Small Home: Casa Vivamati

Tell us about Vivamati’s key feature, the ‘CUBE’, its various components and their functions.

The CUBE is the heart of the project and the apartment’s central element. Lying to one side of the square floor plan, the CUBE encloses the bathroom and serves a different function on each of its faces. The side that faces the apartment’s entrance features a bookcase which also functions as the hidden door into the bathroom that is housed inside the CUBE. The bathroom’s entrance isn’t visible from the rest of the apartment, offering added privacy. The side in front of the living room serves as storage space, with a closet and space for a washing machine inside. Finally, the third side that faces the kitchen provides a pantry area and storage space for kitchen and cooking supplies.

Why did you decide to centre the design around the ‘CUBE’?

When considering the distribution of the space in an open-plan apartment, it’s necessary to define specific spaces, identify rooms and hierarchise the relationships these spaces have with each other. With little space available to us in Casa Vivamati, we decided to build only one central element: the CUBE, which lying to one side of the apartment’s square floor plan, creates three distinct functional zones: the entrance, the living and relaxation area and the kitchen.

What were the client’s wishes and vision for the space?

The client’s initial vision for the small studio apartment was linked to both his personal experience having lived in the apartment for a period of time, and his desired use for the property ー renting to medium and long-term tenants. Based on the apartment’s small size, the client also wanted to opt for a minimalist look, both in terms of space and colour which would, in his opinion, offer a broader and more functional perception of the environment.

How did these wishes evolve during your collaboration?

During the design phase, led by project manager Alessia Fuda, we tried to convey to the client that opting for a minimalist colour palette, based on the idea that “white expands space”, was not the only way to approach the design of a small apartment. Instead, we suggested incorporating a series of small interior design details and colourful, quirky elements with their own personality to stimulate and keep interest alive; even within a very small space. The richness of the materials, shapes, colours and finishes offers the identity and quality that small footprint living deserves.

What makes this project different from the others you’ve worked on?

Like all of our projects, the design phase is quite a long and thorough process. This particular project required extra attention to detail due to the apartment’s small size, which is definitely something that sets it apart from the others we’ve worked on. The project from start to finish lasted five months, with three months of design plus two months of renovation onsite.

Apart from the exposed wooden beams hidden underneath the false ceiling, were there any other unexpected features or details you discovered during the renovation?

During the renovation works, we discovered a little inlet that probably once housed a fireplace. We decided to expose this niche feature and exploit its peculiar pointed shape by adding doors with an elongated upwards point to create an atypical built-in cupboard space.

On your website, you quote the Russian theatre director Stanislavski who said, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” in reference to Vivamati. How does this quote relate to the project?

This quote refers to the idea that the value of an architect, as well as that of an actor, is assessed not on the size of the project or the role played, but rather in the quality they express in their work. We chose this quote based on the fact that this is the smallest project we’ve worked on.

How did you arrive at the kitchen’s final design and finishes? Can you describe some of its features and the intentions behind them?

The idea of using a single-block, modular kitchen unit, with storage units, came from wanting to keep the kitchen’s functional identity as an essential and standalone element of the apartment. We opted for an IKEA modular kitchen model from their most economical line and also added a joinery structure to the unit that embraces and surmounts the kitchen itself.

How did you and your client land on the apartment’s chosen colour palette?

Although the client originally wanted to adopt a minimalist colour palette with lots of white, during the design phase we arrived at the shared decision to choose a colour palette with light tones that welcome shades like powder blues and desaturated reds, bringing character and life into the space.

Can you talk to us about some of the apartment’s material choices and finishes you selected and the reasons behind them?

The matte lacquers of the powder blue joinery complement the original and exposed wood beam ceiling and add a ‘living’ dimension to the wood itself. The neutral porcelain tile floor, on the other hand, remains deliberately subdued and adds value in its durability and practicality. The white walls also enhance the vibrant colours of the apartment’s furniture and furnishings.

In what ways does the city of Rome influence and inspire your work as architects?

Needless to say, Rome represents a constant source of inspiration, not only because of its extraordinary artistic and architectural heritage, but especially because of its contrasts: the way in which these contrasts interact with one another and how, often, they find ways to coexist harmoniously.

What are your favourite features of Vivamati?

Definitely the apartment’s spatial complexity. Although the original apartment was a square-shaped open-plan space, the addition of the central CUBE created several well-defined functional zones, which made the space more complex and turned 30 square metres into a home.

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