In the historical city centre of Prato you will find cute and big private gardens, hidden inside courts, they create unexpected views of a typical medieval town; starting from this fantastic discovery we take inspiration for a new concept idea ‐ The Secret Garden.
During the first site visit we have an enlightening experience, from a small window of the space we can see a small vegetable garden that gives depth and light, unfortunately this garden it is not part of the property.
Thinking about it we worked with the idea of the imaginary garden to create scenic scenes to have depth and at the same time spaces that communicate quiet and harmony.
The space is small, only 35 sqm, it is complete of any sort of features and requirements necessary to transform this existing residential spaces into a comfortable holiday home. In the living room there are kitchen, table, chair and a sofa bed ‐ but the main actor of the scene is a charming Japanese zen garden (original picture from an Alessia’s trip in Japan) on wallpaper embellished with a wash wall system light that emphasizes its presence.
The bedroom is characterized by a corten wall (made of ceramic tiles) ‐ tells about the rock soul of the owners ‐ a walking shower with a pop touch thanks to Cannuccia radiator, here in red, and the complete taps collection Roadster Accent, designed for Brem and Cisal. The guest may relax watching the enchanted wood landscape, made by a wallpaper on‐demand, lying in bed with warm led light to have a soft experience of stay.
The bathroom is hidden from a sliding mirror door, very hot, here the entrance to a small space, 90cm wide; inside two mirrors ‐ the first on the washbasin and the other on the opposite wall to multiply the space so the guest can float in an unexpected scenario. Here the light is designed to reinforce the idea of two opposite mirrors in a Droste effect that catapults the visitor into an Escher painting.
Petrol blue for the living room chairs, orange and aquamarine for the pillows, gold and copper for the bedside lamps, red for the Cannuccia radiator in the shower, they are notes conceived to design the space also with furniture and colours. The small table and kitchen with different finishes of wood, ash for the first and oak for the second, they are thought to create a warm atmosphere with a natural touch.
The black brushstrokes of few furniture and the bathroom floor set up a vibrant contrast with the colours of nature simulated in the two wallpapers.
PROJECT The Secret Garden
ARCHITECT Alessia Bettazzi – Pierluigi Percoco B+P architetti
LOCATION Prato, Italy
YEAR 2019
PHOTO Darragh Hehir
