Casa Coo is the renovation project of an apartment in the Monti districit. Nestled among buildings near the Colle Oppio Park and just a few hundred meters from the Domus Aurea, stands the Villino Brini-Meschini. This small but distinctive example of Roman “barocchetto” architecture was designed in 1923 by architect Pietro Aschieri, commissioned by the prominent Art Nouveau decorators who gave the villa its name.
A staircase, adorned with an intricately carved solid cherrywood handrail, leads to the attic once owned by Brini. Here, the painter left his artistic imprint, enhancing the final landing with a trompe l’œil that creates the illusion of continuity with the pentagonal window on the main façade.
The client, a Roman surgeon, wanted to renovate the home with a contemporary, clean, and minimalist aesthetic while tailoring it to his family’s needs. He favored dark, rich tones to contrast with the natural light flooding in from the attic’s triple exposure.
The preliminary surveys revealed that the dropped ceilings in the living room and bedrooms concealed a stunning vaulted ceiling in stone with steel beams. Restoring the ceiling not only elevated the living room but also enhanced its overall grandeur. The old, time-worn parquet was replaced with walnut planks interspersed with oak, laid in alignment with the ceiling beams.
The existing fireplace was replaced with a sleek, minimalist design, clad in concrete slabs and suspended above a microcement base that doubles as a bench in the living room and extends into the veranda area, serving as flooring. This approach created a seamless formal and functional continuity between the historic home and the newer addition.
To maintain brightness and this connection to the terrace, the kitchen was designed in steel and suspended from the veranda’s structure, effectively appearing to float in the space. The floor continues the materiality of the fireplace base, while the ceiling is clad in the same bi-chromatic planks as the living room.
The original wooden window frames were carefully restored, honoring the aesthetic integrity of the historic building, while being upgraded with low-emissivity double glazing to improve efficiency. All systems were modernized to enhance comfort.
Key details, such as architectural lighting by Groppi, Flos, and Viabizzuno, the deep tones of Foglie d’Oro wood and the textured finishes by HD Surface, the artisanal terracotta by Fangorosa, and the selection of classic cast iron radiators by Artekalor, serve as the sole decorative elements. These features, with their understated yet refined elegance , pay homage to the historic essence of the original property.
