Renovating a house in Lonigo: floors and bathrooms

D. and L. had bought a house to renovate in Lonigo, what for them would be and is their definitive home, the one in which to raise their family and their three children. When you are given the responsibility of designing THE house, you can do nothing but give your best! So, thanks to the trust they placed in me and to the good taste of both of them, we created a project that would fit perfectly into their home, respecting their tastes and expectations. 

Before the renovation, the house had a completely different layout. Today it is on three levels: on the ground floor there is the living area with the laundry room and guest bathroom, on an intermediate floor there is a play area overlooking the living room and a little higher up there is the sleeping area. However, one thing that D. tells me hasn't changed and that they both fell in love with when they first saw it was the light. When you enter this house you can't help but appreciate how natural light floods every space, every corner and surface in a soft and gentle way. This is continually enhanced today by the soft colours, the choice of creating an open space, the high walls that show us the white truss supported by a modern metal beam. 

To bring out this characteristic to the fullest, the architects opted for a Venetian-style floor, a floor with an ancient history but still with a modern and elegant air, with a light-coloured sown floor, a linseed oil finish that gives it shine and protection and small mother-of-pearl details that reflect the passing light. The flooring runs through the entire living area and also inhabits the guest bathroom, which we will see in a moment.

After a few years, D. notices that the only area that has lost some of its original shine is behind the kitchen counter, so I suggested she renew the oil treatment with the craftsman who followed her. She then pointed out that some of the mother-of-pearl seeds had blown off the floor, but not to worry - this is a normal consequence of the use of this floor and can be easily restored!

The large, bright open space of the living area is ideally divided by the three-sided fireplace with plasterboard structure that we designed. The structure divides the living room from a small sitting room recreated by the couple, characterised by the original vintage yellow armchairs inherited from L.'s father and from his passion for music. An intimate corner for relaxing moments in the evening, accompanied by vinyl music and a soft LED light that runs the length of the resin staircase. 

On one side we have recreated a wood storage niche covered in dark resin-effect porcelain stoneware, ideal for preventing the structure from being ruined and discoloured. On the opposite side we find the television and some storage niches covered with stoneware on the base. The result is a functional structure with an important visual impact as soon as you enter the home, an element that symbolises family unity and an excellent ally for cold winter evenings.

Once we have passed through the living room we can access the living area bathroom, a small bathroom characterised by a few elegant elements. In spite of its small size, perfectly in line with a bathroom dedicated to guests, we do not feel the lack of space: the light tones and the wall-mounted furniture play in favour of creating a feeling of airiness.

We enter with the same Venetian-style terrace as in the living area, combined with an elegant stone cladding framing the window. We then find a bathroom unit made up of two elements, a wooden shelf and a capacious chest of drawers with groove opening. On the top we find a countertop washbasin with soft shapes, combined with a wall-mounted tap. The bathroom is completed by a floor-standing toilet and bidet in a modern round shape.

D. wanted a very practical and hard-wearing floor covering for the bedroom and play area. He immediately opted for a wood-effect stoneware with a warm colour and a rather natural appearance, with evident knots and veins recreated technologically. Three years later she tells me that she wouldn't change it for any other floor, because she finds it so functional and beautiful! She is completely enthusiastic and tells me that she would still choose it today without thinking too much about it.

The faux wood she chose spreads over the entire upper floor: in the bedrooms, in the two bathrooms and in the children's play area. A porcelain stoneware floor is perfect for rooms where children often spend time: the tiles will resist any attack, jumps and scratches, and the colours that will necessarily end up on its surface (you know, all children are a bit of an artist: they avoid using sheets and often turn their house into a big canvas), as well as being extremely hygienic and easy to clean. 

The couple wanted to dedicate a bathroom in the sleeping area to the children, without making it a childish environment. It was conceived as a bathroom that could adapt well to their growth and be shared by their children. Daniela tells me that although she has a bathroom in her room, which we will see in a moment, she often uses this space because it gives her calm and well-being in its simplicity! So in the end it is a bathroom for the whole family and one that appeals to all ages.

