set architects

The apartment is located on the top floor of an early twentieth-century building along Via Latina, one of Rome’s oldest roadways. Today, the Appio-Latino district has a lively and diverse character, home to residents from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds. The area’s urban fabric reflects a layered history, from the Roman ruins of the Caffarella Park to early 20th-century villas and the informal dwellings of the Borghetto Latino, built in the 1930s.

The refurbishment, designed for a young couple and their child, draws inspiration from this rich historical context. The design seeks to strip the space back to its essence, establishing a dialogue with Rome’s natural light, used as a guiding thread between past and present.

The architecture is deliberately minimal, emphasising material choices such as wood, metal, and rough plaster. These materials play a central role in offering the inhabitants a tactile connection to their surroundings and evoking a sense of calm through their natural warmth. The flooring is made of natural oak laid in parallel, creating a geometric rhythm that contrasts with the wood’s organic irregularities. The walls are kept neutral and white, contrasting with the textured ceiling, finished in natural grey lime plaster, which creates a chromatic link with the exposed concrete beam.

All metal furnishings were custom-designed for the apartment. The use of metal is both symbolic and aesthetic—an echo of its frequent use in everyday Roman artefacts. The bespoke furniture features archetypal geometric forms, such as the circle, reinforcing the intention to create a timeless domestic space that reflects the building’s morphology and the layered history of its surroundings.