The flat is in the historic centre of Parma, along Strada della Repubblica. The building, now divided into several apartments, was once part of a convent connected to the nearby Church of Santo Sepolcro. Because of this history, and because the floor plan is long and narrow, the project was guided from the start by the idea of working with materials. The client wanted to keep the organisation of the flat but improve the function of the spaces, giving each room a strong material identity that reflected the building’s past.

During inspections we discovered that all the perimeter walls were built with bricks mixed with rounded river pebbles taken from the Parma stream. This discovery made the design direction very clear: reveal the original materials and give them new life. For this reason, all plaster was removed to expose the brick walls. 

Where raw materials could not be left exposed, we used handmade tiles. The wooden parquet floor and all the main and secondary beams were restored and reused. These choices kept the project coherent, respecting the history of the place while giving it a contemporary, honest character. The goal was not perfection but authenticity, letting the construction logic of the building become part of the aesthetic.

At the centre of the flat stands a staircase-bookcase that links the two levels with a sequence of steps, drawers, and shelves. Above, on the top floor, a professional stainless-steel kitchen sits like a quiet surprise among the roofs, tiles, and gutters of old Parma. This final space offers a poetic contrast: a modern workspace set within the layered textures of the historic city.