A loft in Umbria | Modern meets tradition

When restoring an old farmhouse or a barn in Umbria, one of the main concerns is how to make it light, given that most of these buildings have small windows and often dark interiors, with terracotta tiles on the floor and dark wooden beams and pianelle on the ceiling. The brief for the restoration of this barn, owned by a young italian clothes designer, was to open up the space and maximize the light, without altering the structure. The barn had already been ‘restored’ a few years before in a traditional way, the main feature being the timber roof, with trusses and terracotta tiles on ceiling and floor. A warm, vernacular space but very dark. Opening up the space was the first move, but what did change everything lightwise was to paint the whole ceiling white and to cover the pre-existing floor with a white resin. Easy and cheap(ish) operations that made the new space modern and very bright. Even though from outside it still looks like an old barn. The existing fireplace has been cladded with dark stones, to add a ‘material’ episode to the long white wall.

bathroom

before...