The house in Bologna by Cima Studio was custom-designed by the architects who live there

A trapezoidal floor plan, a large L-shaped terrace surrounding the home from the living room to the bedroom and a blend of industrial and postmodern styles are just some of the features that define this 70 m² apartment in Bologna. The renovation was carried out by Cima Studio, which created Casa B. V. Not for a private client, but for their own use: the architects chose this space in which to express their personal aesthetic and, above all, to live. 

Casa B. V. has a strong autobiographical character because, as the designers explain, "none of the compromises usually made with other private clients find space in this house". Every choice, free from preliminary agreements, is thus a direct expression of their design thinking and the result of an experimental approach that is, in some ways, risky. 

 Cima Studio

This is demonstrated by the decision to disrupt the regularity of the floor plan to create a 'lived-in' hallway and by the use of a single bright colour, red, for the heating sources: the clearly visible heating pipes running along the wall, the radiator in the living room, the conical light on the table and a small detail on the kitchen sink. The concrete beams and pillars are exposed and, in contrast to the red details, give the space an industrial design feel with echoes of Memphis. This is also evident in the terrazzo flooring in the kitchen. The parquet flooring, present throughout, is reinterpreted as a distinctive rather than unifying element. In the living room, light oak is interspersed with darker wood inlays; in the master bedroom, it resembles tatami; and in the daughter's room, it has a more classic layout.

Then there is birch, a light wood that runs throughout the project. It can be found in the furniture details, the bathroom top, and the master bedroom headboard. Here, the plywood is transformed into a backdrop and storage unit that conceals the wardrobe area and fully embodies the concept of "made to measure".