Nicola Spinetto, born in 1976 in Crespano del Grappa, Italy, studied at the University of Genoa, Italy, and the University of Tampere, Finland.
He is the architect who signed the renovation of the flat in Chiavari, in Liguria: a project that brought a historic house that had been lying in the dust of neglect for years back to life.
Wood represents the fil rouge that unites and at the same time describes history and functionality, ancient and modern. A synergy made possible by the architectural narrative of an ambitious and successful project, capable of expressing its full potential in the new design of the spaces.
The renovation of the building
The project - which the architect himself described as 'atypical' - literally gave new light to a historic building that needed major structural work, starting with its stabilisation.
It is at this stage that skilful craftsmanship and painstaking work has preserved the decorated cement tiles so that they can be reused after the structural work.
The frescoed vaults of the lower floor have also been preserved in their former decorative beauty, as have the wall colours, which have been redone respecting the original hues.
The impression one gets on entering the building is that of being in a completely new house that nevertheless maintains intact an ancient, almost sacred spirit: the functionality and the new redistribution of spaces, combined with the new wooden layout that blends perfectly with the wall structures, give the dwelling a dreamlike, imaginative, cosy, reflective charm.
The need to divide the building into two flats led architect Spinetto to create new services in the central entrance room.
The extraordinary conservation work on the building was accompanied by an intelligent yet fluid restoration, which recreated a new heart within an old palace.
[The article is an excerpt from the March 2017 issue of Design Lifestyle Magazine].
