Piazza Navona, Rome

Roma, Italy (general) 00186

Italy

The apartment lies at the crossroads of Baroque Architecture. Located inside the church of Sant’Agnesein Agone, attributed to Francesco Borromini, and overlooking the Fountain of the Four Rivers by GianLorenzo Bernini.

This 350-square-meter luxuryapartment not only boasts aworld-class setting but alsoa level of craftsmanship thattransports the visitor into aworld of wonders. The frescoes of Allegrinifloated above, a time andemotion out of reach.

Entering off of the spiral cobblestoned ascension, the entry signals the step into an exclusive and intimate world. Moving towards the first portion of the apartment the guest first encounters the music room, the piano is the protagonist of the room. From the music room there is a vista passing all the rooms on the front side of the apartment, culminating at in the first bedroom. The series of marble framed passage ways comprise the rooms of Allegrini’s Old Testament series.

Strong symmetry established at both ends of the studio give it a proud nobility. The custom design leather desk at the window provides a place for the eloquent inspiration. At either side of the desk red coral accents a top of tall bronze stands lead the attention up to the ceiling. Opposite of the desk, a deep green velour couch with towering lamps at each arm invite guests to indulge in the relaxation of the wandering of their mind. The side walls of the studio display the clients’ collection of antique roman books, a reminder of the layers of history and scholarship present in the spirit of the space. The bedroom at the culmination of the row of rooms was treated as a precious jewelry box. Enveloped in a deep velvet and woven fabric wallpaper the space gives an instant sensation of cozy intimacy, an antique marble fireplace found by the client adds to the prestige and warmth of the room. We find further on the wardrobe that give us the sensation of a bottega of a tailor, the closets are over proportioned to give the sense of grandiose, while bringing the tall proportions to a human size.

Passing through the hidden door into the bathroom, a room of travertine, dark contrasts, and brass details define a shift in atmosphere. The space was originally without a natural center. An inner room was constructed to house the WC and the shower, its facade presenting a symmetrical wall with gold leafed glass doors. At the center of the wall, a lit niche accommodates an antique marble sculpture. Counters made of a unique spider green marble brings the space to life. Moving towards the lounge area alongside the corridor, the guest can admire the frescos presenting the Pamphili legacy with their family symbol of a dove and olive branch. An antique fireplace was installed with two niched book shelves to add to the calming atmosphere and to add a function to what was originally a mere function.

Positioned between the kitchen and the master bedroom the lounge was devoted to a room of relaxation, the one wall without a passageway was emphasized as a space for conversation while a simulated symmetry was created with a TV cabinet and a surprising built in bar. The kitchen greets the guest with a full wall custom shelving backed by with a brilliant gold and filled with beautiful objects. A peninsula and table balance the room, the table an ornate pattern of antique marble and the peninsula of a precious marble from the Amazon, a reference to the not yet discovered river missing from Bernini’s Four RiversFountain in the Piazza below. The jewel above, an ancient Murano glass chandelier by Seguso.

The masterpiece of the apartment was the room created forPope Innocent X himself, with ceilings 8 meters tall topped by the most spectacularly detailed fresco, Allegrini depicts the story of Dido, The bed became the protagonist in the design. A signature piece constructed of reclaimed wood from the forrest of the clients immersed in raw brass creates a new encased artistic matter. Clad with travertine, detailed with brass, and lit with custom glass fixtures, the master bathroom adopts the same language as the original. There was a special original nook tucked away in the corner of the apartment, a small circular coppola. Capitalizing on the spall space, it was shaped into an intimate jacuzzi, surrounded by a fine micro mosaic and with a gold base it recalls the spirit of traditional roman bath.