A historic palace with a contemporary soul in Bologna

A historic apartment opens up to a new everyday life: warmth and spontaneity reshape the spaces for a young family, balancing compositional clarity with contemporary functionality.

Set within a 15th-century palace later rebuilt in Neoclassical style at the end of the 18th century, this piano nobile apartment has been reinterpreted through a contemporary lens while preserving the building’s strong scenic presence.

The clients—a young couple with two children recently returned from the United States—were looking for a home defined by high ceilings and a distinctly Italian character: bright, welcoming, and suited to daily life without compromising its original architectural quality.

Glamora wallpaper Diary Projects A historic palace with a contemporary soul in Bologna

The design developed by Doodesign is guided by subtraction and balance. Architecture remains the protagonist, while the way of living evolves.

Generous rooms, original doors, cornices and mouldings, arches and frescoed ceilings create an authoritative historical framework, softened by furnishings with gentle lines, essential volumes and a palette of warm neutrals designed to enhance light and bring vitality to the interiors without excess. The result is a cultured yet immediate space, where representational elegance merges with genuine, everyday comfort.

One of the most distinctive areas is the vaulted space that mediates between passage and pause: the large central arch creates depth and sets a measured interplay of light and shadow.

Here, the niche becomes an architectural backdrop, where Temps Perdu wallcovering from the Komorebi Collection introduces a delicate gesture. Botanical traces, as if emerging over time, guide the eye along the curve of the vault, amplifying the perception of height. The wall functions as a visual pause—gathering and warming the space—while remaining light, thanks to the linear lighting that runs through the composition.

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The pure European linen adds a discreet, natural tactile quality. Rather than competing with frescoes and historical details, it supports them, contributing to the overall atmosphere and sense of comfort.

The remaining rooms follow the same coherent approach: cream tones and burnt earth hues, a few carefully chosen accents, and artworks that dialogue with the high ceilings without disrupting continuity. The result is an apartment that preserves its identity and restraint, while gaining energy, functionality and a renewed sense of domestic warmth.