Casa V

The dream of every Roman is to wake up in the morning, look out the window, and see the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. That’s why, when the client found this apartment just a stone’s throw from Piazza Risorgimento, it was love at first sight. A bright 110 square meter apartment with big windows in a stately building of the Prati neighbourhood, one of Rome’s chicest areas.

The layout of the apartment was not ideal: it featured only one bedroom, two adjacent and parallel hallways, and two oversized bathrooms - one of which had a privileged view of the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. Given these conditions and the client’s need for a guest room that could also function as a home-office in addition to the main bedroom, we redesigned the spaces, starting by reducing the circulation areas. This allowed us to create a compact and functional entrance hall with an integrated coat closet which, painted in a dark aubergine tone, enhances the sense of openness when entering the living room.

In the living room, we were able to keep the dining area close to the kitchen and place the seating area in a more private corner, even though the two zones are visually connected by the black terrazzo “rug” on the floor and by the false ceiling that runs through the entire room. With its rounded corners and softened edges, the ceiling brings a gentler atmosphere to the space while also housing a perimeter LED for indirect lighting and the air-conditioning vents.

A large opening with rounded corners frames the kitchen area, featuring cabinets in a fresh light blue and a central island with a stainless-steel countertop, echoed by the backsplash behind it. The idea was to create a dialogue between contemporary materials like steel and the more traditional accents that characterize this home, such as terrazzo flooring which continues into the kitchen, giving the feel of a black “rug” beneath the island.

In the hallway leading to the two bedrooms and the guest bathroom, one striking element stands out: an arch painted the same color as the entrance, preceded by a pink step. This marks the entrance to the master suite, which includes a walk- through wardrobe whose dark tones further emphasize the brightness of the bedroom.

The custom-made walk-in closet seems twice as big due to the full- length mirror in the background.

While the walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom have continuous microcement flooring, the terrazzo returns in the bedroom - this time in lighter tones, echoing the floor frames of the living area.

The black terrazzo appears again in the ensuite bathroom, used to craft the custom vanity and as a wall finish inside the shower. The remaining walls feature a seamless microcement surface.

The guest bathroom, also with continuous microcement flooring, reprises the theme of terrazzo in the custom vanity and in the half-height wall cladding, finished with black metal trims. Here, a half-barrel vaulted ceiling recalls traditional Roman architecture and accommodates an LED strip for indirect lighting on the back wall.

Credits

Architecture Firm: Arch. Alessandro Venneri & Studio 132+

Photography: Carlo Romano
Photographer Website: https://www.carloromanodh.com/

Artworks

Entrance: Dario Carratta - Bestialità (Oil on canvas, 40x30 cm), 2024

Dining area: Andrea Polichietti - Uomini rovo (Cyanotype on MDF, wooden framed, 100x70 cm), 2025

Bookshelf: Dario Carratta - Si scivola (Oil on canvas, 25x18 cm), 2025

Sofa corner: Andrea Polichietti - Untitled (Oil on raw juta canvas, aluminium framed, 50x70 cm), 2023