BEST SOLUTIONS – From store to live-work unit, a budget duplex apartment

From small store to the tiny live/work unit of a young professional. A simple and functional cost effective design was the answer for this pied-à-terre in one of the main streets in Turin, northwest Italy. This project by studio R3Architetti, four young architects, friends of the client, has crisp aesthetics and furniture, and an eye towards practicality and natural materials.

View inside the street front. On the ground floor, dining/ conference table and to the left, kitchen closed by curtains and at the rear, main bathroom with a partition wall in U-Glass (Saint-Gobain), which lets light filter through. Under the staircase to the right, you can catch a glimpse of the entrance. On the top floor, a desk which doubles up as a parapet and in the background, bedroom with a small ensuite bathroom.
The raised platform, which marks the living room out, is upholstered in Sisal fabric, here you can unwind – strictly without shoes. The platform, simply decorated with large loose cushions, has under storage, which serves as a pantry and wardrobe. At the back right-hand side, a recessed bookcase, left-hand side there’s a bespoke staircase made by a blacksmith.

Simply by drawing two curtains, one in the kitchen and the other in the bedroom, both private areas disappear from plain sight and the apartment becomes a working environment. In a bright shell decorated in pale colours, timber accents form a delicate contrast, which in turn add depth to the space.

The existing masonry arch, fitted with a two-tone curtain in a thick cotton fabric; this separates the bedroom from the workspace in front of the staircase landing. Space-saving storage fitted under the bed. Right-hand side, downstairs view from the desk.
The kitchen built in another recess. Hidden by the roller blinds, an Ikea kitchen customized by our architects, in 2, 40 m there’s all you could possibly need to have a quick bight to eat at the large table in the centre.

To turn your own home into a professional workplace in a blink of an eye; this specification was met to perfection. This project shows it’s possible to build beautiful and livable functional spaces despite budget constraints. Here, a feeling for design, coupled with lots of talent and a dose of DIY resulted in an excellent, low budget project. 

Design project

Converting a store into a live-work unit

Location: Turin, Italy

Interior design project and furniture sourcing: 
R3 Architetti
via Principe Tommaso 50, Turin, Italy
Tel: 0039 011 0560 407
Email: info@r3architetti.com
Website:  www.r3architetti.com

Photos:
Courtesy R3 Architetti
Copyright Jacopo Gallito

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