In the heart of Rome’s Trastevere district,STUDIOTAMAT has breathed new life into a hidden Liberty-style gem tucked away in the courtyard of a late 19th-century building along Viale di Trastevere. Once the caretaker’s house for the old trainstation—or a neighborhood doctor’s office, depending on who you ask—this forgotten villino has been reimagined as a refined urban hideaway for two. Spread across three compact layered floors occupying 80 square meters and culminating in alush, green terrace, the project began bycarefully preserving the home’s most distinctiveelements.
Restoring thefront verandawith its delicate cathedral glass in soft greens, pinks,and yellows called for a mix of craft and technical precision. The original rhythm and hueswere respected, while the frame was rebuilt in steel and solar-control glass. By removing the old French door that once divided it from the house, the veranda now flows into the interior,extending the living space and bathing it in natural light that subtly shifts in tone throughoutthe day.Inside, the intervention focuses on reconfiguring the layout, previously fragmented by a tightspiral staircase, and on theperception of the spaces.
The redesign is radical in gesture butsensitive in execution: by moving the kitchenette beside the veranda, space is opened up fora strikingalternating-tread staircasein chestnut wood. Its first step, clad in Verde Alpimarble, becomes the sculptural base of a custombookshelf built into the understair.Nearby,a mirrored chestnut storage unit conceals the laundry and enhances the sense of openness.Theliving roomgains new depth, framed by a soaringdouble-height windowthat looks outonto surrounding gardens, in quiet harmony with Munari’s iconic Falkland pendant lamps.Thecustom kitchen,liberated from overhead cabinetry, is defined by a linear base topped inVerde Alpi marble and shaded drawers that fade from black to terracotta, echoing thebeautifully preservedoriginal terracotta floors.Adeep blue volumeorganizes the groundfloor’s services: fridge and pantry on one side, a discreet powder room on the other.This bold block of color continues upward, passing through the mezzanineand defining themain bathroom on the top floor, where Nouveau furnishings by Ex.t meet the texturedsurfaces of Patricia Urquiola’s Mater tiles for Mutina and fixtures by Formafantasma forQuadro Design.
To bring in light and create a sense of airiness, the mezzanine has beenpartially opened, introducing a double-height void.Glass floor panelsoffer glimpsesbetween levels, whilemirrored panelsbelow bounce reflections upward,visually expandingthe spaceand enhancing the blue volume. The remaining floors are finished in Foret parquetby Oscar Ono Paris, designed byRaphael Navot—preassembled oak slats with visible endgrain, a nod to the pebble streets of 19th-century Paris and ancient Rome. A custom bed withdrawer base and integrated headboard echoes the kitchen’s color gradient, creating visualcontinuity betweenthe levels.A secondspiral staircasein raw iron with cherry wood treads connects the sleeping area tothe upper level, serving as asculptural focal pointfor thestudio space.A glass partition,echoing the veranda’s rhythm with alternating clear and ribbed panels, elegantly screens thebathroom: the door doubles as a backdrop for the shower, while a Verde Alpi marble sinkslices through the glass, becoming a shared counter surface.
Outside,the terrace featurescompacted stone paving in two shades of green, blending into the surrounding vegetationand reflecting the palette.“The first step was subtraction—to give breathing room to these compact floors. We preserved the essential structure and original terracotta floors, but played with pure volumes, reflected surfaces, and a strong material thread. The mirrored ceiling above the blue volume creates a sense of vertical infinity. It was about amplifying spatialdynamism while keeping a coherent language throughout.”says Matteo Soddu, Co-Founder of STUDIOTAMAT.Discreetly nestled in one ofRome’s most characterful neighborhoods,this interventioncaptures the quiet charm of Trastevere. Just like the district itself, where modest façade often hide unexpected treasures, this project reveals thelatent beauty of a neglected house.
