Modern Homes in Italy that Blend Old and New

SCAPE's transformation of the two top floors of a freestanding house in Rome's Colle Oppio neighborhood is a project that, as is often the case working with the city's ancient fabric, involved complex factors. The 2,368-square-foot apartment was distributed over three levels with two main floors and a mezzanine, "the fruit of numerous interventions that had been carried out in a disorderly and incoherent manner over the last twenty years." The renovation required structural work as well, including the consolidation of the floor slabs and roofing.

Labics took their design cues from the original structure’s history and function: The form of the industrial-looking double chimney, for example, was derived from an old stack placed on an adjacent farm. For the water feature, at right, a moat-like trench surrounding the house was dug to reduce humidity in the foundation.

For the floors in the kitchen and throughout, Navone placed hexagonal Carocim tiles of her own design.

This serene retreat by acclaimed Italian designers Ludovica+Roberto Palomba, carved out of a 17th-century oil mill in Salento, demonstrates the charm of historic Italy.

In the Dolomite mountains, an angular copper-clad apartment building echoes the topography of its site. Photos by Hertha Hurnaus