Cover Architect and designer Gae Avitabile transformed the old family storeroom into a two-room apartment filled with vintage objects and family heirlooms
Architect and designer Gae Avitabile transformed the old family storeroom into a two-room apartment filled with vintage objects and family heirlooms
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Architect and designer Gae Avitabile transformed an old family storeroom into Casa Egle, a two-room apartment filled with memorabilia, vintage objects and family heirlooms
In Campania that lies north of Naples in southern Italy, the historic city of Caserta is shaped by the monumental legacy of the Bourbon dynasty, stemming particularly from the eighteenth-century Royal Palace of Caserta.
Commissioned by the King of Naples, Charles of Bourbon in 1752 and designed by Luigi Vanvitelli, the Royal Palace was conceived on a scale comparable with other great European royal residences, particularly Versailles and the Royal Palace of Madrid.
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Today, the palace, its gardens, the Aqueduct Carolino and the San Leucio complex form a UNESCO World Heritage Site—and within a short walking distance, resides a lawyer, with a passion for vintage markets and travel, who recently engaged architect and designer Gae Avitabile to renovate an old family storeroom in her home into a two-room apartment that spans a mere 484 sq ft.
Above Nicknamed Casa Egle, the two-room apartment used to be a family storeroom
Above Green wainscot continues through the door linings and doors
Nicknamed Casa Egle, the two-room apartment used to be a family storeroom
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The intimate pied-à-terre functions as a welcoming retreat for Egle, the homeowner, and as a place to host friends and relatives travelling from different parts of Italy.
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“Egle’s request was to create an interior using only objects, materials, lighting fixtures and furniture that either belonged to her family or had been purchased during her travels and visits to vintage markets,” Avitabile recalls.
“I found this to be a very different approach from the interior design projects I had worked on previously, which was what made the project particularly interesting to me,” he adds.
Above The living area comprises a multicoloured wood-and-rope bench from Morocco and an inlaid coffee table
Above An eclectic collection of objects procured during the homeowners’ travels and inherited from her family
The living area comprises a multicoloured wood-and-rope bench from Morocco and an inlaid coffee table
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The project began with a 430-sq-ft storage space, to which a further 54 sq ft was added to incorporate an adjacent bathroom. Each of the two principal rooms measures approximately 215 sq ft, while the original ceiling height of around four metres allowed Avitabile to introduce a mezzanine level for the bed.
As the apartment occupies the ground floor beside a private garden, the renovation also required structural restoration and remedial work to address rising damp from the ground—achieving completion in approximately six months.
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The renovation also retained the character of the original structure. For example, Herringbone terracotta flooring was carefully restored to bring it back to its former condition, its warm, earthy tone extending through the living areas, while set against white walls and ceilings.
Meanwhile, a defining green wainscot continues through the door linings and doors themselves, with the same shade carrying into the bathroom walls and doors for a visual continuity between the different areas of the compact residence.
Above The cosy kitchenette underneath the mezzanine structure
Above The four-metre ceiling height introduces a sleeping area
The cosy kitchenette underneath the mezzanine structure
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Across the compact space, the reserved architectural details establish a dialogue with objects Egle had collected throughout her life—some passed down through her family, while others were discovered in antique shops, flea markets, restorers’ workshops and during her travels.
Rather than treating the objects as separate decorative accents, it is a physical expression of its owner’s travels and family history, coming together in a deliberately eclectic composition.
In the living area, a collection of furniture and objects carries distinct Oriental references, which includes a small multicoloured wood-and-rope bench brought back from Morocco, sitting alongside an inlaid coffee table and a sofa upholstered in Moroccan fabric.
Elsewhere, a tapestry from Bali decorates the wall, while a lotus-flower lamp sourced from a flea market and a velvet-and-rattan chair contribute further layers to the collection.
Above The washbasin from Morocco sits atop an old sideboard that belonged to Egle’s great-grandmother
Above A compact flame-red refrigerator and a salvaged cabinet enhanced with Moroccan fabric
The washbasin from Morocco sits atop an old sideboard that belonged to Egle’s great-grandmother
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A kitchenette occupies one of the main rooms beneath the metal mezzanine structure, with a design that centres on a particularly personal object: a small circular washbasin Egle discovered during a trip to Morocco—while beautiful but impractical, it is nevertheless a non-negotiable.
“The entire kitchen was therefore designed around this washbasin,” Avitabile shares. “In the end, to make it work, we chose an old sideboard that had belonged to Egle’s great-grandmother, and modified it to complement the Moroccan washbasin, transforming the piece of family furniture into a fully functional kitchen.”
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Besides that, the kitchenette features a compact flame-red refrigerator and a salvaged cabinet enhanced with Moroccan fabric, providing storage for crockery, glasses and other essentials.
In the dining area, light enters through windows screened by crocheted curtains made from a family heirloom bedspread; whereas a vintage metal bistro dining table comes with industrial-style chairs, distinguished by its unusual cactus-shaped base and floral-patterned top.
Above The bathroom with a dual screen comprising an old glass door panel purchased from a junkyard in Naples
Above Reclaimed encaustic tiles are used for the basin backsplash alongside a tasselled chandelier and Art Deco mirror
The bathroom with a dual screen comprising an old glass door panel purchased from a junkyard in Naples
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The bathroom takes a more theatrical direction, where reclaimed encaustic tiles salvaged from an old floor are used across the basin backsplash and shower walls, while a tasselled chandelier and Art Deco mirror reflect a Baroque composition.
Privacy is achieved through a dual screen comprising an old glass door panel purchased from a junkyard in Naples—originally used as part of the entrance to a legal office—and a hemp curtain inherited from Egle’s family, using the same fabric for the window treatments in the living area.
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Credits
Photography: Carlo Oriente
As senior writer at Tatler Homes, Celeste Goh covers architecture, interior design, luxury homes and emerging design trends. She also serves as digital content manager for Tatler Malaysia, overseeing the brand’s digital editorial strategy and social media presence across its platforms.
