Isola reflects the experience of residency at Villa Medici: an island of calm in the bustling cultural heart of Rome. This project offers guests a functional space, inspired by the Parisian apartment-studios of great creative figures such as Le Corbusier and Brancusi, that adapts to the life and work of its occupant.

The room has been redesigned on an open-plan basis and organized around a central element: a large solid wood table, at the heart of the apartment. This enables each occupant to create their own schedule, in which writing, cooking, reading, eating, creating, or designing are intermingled, making every moment an opportunity for creation. It is also a place for meetings and interactions, fostering dialogue. On the periphery of the space, a large bench, designed as an extension of the staircase, offers a place to withdraw and relax.

Wood and plaster, ubiquitous at Villa Medici, manifest themselves in a variety of forms through the surfaces and volumes of Isola. They are expressed in the duality of the project’s natural curves and architectural lines, evoking the two views visible from the room: on one side, the city; on the other, the gardens.