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Design Dilemma: Adding A Touch of the Theatrical in Rome

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Ever feel like turning your home into a theatre set? Every now and then, we all do. Our homes. after all, are the stage sets of our lives, right? But in this particular apartment, a creative director and theatre director teamed up to provide a touch of  theatricality to their Rome apartment. They do so by going the eclectic route, mixing and matching furniture styles, eras, patterns and colors.

Let’s begin with the blue velvet couch in the living room. It’s something you might expect of your grandmother. It’s from an entirely different era than the leather couch it is combined with.  Just that contrast alone lends the living room a bit of drama. Touches around the living room make reference to the stage. A spotlight in the dining room references both the theatre, and photography, both passions of the owners.

 

Here’s another view of the living room — and the couch.

And here, a better view of the dining room, combined with photographs and the spotlight. The dining table was bought by one of the owner’s Neapolitan grandmother. It is combined with mid-century Eames chairs. Each of the photos on the walls represents a project one of the owners has worked on.

There are plenty of combinations of high and low, antique and modern. The video monitors sit atop a 1930s desk that belong to the grandfather of one of the owners. Across from the antique desk is a Billy bookcase from IKEA. Another spotlight highlights the theatrical edge.

The bedroom is particularly dramatic. The headboard is from the 19th century. The neon sign above the bed says “closer” and is the title of an English play by Patrick Marber that the owner adapted for an Italian audience. The dresser in front of the bed was manufactured in Sorrento, Italy, in the 1950s.

In the bedroom, a reading corner stands out because of dramatic flamingo wallpaper. An antique stereo and chair provide an interesting contrast of patterns and eras.

Below, the kitchen. Tropical-themed wallpaper is another unexpected choice. The pink chair comes from a flea market. The stall’s owner explained that it had been the teacher’s chair at a school.

A stairway from the reading nook in the bedroom leads upstairs to an office and the kitchen.

So what makes this space dramatic?

• Furnishings that are unexpected, and eclectic. Eras and styles are mixed with abandon, lending the space a whimsical feel. Antique and modern play off each other.
• Patterns are used boldly. Wallpaper is one of the best ways to create instant drama.
• Keeping the rooms relatively spare allows for focal points to stand out.
• And speaking of focal points, there IS one in just about every room, from the gallery wall in the dining area, to the neon “closer” sign above the ornate headboard in the bedroom, to the boldly tropical wallpaper in the kitchen.

This Rome apartment proves that you don’t necessarily have to have the latest in trendy design to have a stand-out space. All it takes is a good eye!