+...CaSa OrLaNdi...+

all photos by Nathalie Krug

  Casa Orlandi Guesthouse is an 18th century palazzo in Prato, a famous textile city very close to Florence which has been renovated by the Italian architect and founder of b-arch studio, Sabrina Bignami. 

Sabrina Bignami talks @yatzer about her beautiful Casa!

"I‘ve bought this decaying nobleman's house for a bit money and I try to star a sensitively restoration...playing with old and new, four years ago. The Italians are great at ancient and are also great at modern interior design but they are not so hot at usually mixing the two!
  I play with contrasting style complement one one another...the rich colours and ornate detailing of the frescoes and floor throw the clean lines of the contemporary furniture and object that coming from "marchè aux puces" around the world and they are talking about my travels and my life...

  The restoration was very difficult because all the frescoes are covered...and so a friend who restores old frescoes uncover wall painting throughout, often concealed by a coat of whitewash.
  The result is stunning paintings running all troughs the palazzo, from the formal architectural scheme in the main living-room to pastoral landscapes and vignettes in some smaller rooms.
  The painter was Luigi Catani a very famous painter during "Granducato di Toscana" in the 18-th century and Ho worked in all Tuscany. The furniture follows the paintings on the wall and I never obscure them...

  Casa Orlandi has high ceilings and unusual U-shaped layout, almost all the rooms opening on to a central courtyard terrace. Now the terrace is an outdoor dining-room with a table coming from old textile factory and pantone chairs.

  I love vintage and so in the past I bought some classic...Saarineen...some lamps or chairs coming from Amsterdam. I’ve also designed the bathroom and the kitchen using corian...the mirror near the cooking fire is to protect the painting...

  Now Casa Orlandi is my home and a little "charm ante" guesthouse with 3 rooms open to architects artist or people loving old houses...

  I am an architect who specialises in restoring period building and in the next time I'll start with another project in France like this...to give another life to old houses and to save old properties from ossifying."

Thanks 2 Yatzer