This historic Sicilian residence value just one euro. See the way it was reworked

In Italy, you should buy a home for one euro. You learn that proper – throughout the nation, municipalities have launched schemes to deal with the problem of Italy’s surplus of gorgeous, historic properties, which are sometimes deserted.

These buildings usually require vital funding in restoration. Because of this, they have a tendency to draw patrons with a ardour for cultural preservation, desperate to honour the previous whereas contributing one thing new to Italy’s timeless landscapes.

A compelling instance lies in Sambuca, Sicily, the place Palermo-based structure studio Didea took on the transformation of an early-Twentieth-century residence. The construction, partially embedded inside Sambuca’s city partitions, was basically a spoil, with collapsed flooring and rising damp. But Didea noticed promise in its bones, embarking on a whole reimagining in collaboration with AirBNB.

The studio exercised restraint within the residence’s redesign. Ornamental extra is eschewed in favour of simplicity and precision. The result’s an area that doesn’t nostalgically recreate the previous, however gently weaves in threads of native identification.

Trendy, minimalist parts are launched, standing in distinction to unique options – vaulted ceilings, enfilade rooms and timber and mosaic flooring. Mediterranean-style partitions in heat, muted tones are set towards daring color blocks and sculptural shapes, making a putting visible dialogue.

One of the vital distinctive parts of the house is the set of staircases, made out of perforated metal and rendered in daring crimson and inexperienced. These, together with translucent doorways, permit pure gentle to circulate by means of the area, contributing to a comfortable, ethereal and quintessentially Mediterranean ambiance.

Each facet of the property, together with the furnishings, was custom-designed in what Didea describes as an ‘architectural tailoring course of’. The result’s a cohesive and refined inside, the place nothing feels unintended and the whole lot serves a objective.

The house’s materials palette – lime plaster, uncooked earth, and different breathable, pure parts – helps thermal consolation and, by extension, vitality effectivity. On this means, sustainability is constructed into the house, reasonably than being an overt proclamation. Plus, provides Didea co-founder Nicola Andò, ‘restoring what already exists is, in itself, an act of sustainability’.

The Sambuca challenge demonstrates how considerate design can breathe new life into heritage, standing as a culturally-sensitive case examine for a way Italy’s underutilised constructing inventory could be revitalised. It provides this area a second life – permitting it, as Andò places it, to ‘converse once more by means of the expertise of dwelling’.