London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

An Old Stone Building in Tuscany Becomes a Modern Hideaway

An Old Stone Building in Tuscany Becomes a Modern Hideaway

A clever renovation transforms an irregularly shaped dwelling in Trequanda, Italy, into a tiny retreat that's bursting with character.

In the small, medieval village of Trequanda in Tuscany, Italy, Casa Effegi is an old stone building that was restored and transformed into a cozy, 367-square-foot countryside retreat. Mantua–based Archiplan Studio conducted the renovation, reconfiguring the floor plan and outdoor areas, employing a deck and built-in benches to connect the interior and exterior spaces while maximizing functionality.



Casa Effegi is located at the border of the Tuscan village of Trequanda, tucked between the town center and the surrounding hilly, rural landscape.



The height difference between the entrance at the ground level and the internal courtyard presented architects Diego Cisi and Stefano Gorni Silvestrini of Archiplan Studio with the opportunity to create a wooden deck outdoors.



The living room on the ground floor had an original floor area that follows the form of an imperfect square.

"We think the most unique features of the house are related to the attention paid to details and material," says Silvestrini. "The imperfections became opportunities for small and precise interventions, aimed at redefining the space."



The architects regularized the asymmetry of the longitudinal walls with two lateral, built-in benches that accommodate the spatial discrepancies with their extensions.



For the interiors, the architects used mostly black-varnished steel sheets and durmast wood.



A wardrobe with wooden doors on the first floor bedroom contains and hides the shower and toilet.

Near this wardrobe, just to the side of one of the bedroom windows, a white Vieques pedestal washbasin designed by Patricia Urquiola for Italian brand Agape stands as an isolated element that enhances the visual connectivity between the wash area and the surrounding landscape.

"The challenges were mainly related to the space's small scale, which meant that we had to to find the right balance between the measurements of the old and new features," says Cisi.



While using the washbasin, the owner can enjoy outdoor views. "The 'rarefacted' wooden wall generates a light visual relationship between bedroom and bathroom spaces," says Cisi.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×