Echoes of Rome and the Orient: An Eclectic Dialogue in an Apartment

For STUDIO8 Architects, an international design group with deep roots in Europe, this project represents a dissolution of cultural boundaries as architects living in the East return to design in their homeland. Situated in northern Rome near Via Cassia, this 1950s apartment marks the team's first project in the capital and their second in Italy. The result is a sartorial and eclectic restoration where the memory of ancient Rome seamlessly intertwines with Oriental echoes, creating a hybrid space that tells a story of cultural integration.
Spaces for Living and Sharing

The clients, a couple with twins, desired a cohesive and interactive domestic dimension that favored sharing, positioning the dining table as the focal point of the home. The design intervention preserved the apartment's historical soul—including stucco-decorated ceilings, ornamental cornices, and dark wood floors—while executing targeted, discreet updates to adapt the space for contemporary family life.
By stripping away the wall between the living room and kitchen, the spatial simplification transformed a former maid's room into a guest bathroom and gave way to a vast, open-plan dining and kitchen area. At its heart stands a fully-equipped large island, which perfectly reflects the clients' culinary passion. Beyond a pre-existing arch lies the living room: a more intimate, secluded area with a comfortable sofa where the family can retreat to relax. Consequently, the kitchen and living room develop on opposite sides of the dining table, serving distinct functions while perfectly balancing conviviality with privacy.

Travertine: The Material Thread
The city of Rome, where history and modernity organically coexist among ancient ruins, acts as an active participant in the design. The creative team pays homage to the capital's identity by introducing new materials like metal and travertine alongside the preserved historical features. As a classic material of Roman architecture, travertine serves as the architectural thread binding modern volumes to historical elements. It is deployed strategically across the entrance, kitchen, living room, and bathrooms—forming partitions, the sofa back, and rich claddings that bring Rome's urban character indoors.

Notably, a new travertine partition replaces the old entrance wall to act as a visual and functional filter. Chamfered corners soften its mass, while a central metal bookcase allows light and sight to pass through, brilliantly marrying Oriental feng shui principles with a Western sense of privacy. These fragmented, precise interventions evoke Roman ruins, breaking up and articulating the space to add dynamic energy. From the entrance, following the original diagonal layout of the wood floor, the decorated arch of the living room converses with the kitchen's minimalist door, creating a poetic meeting between past and present.

Targeted Interventions and Intercultural Phraseology
To seamlessly integrate modern necessities without compromising the home's heritage, drop ceilings for the air conditioning were restricted to hallways and service areas, concealing vents within the walls to preserve the original stucco. In the entryway, a custom V-shaped metal element integrates lighting and mechanical routing, transforming a technical requirement into a striking architectural statement.
In the master suite, the bathroom wall was set back along the original stucco line to expand the room and carve out an elegant mirrored vanity area. Painted in the clients' favorite shade of blue, this volume playfully contrasts with the ceiling's original patina and visually connects the wall to the master bedroom's decor. The high precision of these interventions was made possible by close collaboration with the team's local architect in Rome, who directly supervised all construction phases.
This meticulous detailing enhances an intercultural harmony. In the kitchen, an antique jade-inlaid Oriental screen converses with classic family oil paintings housed in the entryway. In the living room, a painting depicting the mythological island of Penglai joins vibrant blue artworks—softly illuminated by "Cao Zi Tou" sconces—while bamboo-framed Chinese elements adorn the bedroom.

Light, Atmosphere, and Conclusion
The atmosphere is further enriched by light; in the kitchen, sunlight filters through the service balcony's original geometric lattices, casting striking afternoon shadows. Warm tones of travertine and wood meet dark furnishings against predominantly white walls, creating a deeply welcoming environment.

Ultimately, this home proves that cultural integration in design does not mean uniformity, but rather the creation of new design languages through dialogue. Local travertine converses with Oriental jade, and existing stucco coexists with contemporary steel. The design team did not impose a vision, but instead chose to listen—to the building's history, the family's desires, and the silent dialogue between seemingly distant cultures. The result is a natural coexistence of Oriental objects and Roman memories, proving that cultures do not overwrite each other but complete one another in beautiful harmony.