Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Photo of living room furniture by well designed and painted wall
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Italian architect and designer Maurizio Giovannoni sent us this wonderful project of his, renovation and design one of the penthouse apartments in Turku, Finland. The concept  was to share & mix our different cultures: finnish & Italian: using local wood as birch , finnish vintage pieces and contemporany Italian design as twiggy by Foscarini introducing colours and contrast to break “the white appeal” typical of the scandinavian interiors; the past and the present also is intoo in this project, living in harmony. Interesting part is that 80% of the project was designed through e-mails since the owner of apartment was in Rome.


"The apartment is a little penthouse (about 65 mq.) in Turku, Southern Finland. Before renovation, too many walls and doors blocked the spaces and the passage of light, and the most beautiful view of the historical sites of Turku was on the bedroom side. My principal goal in this project was letting the light flow in and creating a relaxing living room where my customer could do his creative work.

The partial demolition of walls was a natural consequence, along with reversing the location of the bedroom and living room. After fixing this, we decided on the overall “concept” together with my customer, organizing all the details that colored the white spaces. That happened during my customer’s visit to Rome (due to my impossibility to travel in that period), and via 4oo e-mails between Turku and Rome. The result is what I now consider my style: a blend of cultures.

There is nothing that stimulates me more than to study different countries and make some cultural themes recognizable but never intrusive in the project.  In this case, the floor is covered with parquet of white ash, the shelves are birch and the kitchen table is also birch but colored with heat. Wood is a omnipresent element in this flat as it constantly is for Finnish people, but the real attention is catalyzed by the nature theme pictured on wall paper, carrying colours and contrasts and a typical Mediterranean “courage”.

The furniture itself is a mix of the 2 cultures and of past & present: the  grandmother’s armchair is a piece of Finnish vintage from the sixties as is the red floor lamp. The arc framing the wall paper is the famous Twiggy by Foscarini and the suspended lamps are Italian as well:Olimpia by Ideal Lux. Everything fits together in perfect harmony!"
          -Maurizio Giovannoni

All photos by Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Photo of entrance into the living room separated by wooden doors
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Photo of living room and painted walls through the entrance doors
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Photo of the kitchen and dining table with colorful chairs
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Photo of new kitchen as seen from the dining table
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Photo of red and yellow coat hanging on the wall
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Photo of dining table and dining area as seen from the kitchen
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Photo of Turku city as seen from the apartment
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Photo of person reading a book on the green sofa
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Photo of modern art painted on the wall in the hallway
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Person reading a book in a reading corner of living room
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Close up photo of wooden doors
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Close up photo of colorful carpet on the floor
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Mikko Ala-Peijari 

Floor plan showing old walls before renovation
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Illustration showing which walls were turned down or replaced
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Illustrations showing how redesign was done
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Illustration showing modern kitchen coming out from a drawing
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Illustration showing reading corner of living room coming out from a drawing
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Illustration showing dining area coming out from a drawing
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Drawing of a living room as seen from the sofa
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Drawing of new hallway
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Drawing of new redesigned living room
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Drawing of new interiors
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Drawing of new kitchen
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

Drawing of new redesigned hallway into the living room
Interiors: Renovation Of A Penthouse In Turku by Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto
© Maurizio Giovannoni Architetto

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