House with a White Column | set architects

Located just a short walk from the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, the apartment was conceived as a Roman pied-à-terre for a family of international clients. The project stems from the desire for an essential, calm, and flexible living environment, capable of accommodating both the owners’ daily life and temporary rental use.

The design is organized around the apartment’s fixed elements, namely the kitchen and the service core, leaving the remaining spaces open and adaptable. Custom-made in natural oak, the kitchen is conceived as a permeable domestic infrastructure that runs through the entire apartment and provides access to the service areas.

Thanks to a system of concealed doors, its operational functions can be completely hidden when not in use, allowing it to become a discreet presence within the space. At the center of the living area, a monolithic microcement island with an integrated table acts as the focal point of domestic life and the main gathering element of the home. A heating system column, revealed during the demolition works, was transformed from a constraint into the project’s defining element.

The entire spatial organization of the apartment is structured around this white column, which becomes its visual and compositional anchor.

The material palette is reduced to a few essential elements: a continuous microcement floor, natural oak for the built-in furniture, and white walls and ceilings throughout. This restrained selection of materials enhances the perception of space and contributes to a calm, luminous, and rarefied atmosphere.