Recovery of a historic building in Portici. The 18th century factory " is reborn "

Originally "Casa di Ignazio Imparato", the building - now known as "Villa Giamburri" - was purchased by King Charles of Bourbon around 1738-40 and transformed into the "Regie Fornaci", intended for the manufacture of artifacts. Today, however, the building which has not completely preserved its original appearance, having inevitably undergone some changes especially volumetric ones, starting from the years following the unification of Italy. Studio Ricciardi Architetti restructures the entire building, creating a contemporary apartment

With this in mind, the architect Raffaele Maria Ricciardi creates a loft, which makes it possible to exploit the volume of the house without obscuring its height, which can also be clearly seen thanks to the preservation of the original wooden ceiling, which has been duly restored

This has made it possible for new spaces to be created which are in harmony and continuity with the floor below: a study, a guest room with a bathroom, a sleeping area with dressing room for one of the two bedrooms on the first floor and a larger and more spacious dressing room for the exclusive use of the master bedroom, which is also vertically designed. The rooms of the loft are screened inside through the glass made of iron and opal glass, and open to the light of the central island kitchen, with an equipped wall to the side, while the dining room and the living room are completely latitudinal

Three staircases have been designed to access the mezzanine. The first is located at the entrance and leads to the study and guest room; it has a helical shape, made of iron and wood and ends at the round railing of the balcony. The second, which starts from the hallway of the rooms and reaches the sleeping area of the bedroom and the second entry to the guest room, is made of wood and stone blocks with the first staircase made entirely of marble and also serves as a wardrobe-closet, "hidden" in the under-stairs. The third is in the master bedroom and leads to the dressing room inside the same room

The designers also used materials, mainly oak and beige marble, as in all the projects by Studio Ricciardi using local traditions and especially hand-painted majolica tiles to colour the kitchen floor

Studio Ricciardi Architetti restructures the building, combining the needs of the client with the need to protect the living evidences of historical-artistic value, attributing new meanings to pre-existing forms, maintaining a continuous relationship between past and present