This bold insertion establishes a material language built on contrast. European walnut parquet brings depth and warmth underfoot, laid in French herringbone across the public spaces on the lower level, where the living room, dining room and kitchen are arranged in enfilade, and in straight planks throughout the private quarters upstairs. Between rooms, extra-hard Pietra Serena stone wraps the floor threshold, upper lintel and vertical jambs, turning each passage into a sharply delineated architectural gateway.

In the living room, a slim bespoke console carved from a monolithic block of Guatemala green marble anchors the rediscovered fresco, its vibrant hue lending visual weight to the delicate wall painting above. Marble also plays a prominent role in the bathrooms: Calacatta Oro defines the principal bathing area, while Carrara Arabescato lines the powder room, their expressive grey-on-white veining offset by brass and matte-black fixtures respectively.

Photography © EllerStudio.

This interplay of contrasts extends to the furnishings. In the living room, contemporary pieces characterised by a playful minimalism such as Patricia Urquiola’s Sengu Bold Sofa for Cassina and Verzelloni’s low-slung Zoe Armchair are paired with modernist lighting icons, including Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni’s Arco Floor Lamp and Paolo Rizzatto’s 265 Wall Lamp, both by FLOS. In the adjoining dining room, a traditional dark-wood dining suite and vintage glass chandelier retain the formality of a historic Ferrarese residence, while the kitchen is centred on a monolithic white island whose richly veined surface lends its restrained form an almost sculptural presence.

Upstairs, housed within the building’s attic, the private rooms take on a quieter atmosphere. The bedroom, dressing rooms, study and bathroom suite unfold beneath the sloping timber roof, where strategically placed skylights draw daylight between the exposed beams and accentuate the volume’s irregular geometry. A slatted timber headboard, fluted-glass doors, integrated storage and crisply detailed vanities introduce contemporary precision without diminishing the tactile warmth of the historic structure.

The result is precisely the "warm, anti-minimalist, almost theatrical environment" the clients requested. At Casa Fràra, heritage and contemporary design spar, reflect and amplify one another, and the dwelling is all the more alive for it.

Photography © EllerStudio.