EVA | 05-2021

EVA MAGAZINE, the leading lifestyle and fashion magazine in Bulgaria, dedicates a 5-page article to the Massimo Pierattelli’s house.

By opening the doors of his apartment in the heart of Florence, architect Massimo Pierattelli reveals a universe in which not only a personal story is reflected, but also the design signature of the studio founded in 1980: Pierattelli Architectures. The multidisciplinary and eclectic approach that has characterized the studio’s work for forty years can be found in the 300 square meter apartment that the architect shares and built together with his wife Roberta, urban architect.

The house – located in a historic building from the early 1500s – overlooks Piazza de ‘Pitti, in the Oltrarno district of Santo Spirito in Florence. The sixteenth-century elements and the pre-existing elements typical of the most authentically Florentine district of the city interact with tailor-made solutions, iconic design furnishings, works of art and ethnic souvenirs, defining spaces with a unique personality, rich in suggestions, references and history. “Making architecture means having the ability to interpret reality with a new look.” Massimo Pierattelli declares “Respecting the existing buildings, capturing their message of originality and power to give them new life with balanced and contemporary solutions.

Upon entering the house, you are welcomed into a large living room: a tripartite gray lacquered wooden bookcase characterizes the environment. The bookcase, designed by the architect, with its vertical blocks dialogues with the metrics of the ceiling beams, marking not only the wall, but the entire environment. Alongside, the iconic Arco di Flos establishes a relationship of complicity with other design pieces. Works of art and ethnic souvenirs help to personalize the environment, reflecting moments of life and passions: a painting by Carlos Albertos Castellanos and Giampaolo Talani, the sculpture on horseback by Paolo Staccioli, Tuareg objects, Imba jewels, collected during the travels and a Persian carpet: memories of visits and encounters, of explorations and researches on materials, shapes, colors.

The kitchen is a small jewel: also designed by Massimo Pierattelli, it is characterized by elements and details in hand-worked polished brass, with reflective and luminous accents, combined with a granite top and wooden inserts. In the dining room the protagonists are the Block table by Acerbis and the Sheraton sideboard designed by Lodovico Acerbis and Giotto Stoppino in 1977, both lacquered in glossy black.

The setting is completed by the Taccia and Toyo lamps by Flos, the Bea chairs by Lema, the fish sculpture in glass by Egidio Costantini and a painting by Raffaele de Grada. Cornflower blue furnishings and textiles interact with the light coatings, while from the window a glimpse of the Renaissance architecture of Palazzo Pitti reflects the beauty of the city that was the cradle of the Renaissance.