When we first featured the work of back in 2018 () and 2019 (), I was taken by their soft and muted but still unexpected use of color throughout rooms: pale greens and pinks, rust and grey-blue. Now, a few years later, they’ve taken the saturation up a notch.

The latest of the studio’s transformed interiors was sent to us by Vincenzo Tattolo, one half, with Martino Fraschetti, of the Rome-based firm. Malaquite House has the distinct feel of an airy, brightly colored European summer house—even though it is a petite top-floor, two-bedroom apartment in the heart of Rome. (One side of the flat looks out at the Basilica de San Giovanni in Laterano; the other, the Colosseum.)

Take a look at the playful, bold interiors, redone for a family of four and their dog, with colorful ceilings and clever paint tricks, striped floors, and archways that feel straight out of an Italian villa.

Photography courtesy of Studio Strato.

Above: The homeowners—a couple with two children—tasked Tattolo and Freschetti with creating a playful, bright space reminiscent of vacation. Mission accomplished, with white archways and parquet floors painted over in bold blue and grey. Note the stripe of red paint continued from the built-in bookshelf around the front door, baseboards, and an exposed, unpainted patch of parquet.
Above: The living area features a lofted bed and a built-in lounge, adding to the resort-like feel. The ceiling is done in what the architects call “Tivoli blue.”
Above: Through an archway to the dining area, laid with terra cotta flooring.
Above: A swath of paint on the ceiling makes a surprising impact. The architects employed this hue (which they call “Malaquite green,” like the malachite stone) to connect inside and outside. The room also serves as a greenhouse of sorts.
Above: The herringbone-patterned tile continues into the kitchen, where the architects painted the original wooden ceiling a cheerful yellow.
Above: An all-red hallway is a reference to the red stripe by the entry and connects the bright, open common areas and the more saturated sleeping spaces. Shown here is the kids’ room, with the parquet painted in monochrome grey.
Above: A bath in slate blue.

Above: The slate color continues into the main bedroom—including on the parquet floors.
Above: A mirror in a hallway closet area reflects the main bathroom.
Above: The main bedroom, all in blue—a nod to the Tivoli blue of the living area, now fully “enveloping,” according to the architects.
Above: A monochrome marigold bed adds a welcome dose of sun to the room.
Above: The main bathroom in palette-cleansing neutral tones. A sculptural bath and open shower space adds to the sense of escape and relaxation, even at home.
Above: The plan of the apartment, mapped with the different types of flooring throughout.

For more by Studio Strato, see: