Casa Coo
Casa Coo is a minimal home located in Rome, Italy, designed by Margine. The property’s current owner, a Roman surgeon, aimed to modernize the home while preserving its historic character, prioritizing clean lines and rich, dark tones to contrast with the abundant natural light. The house originally featured ornate moldings, marble cladding, and stucco, elements that had made the space feel heavy and disjointed. This renovation stripped back these embellishments, opting instead for a refined, minimalist approach that aligns with the home’s original essence while incorporating modern materials and textures. During the renovation, surveys revealed a vaulted stone ceiling hidden above the dropped ceilings, now restored to give the living room added depth.
The former parquet flooring was replaced with a mix of walnut and oak planks, aligned to mirror the ceiling’s beams. In the living room, a new fireplace with a minimalist concrete façade doubles as a bench, seamlessly connecting to the veranda, which has been transformed into a contemporary kitchen. Suspended from the veranda’s structure, the kitchen features steel fixtures and flows onto a terrace with views of Colle Oppio and the Colosseum. The terrace, paved with terracotta bricks in a herringbone pattern, includes a pergola shaded by jasmine, perfect for outdoor dining. Inside, the private areas are accessed through a wooden door leading to the master bedroom, which overlooks the Colosseum.
With Prussian blue walls, restored parquet floors, and Groppi’s Moon pendant, the room evokes the serenity of a night sky. A former kitchen and bathroom were repurposed into a small bedroom with a custom alcove, raised bed, and storage. Light oak and walnut planks distinguish the flooring in a simple yet dynamic arrangement. The renovation also transformed a single bedroom into two bathrooms, each outfitted with Agape fixtures, juxtaposing rough and smooth textures. The attic spaces, formerly used for storage, have been integrated into the living areas, with white-painted wooden trusses adding a sense of openness.