Facing a small canal in sestiere San Marco, Another Venice is the latest project by Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa of the Italian architectural firm Marcante-Testa. Inspired by its location—where an extraordinary architectural past struggles to absorb contemporary developments—the interior architecture cannot help but reflect the magical city's rich history.

Set in a traditional 19th-century building, the firm's renovation involved both the communal areas of the building (the entrance hall and access stairway), as well as a residential interior. Taking into consideration the relationship between the interiors and exteriors, the design process began with a graphic and modern reinterpretation of the building's exterior facade—seen in the paneling that lines the access staircase.

The apartment unfolds through a series of painted metal-and-brass dividers inspired by Carlo Scarpa's renovation of Ca’ Foscari. The dividers incorporate elements of green glass and wooden panels that have been treated with Venetian stucco, partitioning the spaces while preserving the natural lighting in areas that don't have windows.

From the glass of the lamps and the color of the walls to the shaded effect of the wallpaper and iridescent carpeting, the project incorporates a strong sense of place—reflecting the Venetian lagoon, its landscape, and its distinctive color palette.

A system of brass frames with gilded, metal-screen curtains reinforce the relationship between the windows and the Venetian landscape, creating an almost continuous ribbon of windows throughout the space.

The hues of the Murano glass in the living area evoke the city's reflections in its canals at twilight. In fact, almost every detail seeks to reinterpret and incorporate the Venetian landscape into the design.

Project Credits:

-Project name: Another Venice

-Size: 5,382 square feet

-Year completed: 2017

-Architecture and interior design: Marcante-Testa

-Builder/general contractor: Orseolo Restauri

-Furniture contractor: Om Project

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