piece can be rotated in different ways, resulting in abstract images of the entire construct.

the dining room was decorated with a RR126 audio system, designed in 1965 by the castiglioni brothers and manufactured by brionvega

the main living room is furnished with various design and artistic pieces

the black and white sliding wall with rotating components

OKOLO was able to stay in the house to fully experience its architecture

the photos and illustrations are held in place by metal rods

(left) details of the exhibition
(right) a video capturing the interior

title piece

the installation at sklada gallery in bulgaria

project info:

concept: OKOLO
graphic design: matěj činčera, jan kloss
text: adam stěch
english proof reading: zuzana těťálová
production: sklada
installation: OKOLO, eia nedkov
print: signpek

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.