Tradition and modernity: marble and concrete-effect stoneware for a B&B in Rome

When someone mentions Rome, you can immediately envisage the silhouettes of great ancient monuments, winding streets with the traditional “sampietrini” pavement and the glossy surface of marble, the standout feature of much of Rome’s scenery.

But the Eternal City has more to offer. Rome, especially with regard to architecture and interior design in recent years, also embodies the pursuit of modernity that can dialogue with pre-existing structures, transforming them into opportunities to include history in everyday life.

Let’s consider the case of a project by the young BOMORI studio, founded by architects Antonio Capalbo, Isabella Palermo, Andrea Romano and Chiara Stefanori.

Just a few steps away from the Vatican, the undisputed focal point of the city’s tourism, a young couple who own a spacious apartment decided to transform it as a small B&B equipped with every comfort.

The designers set to work, arranging the new layout of the rooms on the basis of two main objectives: to strengthen the dialogue between the interior and the exterior, creating a strong functional and visual connection between them, and to combine tradition and innovation through a skilful blend of material and colour elements.

The first objective was achieved, during the execution of the project, with a fluid route, bounded by gently curving walls which, starting from the entrance, gradually touches the doorways to all the suites and accompanies them to the most delightful and surprising finale: a large balcony furnished for relaxation, meals and group entertainment.

The second objective was translated into a direct comparison between material and colour in their pure state. The floors of the common areas and private accommodation in the O.Effe.Suites are entrusted with the delicate task of expressing the project’s contemporary character, a role for which concrete is ideally suited.

The 75x150 cm large rectified size in the Boom collection, chosen in the bright Luce variant, creates a continuous background with an unquestionable aesthetic autonomy that forms the basis for the new partitions used to divide the original apartment into five suites and five private bathrooms.

The bathrooms feature the most impressive mix of tradition and innovation. On the floor, the marble-effect stoneware  in the Statuario shade in the Bistrot collection evokes ancient charm produced by the context, modernizing it by enhancing the graphic appeal of the delicate grey veins on a light background.

Meanwhile, colour is the standout feature of the walls. Each suite’s bathoom features a distinctive colour: the criterion is to catalogue the suites through a visually stimulating element that is immediately recognizable and will be an indelible memory for anyone staying in the Roman B&B.