Casa Mille forms part of the historic 19th-century palace belonging to the Callori family in Turin, Northern Italy, once an artisan workshop and the stables found in the outside garden. In the recent renovation, Fabio Fantolino has managed to recontextualise the decadence and glamour of the original palace, bringing the interior firmly into the 21st century.

The entrance projects an image of pure luxury. Roman columns and arched windows all existing in a language of perfect symmetry, act as a celebration of the past. Small balconies fanning off the terracotta washed façade, feel like they have escaped the pages of a fairy-tale. Images of princes and ball gowns start to creep into focus when one begins to wonder who would live inside. However, this bold statement poses as a bit of a façade that, while remaining respectful of the past era, conceals the contemporary feel within.

The polished helicopter concrete floor is reflective, injecting an industrial element that adds a dimension and visual interest to an otherwise warm interior. American walnut brings a natural rawness that creates welcoming, comfortable atmosphere not exactly aligned with pre-conceived images of the 19th-century palace.

The same level of refined simplicity found in the rest of the home continues into the bathroom through layered materials and textures. A marble shower gives way to a wall of semi-translucent glass bricks. American walnut accents meet tiny square tiles that continue the tones of the adjacent marble.

The bedroom, whitewashed and home to a few simple furnishings, is elevated by the inclusion of a mounted timber wall detail that wraps around the back of the bed. The moment is a soft, modern interpretation of the opulence of a large scale 4 poster bed, achieving understated beauty.

Neighbouring outdoor terraces become part of the interior experience. The threshold between them is blurred by an enormous wall of sliding glazing which brings light into all the rooms.

 

Casa Mille is constructed in a series of beautiful moments, where luxury meets simplicity and history talks with the contemporary. One such moment is found in the outer courtyard. Timber battens give way to the romantic arched recess of the brick wall, with different personalities revealing themselves across its length – its fairy-tale language colliding with sleek modernity.