The main feature of the bathroom is the wall decorated in opaque mosaic with a bubble pattern, combined with simple white satin-finished strips and on the floor with wood-effect stoneware, which the couple has fallen madly in love with. D. tells me that she still doesn't get tired of the mosaic pattern, but finds it more and more pleasant! It may seem like a risky choice, but a uniform covering would not have given the right movement and liveliness to this environment, which instead required a touch of liveliness. However, it remains an elegant pattern that will hardly tire the beholder.

We therefore find it covering the shower cubicle with rainfall shower head and floor-level shower tray, it accommodates the modern suspended sanitary ware and covers the steps leading to the bathtub. 

The bathtub, covered with the same wood-effect stoneware as the floor to create continuity of surfaces, is characterised by a particular trapezoid shape designed to recover space in width, having sacrificed space in length to create the steps. The ladders make it easier for the couple's children to get into the bathtub, allowing them to look after the little ones during bath time, between splashes of water and impromptu playtime. 

The bathroom concludes with the installation of a very spacious bathroom unit, with drawers with a groove opening and a corian top with an integrated double washbasin. An excellent choice to avoid long queues at the toilet in the morning and arguments over who can wash their teeth first!

Finally, bedroom bathroom. The emblem of relaxation and private well-being for the couple and the individual members of the household. In this bathroom, I created an environment for D. and L. that would represent a relaxing place, a personal refuge, detached from the rest of the family environment, but also a place to recover energy after work or a particularly difficult day. As a mother myself, I know how important it can be to find a space of your own in the home where you can retreat, even if only for ten minutes, with yourself!

On the floor we find wood-effect stoneware, while on the wall of the large shower niche we find  mosaic again: the colours of the tiles range from grey to teal, with a few irregular streaks of golden amber, which reflects the light differently depending on how it is hit. In the shower, in addition to the normal tapware and the rainfall shower head, we can find nebuliser jets: an optional extra that gives the body a therapeutic pampering and that respects my vision of water as a healing and wellness element.

A comfortable and modern wall-mounted bathroom unit is accompanied by two hanging columns (there is never enough space!). A large countertop basin in matte ceramic is enhanced by the swivel tap with its distinctive teardrop design, which is also used on the wall-mounted bidet. An already warm radiator awaits us at the end of our relaxing shower, giving us a warm bathrobe before going back downstairs with the children to play.

After viewing the last bathroom in the house, we can say our tour is over! We travel backwards and on our way out we thank those who have hosted us with such consideration.

First and foremost, I would like to thank the whole family who entrusted us with the renovation of their home and welcomed us to show you what they have achieved: it is always a pleasure to work with people with whom you find the right understanding and who have a beautiful soul like theirs.

Thanks also to you for taking the time to read this realisation article! I hope you enjoyed it and that it has inspired you to renovate your own home. If you have any doubts or questions you can write to me below using the comments box. If, on the other hand, you would like to make an appointment to renovate your home, use the form below. We will be happy to accompany you on this difficult but beautiful journey!

Keep in mind, however, that we are a small company, a team of interior designers. We like to find the right solutions and work with the most beautiful and newest products, preferring the Made in Italy to everything else, so it is difficult for us to use cheap products because we provide a range of services that are "included in the price" including advice, design, inspections ... Also: 

• We can do very few jobs in a year: on average a dozen turnkey jobs;
• We do not have the capacity to do jobs with immense sizes;
• Nor can we move too far from Vicenza-Verona.

This is because we have to provide the right assistance to jobs and customers. That's why I'm already warning you that if you have to do floors thousands of metres long or if the site is far from Vicenza and Verona, the areas where we operate, it's very likely that I'll suggest another colleague.

If, on the other hand, you live or will live in these provinces, you can visit us in our shops and we will be happy to design your home together. 
Here are the addresses of our shops specialising in floors, walls, bathrooms and kitchens: